Mediterranean White Bean Salad

Fresh and colourful white bean salad bursting with Mediterranean flavours. Easy to make, ready in 10 minutes and perfect as a side dish or healthy lunch.

This quick and easy bean salad is a real staple in my kitchen. Made from basic pantry ingredients, it can be served on its own or as a side dish.

Perfect for make ahead lunches, bean salad holds up well in the fridge. I think it actually tastes better after about 24 hours as the flavours have time to meld and infuse. It transports well and is really easy to switch up and enhance to make a healthy and nutritious meal.

Ingredients

• Tinned White Beans
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Cucumber
• Bell Pepper
• Red Onion
• Olive Oil
• Lemon Juice
• Parsley
• Salt

Tinned Bean Salad

Canned white beans are a staple in my kitchen – nutritious and convenient, they can make so many meals. For this easy Mediterranean style salad I like to use haricot or navy beans as they are small with a nice nutty bite yet still have a creamy texture.

But you really can use any white bean you like – butter beans or lima beans, cannellini beans and chickpeas or garbanzo beans all work perfectly. You could even use multiple types of beans if you want to make a big batch. 

White beans are nutritional powerhouses and are a great source of protein, fiber and multiple essential nutrients like folate, magnesium and vitamin B6. 

I love beans for a healthy, filling lunch.

Substitutions

The beauty of this salad is how versatile it is. You can easily omit any of the salad ingredients that you don’t like or have, and switch up with whatever is in the fridge.

• Swap the cucumber for some peppery sliced radish
• Add green olives in place of the tomatoes
• Use shallot or spring onion in place of the red onion
• Instead of lemon juice use lime juice or red wine or sherry vinegar
• Add additional herbs like basil or dill.
• Stir in a couple of teaspoons of extra seasoning like za’atar, sumac or Aleppo pepper

Serving Suggestions

The below recipe for Mediterranean White Bean Salad makes 2 generous portions for a main meal, or can feed 4 as a side dish. You can easily double or triple the ingredients to make a larger batch.

You can serve it as is, or add some extra ingredients to enhance.

• Add some extra protein – hard boiled eggs, flaked tuna, cooked prawns or grilled chicken are all tasty additions. Bean salad goes so well with these Turkey Meatballs too.
• Combine with some grains like rice, bulgur or couscous.
• Crumbled feta cheese, mini mozzarella balls or grilled halloumi are all winners when added to white bean salad. One of my go-to lunches is bean salad with a couple of slices of grilled halloumi and a dollop of hummus.
• Serve as a side for BBQs, Picnics or casual meals. This salad makes a great side for any grilled protein – I especially love it with grilled fish.

Try one of my other easy salad dishes:

• Roast Sweet Potato Salad with Pomegranate and Tomato
• Lemon Dill Potato Salad
• No Mayo Tuna Salad
• The Best Chopped Salad
• Borlotti Bean Salad
• Mediterranean Chopped Salad with Feta

Mediterranean White Bean Salad

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Fresh and colourful white bean salad bursting with Mediterranean flavours. Easy to make, ready in 10 minutes and perfect as a side dish or healthy lunch.

Carrie Carvalho

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Equipment

• 1 Sharp Knife
• 1 Chopping Board
• 1 Large Mixing Bowl
• 1 lemon squeezer
• 1 colander

Ingredients

• 400 grams tin of white beans see notes
• 150 grams cherry tomatoes quartered
• ½ a cucumber diced
• 1 bell pepper diced
• 1 red onion diced
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp salt

Instructions

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• Drain the tin of beans and rinse well.
• Combine the olive oil and lemon juice in a large bowl and sprinkle in the salt.
• Add the diced onion, pepper, cucumber, tomatoes and beans to the bowl along with the chopped parsley and mix well. Add additional salt to taste if required.
• Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 4 days. Stir well before serving. (For best results, I do like to allow the salad to sit for at least 20 minutes before serving.)

Notes

White Beans – I like to use haricot or navy beans, but cannellini, butter beans or lima beans, and chickpeas or garbanzo beans all work well. You can also use a mix of beans. 

This recipe serves 4 as a side or 2 as a main meal. 

 

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This recipe is linked to #CookBlogShare hosted by Midge at Peachicks Bakery and run by Chloe from Feast Glorious Feast and Sisley from Sew White.