White or cannellini beans are full of antioxidants and a great source of fiber and protein. This vegan mediterranean white bean salad has, on top of the beans, roasted red peppers, avocado and lemon for some extra vitamins and goodness. It’s very refreshing and filling and goes well with meat, fish or just some greens and a slice of bread on the side. You will only need 15 minutes to prepare it and it can last in the fridge for several days. So let’s get started!
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Why you should try my recipe
- Very easy to prepare and ready in just 15 minutes.
- How to make it with canned or dried white beans.
- Light, healthy vegan salad.
- Great side dish for meat or fish.
- Great for wraps and sandwiches.
Ingredients & How-to
This Mediterranean style white bean salad has only a few fresh ingredients that need cutting and chopping, and a simple dressing made of lemon and olive oil.
01. First, let’s talk about the white or cannellini beans. Personally, I like using dried legumes compared to canned as they are much cheaper and they don’t have many preservatives. But! I understand that it takes a lot of prep, and it’s so much easier to go with canned beans or in a jar. If you do decide to go with dried beans, you will need to soak them in cold water overnight, for at least 8 hours.
02. Then, on the next day, add some water to a pot, bring to a boil and cook the white beans for an hour. Then, allow them to cool down for 10 minutes before using them for the salad. If you go with canned or jarred cannellini beans, then simply drain them to remove the excess water and give them a good rinse.
03. Now it’s time to start chopping and cutting the fresh ingredients. I start but peeling the onion, cut it in half and then in cubes.
04. Then, I move to the roasted peppers. I use the ones in a jar but if you have your own stash that’s even better. I rinse them with water and remove any leftover seeds. Then, I cut each one in stripes and then into cubes around 1cm or 0.5in.
05. I’m using a medium ripe avocado for my Mediterranean white bean salad. I cut it in half and then using a spoon carefully remove the skin. To remove the stone, you could hit it with the knife and twist it until it’s out. Then I cut each half into stripes and then into cubes around 1cm or 0.5in.
06. Now it’s time for the cherry tomatoes. I just give them a rinse and then cut them in half. You could also use 1-2 normal tomatoes if you don’t have cherry ones, and you just cut them into cubes. Whatever you have in your pantry!
07. I like to use some fresh dill for my mediterranean white bean salad as it brings a nice aroma and freshness to the salad. I just grab a bunch, remove the hard bits, rinse it and then cut it finely. If you don’t like the taste of dill, you could substitute it with parsley or cilantro.
08. To assemble the salad, I gather all the ingredients around my salad bowl. Then I add the cooked white beans, chopped onion, avocado, cherry tomatoes, roasted peppers and dill. For the dressing, I squeeze one lemon to get all the juice out and add it to the salad with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
09. I season with salt and freshly ground pepper and that’s it! My mediterranean white bean salad is ready! I leave the salad to rest for 10 minutes before serving. That will help get all the juices out and the beans to absorb all the flavors.
Serving suggestions
We like to have this mediterranean white bean salad as a side dish with our main or a light lunch with a slice of bread on the side to soak all the juices. You could also add it to a wrap or a sandwich and have it as a snack or take it with you when you are out.
Storage
I store the cannellini beans salad in the fridge and consume it within 3-4 days. I find that it tastes even better the next day after resting.
FAQ
To cook white dried beans, soak them in cold water overnight or at least 8 hours. The next day, rinse well and boil in fresh water for about an hour until soft.
You can replace fresh dill with fresh parsley or cilantro.
You can store the white bean salad in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Recipe
Mediterranean White Bean Salad
This mediterranean white bean salad is so fresh and tasty. You could make it with canned white beans or dried white beans and the roasted red peppers, avocado and lemon juice add some extra freshness and vitamins to the salad. Try it with some meat or fish, add it to a wrap, or have it on its own with a slice of bread on the side.
4 servings
15 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups / 400gr / 1 can cooked cannellini beans
- 10-12 cherry tomatoes
- 2 roasted red peppers
- 1 avocado
- 1 onion
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- bunch of fresh dill (around 3 tablespoons)
- 1 lemon
- pinch of salt & pepper
Instructions
- If you are using canned cannellini beans, then drain them and give them a rinse.
- If you are using dry white beans, then soak 1 cup of dry beans in 1 litre (1.5 pints) of water overnight. The next day, drain, rinse and boil in water for 1 hour. Drain and allow them to cool down before adding to the salad.
- Peel the onion, cut in half and then chop into small cubes.
- Remove any seeds from the roasted red peppers, cut them into 3-4 stripes and then into cubes around 1cm or 0.5''.
- Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone and the skin. Then cut each half into cubes around 1cm or 0.5''.
- Cut the cherry tomatoes in halves. Finely chop the fresh dill.
- Add all the chopped ingredients to a bowl, the onion, avocado, roasted peppers, tomatoes, dill and the cooked white beans.
- Get the juice from 1 lemon and add it to the salad, along with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Mix everything well. Leave it to rest for 10 minutes before serving to get all the flavors out.
Notes
- You could use dry beans or canned white beans for a quick version.
- You could use 1-2 normal tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes.
- If you don't like the dill, you could use fresh parsley or cilantro instead.
Storage
Store the white bean salad in the fridge and consume within 3-4 days.
Nutrition Info (per serving)
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
