This Mediterranean Three Bean Salad is protein packed and full of vegetables. Kidney beans, white beans and chickpeas are combined with fresh vegetables, artichokes, fresh herbs and topped with a light dressing. This salad is a great for meal-preparation for your weekly meals or a potluck in the summer.
Bean salads are a great salad option for weekly lunches, side dishes and potlucks.
My Mediterranean Bean Salad has always been one of my favorites to make.
Today’s Mediterranean Three bean Salad is similar to that salad but uses more variety of beans along with artichokes and no cheese making this a dairy-free option.
This version is packed with protein and healthy vegetables along with fresh herbs.
The dressing is also very light which brings in some flavor but isn’t overpowering.
I will add this easy bean salad to my meal preparation along with this Summer Orzo Pasta Salad and this Easy Lebanese Salad.
If you like bean recipes check out my White Bean Salad, Tuscan Bean Soup or this White Bean Soup with Kale.
Recipe Ingredients You’ll Need
- Beans: The three types of beans are the star of the show. Many classic three bean salad recipes will use black beans but I prefer to use garbanzo beans, white beans and kidney beans. Sometimes I will swap the kidney beans for black beans. This salad really works with whatever three beans you have on hand.
- Vegetables: The fresh vegetables are my favorite part of this salad. This salad includes roasted red peppers, artichokes, bell peppers, tomato, cucumber and green onion. You can add any additional vegetables you like including carrots, celery and radish.
- Fresh Herbs: When it comes to salads fresh herbs are a must in my opinion. They brighten a salad and really add nice flavor. I added parsley and mint to this salad. Feel free to use any you like. Fresh dill and basil also work really nicely.
- Dressing: As with many of my salads I stick to simple, light dressings. This salad uses lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and spices. I swap between za’atar or sumac in my dressing. You can use any spices you like. Some other favorites are turmeric, cayenne pepper or Italian seasoning.
Please see the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and instructions.
Ways to Modify this Recipe
- Vegetables: Add additional vegetables to this salad like zucchini, fire roasted tomatoes, carrots, celery and radish.
- Greens: This salad also works great on a bed of greens or with greens mixed in. Try adding kale, arugula or spinach.
- Spices: Use different spices in your dressing. I love sumac or za’atar in my dressing but many people don’t have those spices. You can use other spices like oregano, cayenne pepper, thyme, paprika or an Italian seasoning bend.
- Beans: Get creative with your three beans. I like to open up my pantry and use whatever I have. Some good options are red beans, black beans or wax beans.
- Herbs: Fresh herbs are your friend. I always add mint, parsley and green onion to my salads. I think it’s my love for tabbouleh that creates that habit. Any fresh herbs you have will work great in this salad.
- Cheese: Cheese is a great addition. I like crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese.
How to Make a Three Bean Salad
Step 1: Mix Salads Ingredients: In a large bowl mix together the beans, artichokes, roasted red peppers, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, mint, parsley and green onions.
Step 2: Create Dressing: In a large mason jar or salad dressing container add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic and whisk together. Add salt and pepper to taste and 1 teaspoon of an additional spice if you like {try sumac, za’atar, oregano}.
Step 3: Add Dressing to Salad: Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat with the dressing.
Step 3: Serve: Serve with hummus and pita bread or use this salad as a topping for pita wraps, hummus plates or falafel.
Storage Tips
I actually think this salad tastes better the day after I make it. The beans really soak up the dressing and the vegetables mix well with the dressing and spices.
I do suggest waiting and adding the fresh herbs until you are ready to serve the salad for maximum freshness. I also sometimes will freshen up the salad when I serve it with additional dressing. This salad will keep in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
What to Serve with this Salad
- We love serving chicken with this Mediterranean Three Bean Salad. Try this Mediterranean Chicken, Moroccan Chicken Thighs or a One Pan Greek Chicken would all be great paired with a three bean salad.
- Soup is a nice pairing for a healthy, hearty salad. This Lebanese Lentil Soup, Moroccan Red Lentil Soup or an easy Three Ingredient Tomato Soup would be great.
- If you like beef try pairing this salad with these Mediterranean Beef Kabobs, Grilled Flank Steak with Dry Rub, Grilled Ribeye Steak or Grilled Carne Asada.
Recipe FAQ
Either works great. If you use canned beans they work great and save time. Just be sure to drain and rinse them well to reduce sodium and improve flavor. For dried beans you will want to soak overnight.
You can but I actually think it is better if you toss the salad with the dressing and let it sit for at least 30 minutes (or overnight) in the fridge. This allows the flavors to meld and intensify.
More Salad Recipes
Vegetarian
Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing
Mediterranean
Lemon Arugula Salad Recipe with Parmesan Cheese
Mediterranean
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Mediterranean Three Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 – 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 – 15 ounce can of white beans {cannelini}, drained and rinsed
- 1 – 15 ounce can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 14 ounces of artichoke hearts, drained, quartered or halved {optional}
- 1/3 cup roasted red peppers, drained, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed, diced {or color of your choice}
- 1/2 of an english cucumber, diced
- Handful of fresh mint, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 4 green onions, chopped
For the Dressing:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional spices: 1 teaspoon of any spice you like {try sumac, za’atar or oregano}
- Crushed red pepper for extra spice
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix together the beans, artichokes, roasted red peppers, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, mint, parsley and green onions.
- In a large mason jar or salad dressing container add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic and whisk together. Add salt and pepper to taste and 1 teaspoon of an additional spice if you like {try sumac, za’atar, oregano}. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat with the dressing.
- Serve with hummus and pita bread or use this salad as a topping for pita wraps, hummus plates or falafel.
Notes
- This salad will keep in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I suggest freshening the salad up with additional dressing when you are ready to eat it.
- Feel free to use any three beans you like. I think black beans are nice to swap for the kidney beans sometimes.
- Add cheese, like goat or feta cheese.
I always do my beans in a microwave steamer; 5 minutes on high, then 12 minutes on half power (probably a bit longer if you’re going to eat them cold). That way they’re perfectly done after sautéing. I don’t tend to put any colour on the onions, but I am going to try slices instead of diced as I think that should mix better (funny how I didn’t think about this before, given I’ve been cooking green beans)
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing. I hope you like it.