White Bean Quinoa Salad

This White Bean Quinoa Salad recipe is a nutritious and delicious mix of canned cannellini beans, garbanzo beans, quinoa, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, celery, kalamata olives, Parmesan cheese shavings and fresh herbs all tossed in a lemony salad dressing. 

 If you’re looking for an easy salad to toss together, this one checks all the boxes. This kale lemon parmesan salad is perfect to serve as a side with chicken, fish, pasta or soup, or enjoy it on its own as a light vegetarian dish.

To make this White Bean Quinoa Salad recipe,  I like to start by cooking the quinoa, and then while it cooks I’ll whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. Then all that’s left to do is to chop a few veggies and toss the whole thing in your favorite salad bowl and serve.  This salad has a great combination of flavors with a lot of crunch in every bit

White Bean Quinoa Salad Recipe

• Beans. We use a mix of Garbanzo and Cannellini Beans for this salad.
• Onion. We add a little red and green onion to this salad. 
• Vegetables. Chopped cucumber and a little celery adds a nice crunch to this salad.
• Tomatoes.  We use cherry tomatoes, but you could also use chopped Roma tomatoes as well. 
• Herbs. We use Italian Parsley and fresh basil which adds a lot of flavor to the mix.
• Kale. Curly kale makes this salad complete. You could swap out the kale and use arugula or spinach if you like.
• Salad Dressing .We use a perky creamy lemon dressing to toss this salad with.
• Parmesan Cheese.  We toss in a little shaved Parmesan cheese tossed in for good measure.

Find printable recipe with the measurements below.

Variations

• Use feta cheese instead of Parmesan
• Add other vegetables like chopped zucchini and yellow squash.
• Toss in some pepperoncini.
• Sprinkle in a little dried basil and oregano.
• Use a different vinaigrette  like this Italian Dressing, Greek Dressing, Red Wine Vinaigrette, Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette, Lemon Olive Oil Dressing or Parmesan Vinaigrette.

How To Make Quinoa White Bean Salad

1. Make Dressing. Add ingredients to a blender and blend well. 
2. Rinse Beans. Drain and rinse the beans and add them to a large bowl.
3. Prep Ingredients. Slice the kale leaves away from the ribs. Discard the ribs. Thinly slice or chop the leaves and add to the salad bowl. Chop celery, cucumber, onions, tomato, olives and herbs and add to the bowl. Shave cheese and set aside until you’re ready to toss the salad.
4. Toss Salad. Drizzle the dressing over the ingredients and toss well just so the ingredients are lightly coated. Toss in the Parmesan cheese shavings and lightly toss again.
5. Refrigerate. I like to chill the salad for 15-20 minutes before serving so it’s nice a chilled. 
6. Leftovers. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If properly stored, leftovers should last 3-4 days.

Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette

To make this dressing just toss everything in a blender and blend for 30 seconds until its nice a creamy or put ingredients in a tall wide-mouth mason jar and blend the ingredients using an immersion blender. Store in a mason jar or in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour before serving to give the flavors time to meld together.

• Fresh Lemon Juice. Fresh is best for this recipe. It adds freshness and flavor. Don’t use the bottled stuff. 
• Light Olive Oil. We use light olive oil for this dressing, but you can use extra-virgin or avocado oil if you prefer.
• Garlic. Garlic always adds flavor to dressings.
• Mayonnaise. Adding a little mayonnaise to this dressing gives it a nice creamy consistency.
• Water. I sometimes like to add a tablespoon or two of water to mellow lemon tang in a dressing (if needed).
• Cheese. We add Parmesan cheese to this dressing which adds a delicious taste to the mix.
• Seasoning. We season this dressing with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Looking For More Quinoa Salad Recipes?

• Strawberry Spinach Quinoa Salad
• Greek Quinoa Salad
• Lentil Quinoa Salad
• Watermelon Arugula Quinoa Salad
• Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Salad
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
• Southwest Quinoa Salad
• Beet Kale Quinoa Salad
• Mango Arugula Quinoa Salad
• Spinach Quinoa Salad

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Yield: 6 servings

White Bean Quinoa Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

This White Bean Quinoa Salad recipe is a nutritious and delicious mix of canned cannellini beans, garbanzo beans, quinoa, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, celery, kalamata olives, Parmesan cheese shavings and fresh herbs all tossed in a lemony salad dressing. 

Ingredients

• 1 14-ounce can garbanzo beans
• 1 14-ounce can cannellini beans
• 4 cups curly kale, chopped
• 1-1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 cup Persian cucumber sliced
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup red onion, sliced
• 3-4 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, finely cut into ribbons
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shaved
• Salt and black pepper to taste

For the Lemon Dressing

• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1/4 cup water
• 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Drain and rinse the beans and add them to a large bowl.
2. Slice the kale leaves away from the ribs. Discard the ribs. Thinly slice or chop the leaves and add to the salad bowl. Chop celery, cucumber, onions, tomato, olives and herbs and add to the bowl. Shave cheese and set aside until you’re ready to toss the salad.
3. Drizzle about 1/2 cup of the dressing over the ingredients and toss well just so the ingredients are lightly coated. Add more if needed. Season with freshly cracked pepper.
4. Toss in the Parmesan cheese shavings and lightly toss again.
5. I like to chill the salad for 15-20 minutes before serving so it's nice a chilled. 
6. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If properly stored, leftovers should last 3-4 days.

For The Lemon Dressing

1. Using a wire whisk, whisk the ingredients together in a medium size bowl. You can also toss everything in a blender and blend for 30 seconds until its nice a creamy.
2. Pour dressing  into an airtight container or a mason jar, seal the lid tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to an hour before serving giving the flavors time to blend together before serving.

Notes

Variations

• Use feta cheese instead of Parmesan
• Add other vegetables like chopped zucchini and yellow squash.
• Toss in some pepperoncini.
• Sprinkle in a little dried basil and oregano.
• Use a different vinaigrette  like this Italian Dressing, Greek Dressing, Red Wine Vinaigrette, Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette, Lemon Olive Oil Dressing or Parmesan Vinaigrette.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 611Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 912mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 12gSugar: 7gProtein: 20g

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. See full disclaimer on About page.