This fresh and easy White Bean Salad recipe is made with a handful of simple ingredients including creamy white beans, crunchy cucumbers, and juicy tomatoes tossed in a tangy Dijon, garlic, herbs, and lemon dressing!
Table of contents
Mediterranean White Bean Salad
This simple salad is one of my favorite Greek-style salads and not just because it reminds me to use up just one of the cans of beans I have hoarded in the cupboard! It’s because this salad is absolutely delicious and so easy to whip up when I need something for a light lunch or a perfect side dish for potlucks, BBQs, or weekend grilling!
The bright tangy flavors of the Dijon mustard, fresh herbs, and lemon juice bring this zesty Mediterranean bean salad to life and is perfect for a fresh healthy dish, especially in the summer!
It’s a vegetarian recipe that’s packed with nutrients like protein, fiber, and iron and the homemade dressing contains no refined sugars, preservatives, or anything of the sort that you’d find in bottled dressings.
This quick and easy white bean salad is super healthy and a nice change from your everyday leafy green salad!
What to Serve with White Bean Salad
This versatile salad can be paired with things like burgers and kebabs. I like it on the side of my Italian grilled chicken or turkey spinach burgers. It’s also a quick and easy side dish for when I’m making my lemon oregano swordfish or citrus roasted salmon.
Ingredients/shopping list
For the Dressing
- Extra virgin olive oil: This oil-based dressing needs a mild-tasting oil that won’t overpower any flavors. It’s also a healthy fat and a signature ingredient in Mediterranean cooking. You can swap with avocado oil if preferred.
- Dijon mustard: This type of mustard is spicier than your average prepared yellow mustard. It adds a kick!
- Minced garlic: Fresh aromatics add great flavor to this dressing.
- Herbs: Dried Italian seasoning & fresh thyme elevate the taste of this dressing.
- Lemon juice: Here comes the zest! Freshly squeezed from the fruit, not the bottle (unless necessary!).
For the Salad
- Cannellini beans or great northern beans, drained and rinsed: You can substitute with chickpeas or navy beans if preferred, or use a combination.
- English cucumbers, seeded and sliced: I prefer this type of cucumber because they’re tastier than regular cukes, they don’t need to be peeled because their skin is so thin, and they generally have fewer seeds.
- Cherry tomatoes: Cut in half so they match the size of the sliced cucumbers and aren’t too big.
- Feta cheese crumbles: A creamy, salty, briny addition that is often used in Greek salads. You can omit it for a vegan white bean salad.
- Fresh parsley: Optional garnish.
How to Make this Easy Cannellini Bean Salad Recipe
This recipe will come together in minutes! A little longer if you allow it to sit and absorb all those flavors.
Step 1: Combine salad dressing ingredients into a bowl, and add salt and pepper to taste. Whisk everything together and set it aside for a moment.
Step 2: In a large bowl, toss in the beans, sliced cucumbers, and tomato halves. Pour dressing over everything and toss to make sure the contents of the salad are completely coated.
Step 3: Place the assembled white bean salad in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to marry. This isn’t a must, so only do this if you’ve got the time. Otherwise, serve it up!
Step 4: Top with feta crumbles and garnish with fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Variations/ Substitutions
1: Substitute different herbs like fresh chopped parsley, fresh basil or arugula for the thyme.
2: Add 10 thinly sliced mint leaves.
3: Add ¼ cup of diced red onion or green onion for a bit of color and crunch.
4: Diced avocado for a creamy tasty addition that also provides good fat!
5: Add diced red peppers and or kalamata olives.
6: Use another type of white bean like garbanzo beans or white kidney beans.
7: Substitute red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar for the lemon juice.
Tips
- Using fresh lemon juice is best but substitute ¼ cup of bottled lemon juice if needed.
- Use Persian or regular cucumber if preferred. The skin on these is a bit thicker, so feel free to peel them if you’d like. Slicing and scraping the seeds out will keep the salad from getting watery.
- Use diced heirloom or Roma tomatoes if preferred.
- Double or triple the recipe for a crowd.
FAQ’s
Keep anything left covered in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you make a ton, like I normally do, portion it out for meal-prepping lunches throughout the week.
The good news is the longer it sits the better it gets!
Yes! You can do it a couple of ways. One is to assemble the salad and make the dressing but keep them separate in the fridge until just before serving.
Or you can toss everything together and allow it to sit in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. This way you’ll get a bit more flavor in every bite, but either way, it’s delicious!
Substitute ½ teaspoon of dried basil, ½ teaspoon of dried oregano, and ¼ teaspoon of dried rosemary for the Italian seasoning if needed. Or use 1 tablespoon of Herbs de Provence.
For extra protein add a can of tuna to the salad before tossing. If you have leftover rotisserie chicken, grilled chicken breasts, or salmon you could add some of that instead.
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White Bean Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme minced
- 1 lemon juiced
For the Salad
- 2 15 ounce cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 1 english cucumbers seeded and sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes cut in half
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbles
- Garnish with parsley if desired
Instructions
Make the Dressing
- In a medium bowl or jar, add the olive oil, dijon mustard, garlic, italian seasoning, thyme and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon fresh thyme, 1 lemon
- Whisk until the dressing is completely mixing together.
Make the Salad
- Im a large bowl, add the cannellini beans, sliced cucumbers, and halved tomatoes.2 15 ounce cans cannellini beans, 1 english cucumbers, 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- Pour the dressing over top and toss to coat the vegetables. Refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the dressing to absorb if you have time.
- Top with crumbled feta½ cup feta cheese crumbles
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.
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