This Mediterranean White Bean Salad is a protein packed salad that mixes white beans with crispy fresh vegetables, fresh herbs and a light lemon dressing. You can make this salad during your meal-prep and enjoy it all week long as a lunch or a side dish to your meal!
If you have been hanging around here for any amount of time you probably know I love salads.
Today’s Mediterranean White Bean Salad is perfect if you are trying to follow the mediterranean diet. I will eat this salad as is or pair it with protein like chicken, grilled shrimp or salmon.
I love being able to add whatever I have in my pantry and fridge and get a healthy and filling meal or for work lunches. Bean salads are the top of my list when it comes to salads because they are filling and pack a lot of protein in them.
Today’s salad mixes white beans with fresh vegetables like tomatoes, cucumber and green onions along with fresh herbs and a light dressing. When I have large groups over I like making bean salads because they are easy to make but also filling.
They pair really nicely with grilled meats like this Greek Marinated Chicken, Greek Shrimp, Easy Beef Gyros, Lebanese Chicken Kabobs or Chicken Souvlaki.
I love using beans in salads like today’s Mediterranean White Bean Salad, this Chickpea Salad Recipe, mediterranean bean salad, Mediterranean Chickpea Salad and this Greek Chickpea Salad.
The nice thing about a salad like this White Bean Salad is that it is very customizable to what your family likes and what you have in your pantry and fridge. It makes a great side dish.
Sometimes I will add feta cheese and olives to this salad or artichokes and roasted red peppers. You can also easily meal prep this salad ahead of time for the week ahead.
It holds up really well and makes a great option to take for weekly lunches.
I suggest adding more dressing as sometimes the dressing gets soaked into the salad. If you are making this salad before a get together or party I suggest using half of the dressing and then adding the last half of the dressing right before you serve the salad.
Recipe Ingredients
- Beans: This salad uses white beans. The texture of white beans is creamy and they are subtle enough that they pair well with the other vegetables and fresh herbs.
- Vegetables: This salad mixes cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber and green onions. I love the crunch the vegetables add to the salad.
- Herbs: The herbs add so much flavor. This salad uses fresh mint and fresh parsley.
- Olive Oil: I suggest using a high quality extra virgin olive oil if you can. It really enhance the flavor of the dressing and pairs nicely with the spices.
- Lemon Juice: You can add more or less of the fresh lemon juice depending on much lemon flavor you like in the dressing. You can also add lemon zest for a more zesty flavor.
- Spices: I love adding a teaspoon of za’atar or sumac to this salad dressing. Other ideas you can use are Italian seasoning, paprika, cumin or your other favorite spice.
Please see the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and instructions.
How to Make a Cannelini Bean Salad
Making this salad packed with mediterranean flavors couldn’t be easier!
Step 1: Combine the Salad Ingredients: Start by chopping up all of your ingredients, draining and rinsing the beans and then mixing everything together in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Make the Salad Dressing: In a mason jar or salad dressing jar you will mix together the ingredients for the salad dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning in the dressing.
Step 3: Mix Together the Dressing and Add to Salad: Pour the dressing over this simple salad and mix well. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container. This salad is great for meal-prep and can be eaten all week.
Recipe Modifications
- Beans: I used cannellini beans in this salad but feel free to use different kind of beans or whatever beans you might have on hand. Garbanzo beans, white kidney beans, baby lima beans, great northern beans, black beans, butter beans, navy beans or kidney beans are always a nice option.
- Vegetables: I love adding in any vegetables I have on hand. Some favorites are kalamata olives, carrots, celery, artichokes, zucchini, fire roasted tomatoes and radish.
- Cheese: This salad would be great with crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese.
- Spices: I like to add sumac or za’atar to a salad like this. You could also use paprika, Italian seasoning or cumin.
- Greens: Greens would be a nice, healthy addition to this salad. My favorites are kale, spinach, peppery arugula or a mixed green mixture.
- Protein: Boost the protein content by adding grilled shrimp, salmon, chicken, shrimp, or tofu.
- Nuts and Seeds: Adding seeds and nuts is nice to add crunch. Toasted pine nuts, almonds, or sunflower seeds can add crunch.
- Grains: I love adding grains to this bean salad. Some that I will add are mixing in cooked quinoa, couscous, or farro.
- Pickled Vegetables: I love pickled vegetables. Try adding pickled red onions or these quick pickled vegetables.
Storage Tips
Store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. When you serve the leftovers you may want to add more dressing as some of it might soak into the beans.
Recipe FAQ
When someone tells you to add white beans to a recipe you might wonder if they mean cannelini beans or great northern beans. Cannellini and great northern beans are similar but they do have small differences in flavor and texture. If you are in a pinch and you only have one or the other you can use either one in this salad but typically I think that great northern beans lend themselves better to a salad like this. Great northern beans are more delicate and lends themselves more to a salad where as cannelini beans have a thicker skin and bolder taste and are better in soups and stews.
You can use either. With canned beans they are perfect for saving time. Just rinse and drain them thoroughly to remove excess sodium and improve texture. When using dry beans make sure to soak the beans overnight.
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Mediterranean White Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 2 – 15 ounce cans of white beans {like Cannelini beans}, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1/4 cup of diced red onion
- 1/2 of a large english cucumber, diced
- 5-6 green onions, white and green parts chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
FOR THE DRESSING
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon of your favorite spice {I like za’atar or sumac}
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl mix together the white beans with the cucumbers, red onion, tomatoes, green onions, parsley and mint.
- In a mason jar or salad dressing container mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, spices, salt and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss.
- Serve or put in a sealed container and refrigerate.
Notes
- If you eat this salad a day or two later I would taste the salad and add more dressing. The dressing can get soaked into the bean salad over time.
- Some other ideas that I like to add to this salad are feta cheese, olives and artichokes.
Delicious thanks so much. I had most of this in my pantry!
Great! I hope you enjoyed it!