Italian Bean Salad
A simple Italian bean salad made with cannellini beans, juicy tomatoes, red onion, fresh herbs and a punchy garlicky dressing. It's quick and easy to prepare, healthy, colourful and packed with the flavour of sunshine. Hands-on time is less than fifteen minutes, though a longer marinade allows all those delicious flavours to mingle. Perfect as a light main, side dish or part of an antipasti-style spread.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 269kcal
Equipment
- microplane (affiliate link) optional
Ingredients
- 1 red onion sliced into thin half moons
- ½ lemon juiced (zest optional)
- 500 g cooked cannellini beans equivalent to 2 x 400g tin (8-9 oz)
- 150 g cherry tomatoes halved (or small tomatoes, quartered)
- 50 g basil leaves removed and roughly chopped
- 1 small bunch of parsley finely chopped
Salad Dressing
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 small red chilli (optional) - finely chopped
- ½ tsp sea salt or to taste
- good grinding of black pepper
Instructions
- Place the red onions into a small bowl, then squeeze the lemon juice over the top and give a good stir. Leave the onions to pickle for a bit whilst you prepare everything else. This helps to make the onions less pungent and easier to digest.
- Drain the beans through a sieve, if necessary (see tip below). You may want to rinse them briefly under running water, depending on how you like them and how salty they are.500 g cooked cannellini beans
- Remove the seeds and membranes from the chilli, then finely chop (see top tip in the notes below). Transfer to a salad bowl then add the remaining dressing ingredients and stir well.
- Give the sieve a good shake to remove any excess water. Then, using a large spoon or spatula mix the beans into the dressing as gently as you can so as not to break them up. Leave to marinate whilst you prepare the rest.
- Halve the tomatoes, or cut small ones into quarters. Add to the mixing bowl.
- Add the chopped parsley and basil and give another gentle stir to combine.150 g cherry tomatoes, 1 small bunch of parsley
- Leave to marinate for at least fifteen minutes before serving. However a couple of hours will allow the beans to soak up the dressing nicely.
Notes
Serves 8 as a side dish or tapas-style meal and four as a light lunch with crusty bread or crostini. Any leftovers make a perfect packed lunch for the next day.
Serve at room temperature for best flavour and texture.
You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the main body of the post.
Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.
Optional Extras
- 30g (1oz) Italian hard cheese - finely grated
- 3 sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil - finely chopped
- 1 tbsp capers
- 1 can artichoke hearts - roughly chopped
Homecooked cannellini beans or tinned are best for this recipe. Jarred taste really good, but have a tendency to go mushy. If the beans are ready salted, you may want to reduce the amount of salt you add.
Slice some of the chilli into rings to garnish the finished salad.
Nutrition
Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 305mg | Potassium: 792mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 975IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 133mg | Iron: 5mg