White Bean Salad With Feta
This Mediterranean White Bean Salad with Feta is so simple to make, with a few fresh veggies and a handful of pantry staples. It’s great for meal prep school lunches, work lunches for the week, and makes a great healthy summer BBQ or picnic, or potluck side dish! Healthy, simple to make, and packed with veggies and a light vinaigrette dressing. Serve it alongside some grilled meat, tuna or veggies for a quick and easy light and delicious dinner, or bring it to your next get together and watch it disappear!
Easy White Bean Salad Recipe Ingredients
- White beans - I prefer to use cannellini beans and that is what I have tested the recipe with. I chose to use canned beans to save time. However, if you want to tackle dried beans, go right ahead! (dried bean instructions below) Feel free to use chickpeas/ garbanzo beans, butter beans or great northern beans, or whatever kind of beans you prefer or a variety of white beans
- Cherry tomatoes - The cherry tomatoes need to be cut into halves.
- Cucumber - Chop the cucumber into half moon pieces or cubed
- Red onion & Spring onions - When eating onions raw in salads, I always choose red onions. If you don’t have red, you can sub in white onions or yellow onions or shallots. I also like to chop in some spring onions or scallions for extra fresh flavour. You could also use chives as well.
- Fresh parsley & Fresh dill - FRESH parsley and dill is a must. I do not recommend subbing in dried parsley. I love that combo but feel free to use whatever fresh herbs you like like fresh basil or fresh mint, or even cilantro too
- Feta cheese - feel free to cube or crumble your feta and also adjust amount to taste .
- Bell Pepper - I like to use red bell peppers but yellow orange or green is great too for extra crunch
- Kalamata Olives - I like to use Kalamata olives but any variety of olives will work here - pitted and sliced is preferred
Additional add ins
- A jar of quartered marinated artichoke hearts. These add great texture and a briney flavor to the salad.
- A stalk of celery chopped, for a crisp and fresh bite.
- A few pepperoncini peppers, to add a pickly spicy burst of flavor to the salad.
- USING DRIED BEANS: If using dried beans use approx 500 grams of medium size beans (white haricot beans, cannellini, or navy beans soaked overnight) Next day strain, add fresh water and boil. When they start boiling foam is formed on top which remove with a slotted ladle. When this is done, strain them again and put fresh water to cover the beans. When they start boiling, add salt, reduce heat and simmer for about 1–1½ hours covering with lid, until they are soft. When they are cooked, let them cool down and strain them.
Making the dressing
Once you’ve got all your ingredients prepped and tossed, you’ll make a quick and easy dressing! For the tasty and tangy dressing, you will need:
- Good red wine vinegar.
- Some good Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
- A bit of dried oregano.
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper.
- 1 clove crushed Garlic. You want this super finely minced or crushed, so it blends well into the dressing.
- A bit of fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. No bottled! One small lemon should do the trick.
- Optional Add Ins: a touch of honey or maple syrup to sweeten the dressing up, a touch of dijon or grainy mustard for extra flavour.
Make this White Bean Salad into a meal
Make a meal out of it by adding an extra protein to the salad like grilled shrimp, grilled or canned salmon or add leftover roasted chicken, grilled chicken, bbq chicken or rotisserie chicken or drained, jarred or canned tuna
Storage & Make Ahead Instructions
- Eat immediately, or allow to marinate at least 1 hour
- You can eat your bean salad recipe right away and it’s very tasty. Or cover the salad and pop it in the refrigerator to let it marinate for at least 1 hour, and it’s even better. The refrigeration time really lets the flavors soak in. Any longer though I would recommend adding the cucumbers or any other veggies you are adding right before serving the salad so they don’t get too soft and soggy.
- The dressing can be made a day ahead and kept in a sealed container in the fridge.
Storage info How long does homemade bean salad last? Store it refrigerated for 3 to 5 days. The flavors intensify over time! It’s great for lunches throughout the week. Beans don’t last indefinitely refrigerated, 3-5 days is the max that I usually keep them. Also the veggies added will get soggy so keep that in mind.
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Recipe
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10-15 mins
Ingredients
For the salad
- 2 cans white beans rinsed and drained ( white kidney beans/ cannelini beans)
- 2 mini cucumbers (or ½ English cucumber) thinly sliced or chopped
- 2 spring onions finely chopped
- 1 shallot or small red onion small, peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill
- ⅓ cup pitted and sliced Kalamata olives,
- 1 Small diced red bell pepper - red or yellow
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup crumbled or cubed Feta cheese, plus more to taste
For the dressing
- 1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced
- Zest and juice or 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
Directions
- Prep your fresh ingredients. Drain and rinse beans, halve the olives, cut the cucumber into small pieces, Halve the cherry or grape tomatoes, slice the red onion, roughly chop the fresh herbs, seed and chop the bell pepper. Cube or crumble feta.
- Once all salad ingredients are prepped, place them all into a large mixing bowl, and stir and toss to combine.
- Make the dressing. Add all dressing ingredients (olive oil, lemon juice, zest, vinegar, oregano, garlic, salt and black pepper) to a medium bowl or liquid measure, and whisk well to combine. Or place in mason jar with lid and shake until well combined.
- Pour dressing over the salad in large bowl, and gently toss to coat. Taste, and add test for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper if needed.
- Salad an be made ahead, and keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Can be served immediately but if you chill for a 1-2 hours, the flavors will come together better.
Recipe Notes
- To mellow out the flavour of the red onion you can toss the onion with the dressing and let it hang out and marinate while you prepare the rest of he ingredients then toss the salad with the dressing and onions when ready to dress
- USING DRIED BEANS: If using dried beans use approx 500 grams of medium size beans (white haricot beans, cannellini, or navy beans soaked overnight). Next day strain, add fresh water and boil. When they start boiling foam is formed on top which remove with a slotted ladle. When this is done, strain them again and put fresh water to cover the beans. When they start boiling, add salt, reduce heat and simmer for about 1–1½ hours covering with lid, until they are soft. When they are cooked, let them cool down and strain them.
