Description
A bright, crunchy Mediterranean Bean Salad made with three kinds of beans, crisp cucumber and celery, juicy tomatoes, fresh herbs, and a zesty lemon-garlic Italian vinaigrette. Perfect for meal prep, potlucks, or an easy no-cook lunch.
Ingredients
For the salad
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium cucumber, chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped (or 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved)
1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped or torn
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shaved
1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced or halved (optional)
1/3 cup pepperoncini, sliced (or 6–8 whole) (optional)
For the dressing
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tsp grated)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Make the dressing: Add olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to a mason jar. Seal and shake well (or whisk in a bowl).
Rinse the beans: Drain and rinse all beans, then add to a large mixing bowl.
Chop and add: Add red onion, celery, cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, and basil to the bowl.
Toss: Pour dressing over the salad and toss until everything is evenly coated.
Finish: Stir in Parmesan, plus olives and pepperoncini if using.
Chill: Refrigerate 30–60 minutes (or up to a few hours) before serving for best flavor.
Notes
Best after chilling: The beans soak up the dressing and the flavor gets even better.
Make-ahead: Keeps well in the fridge for 3–4 days in an airtight container.
Olive oil firms up in the fridge: Let the salad sit at room temp 10–15 minutes, then toss again.
Salt tip: If using canned beans, taste after chilling and adjust salt/lemon as needed.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salad, Side Dish
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Mediterranean/ Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ~1 cup
- Calories: 290 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 520 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 8 mg