Mediterranean Bean Salad

This Mediterranean Bean Salad recipe is loaded with legumes and veggies all tossed in a delicious Mediterranean dressing. It’s also nutritious, delicious and it travels well so it’s a perfect cold bean salad to take to a potluck or summer barbecue! 

This Mediterranean Bean Salad will remind you of a classic three bean salad but it’s even better!  We’ve added a lot of extra goodies here like celery, cucumber, onion, tomato, parsley and basil and it’s all tossed in a delicious vinaigrette. 

You’ll love how easy this Italian bean salad recipe is to make, and if you want to make it extra special, toss in some kalamata olives and sliced pepperoncini to the mix.  They add so much flavor and Mediterranean flair to this dish!  

Mediterranean Bean Salad Recipe

This Italian bean salad is a delicious mix of canned garbanzo beans, kidney beans and cannellini beans all tossed with chopped organic vegetables, fresh herbs and a delicious bean salad dressing. I typically add Parmesan cheese, kalamata olives and pepperoncini to this salad because they add so much flavor to the mix!

• Beans. We use a mix of Garbanzo, Kidney and Cannellini Beans for this salad.
• Red Onion. A little diced onion adds a lot of flavor.
• Vegetables. Chopped celery and cucumber adds a nice freshness and crunch to this salad.
• Tomatoes. I like to use Roma tomatoes because they have fewer seeds.
• Herbs. We use Italian Parsley and fresh basil which adds a lot of flavor to the mix.
• Salad dressing. We use an easy-to-make Italian vinaigrette to toss this salad with.
• Parmesan Cheese. It adds great flavor!
• Kalamata olives (optional). I usually add kalamata (cut in half or sliced) which adds a great flavor.
• Pepperoncini (0ptional). Pepperoncini are also a great addition to this salad (sliced or toss them in whole).

For full recipe instructions, please see the recipe card below. 

Variations

• Use feta cheese instead of Parmesan
• Add other vegetables like chopped zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper
• Toss in some kalamata olives and pepperoncini 
• Add lots of fresh basil leaves cut into ribbons
• Double up on the dressing so the beans can marinate (and you’ll have a little dressing left over for a green salad).
• Sprinkle in a little dried basil and oregano (I always sprinkle in about 1/4 teaspoon each for a more robust flavor)

How To Make It

This Italian bean salad recipe comes together in about 10 minutes start-to-finish.  It can be eaten at room temperature, but it’s really best if chilled for an hour or two before serving.  

1. Make Dressing. Add ingredients to  You a mason jar, seal the lid and shake well.
2. Rinse beans. Drain and rinse the beans and add them to a large bowl.
3. Chop veggies. Chop the celery, cucumber, onions, tomato and herbs and add to the large bowl.
4. Toss salad. Drizzle the dressing over the ingredients and toss.
5. Chill salad. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes before serving.

Bean Salad Dressing Recipe

This dressing uses just four simple ingredients (olive oil, lemon, garlic and Italian seasoning) to lightly toss your salad with.  You can adjust the seasoning after tossed, adding more or less, to your liking. If you make the dressing ahead of time, be sure to shake it well before tossing the salad with it. If the dressing hardens in the refrigerator because of the olive oil (it likely will), just set it out at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before you want to use it, then shake well to combine.To make the dressing, just whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl, or add the ingredients to a mason jar, seal the lid tightly and shake to blend the ingredients well.

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Garlic
• Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste

Why We Love This Salad

• Super quick and easy to make
• It travels well making it a perfect potluck and barbecue salad 
• High in protein and fiber
• It’s vegetarian (vegan if you omit the cheese)
• Makes a great as a side dish or vegetarian main course
• It’s really great tossed in with a green salad

Looking For More Healthy Salad Recipes?

• Crunchy Detox Salad
• Romaine Salad
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
• Italian Chopped Salad
• Greek Chopped Salad
• Italian Tuna Pasta Salad
• Wild Rice Salad

Want more ideas? Check out all my healthy salad recipes.

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Yield: 8 servings

Mediterranean Bean Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

This Mediterranean Bean Salad recipe is loaded with legumes and veggies all tossed in a delicious Mediterranean dressing. It's also nutritious, delicious and it travels well so it's a perfect cold bean salad to take to a potluck or summer barbecue! 

 

Ingredients

• 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped fine
• 3/4 cup celery, chopped
• 1 small cucumber, peeled seeded and chopped
• 3/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, optional
• 1/3 cup pepperoncini, optional

Bean Salad Dressing

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• juice of 1-1/2 lemons
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• ground pepper and sea salt to taste

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, add the ingredients for the salad and toss.
2. Drizzle the dressing over the ingredients and toss again.
3. Refrigerate for 45-60 minutes before serving.

Bean Salad Dressing

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and Italian seasoning. Or add everything to a mason jar, seal the lid tightly and shake well.

Notes

Variations

• Use feta cheese instead of Parmesan
• Add other vegetables like chopped zucchini and red pepper
• Toss in some kalamata olives and pepperoncini 
• Add fresh basil leaves cut into ribbons
• Double up on the dressing so the beans can marinate (and you’ll have a little dressing left over for a green salad).
• Sprinkle in a little dried basil and oregano (I always sprinkle in about 1/4 teaspoon each for a more robust flavor)

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 332Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 718mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 11gSugar: 10gProtein: 14g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations.