White Bean Mediterranean Salad (Printable)

A fresh Mediterranean dish of creamy beans, ripe tomatoes, fresh herbs, and zesty olive oil dressing.

# What You Need:

→ Beans

01 - 14 oz (1 can, 400 g) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

→ Vegetables

02 - 5.3 oz (150 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
03 - 1 small red onion, finely diced
04 - 1 clove garlic, minced
05 - 1 small cucumber, diced (optional)

→ Herbs

06 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
07 - 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
08 - 1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves or 1 tsp dried oregano

→ Dressing

09 - 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
10 - 1 tbsp red wine vinegar or lemon juice
11 - 1/2 tsp sea salt
12 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

→ Optional Additions

13 - 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
14 - 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (omit for vegan)

# How to Make It:

01 - In a large bowl, mix the cannellini beans, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber if using, and garlic.
02 - Incorporate the chopped parsley, basil, and oregano into the mixture.
03 - Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar or lemon juice, sea salt, and black pepper in a small bowl until emulsified.
04 - Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat evenly.
05 - Fold in Kalamata olives and feta cheese if desired.
06 - Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve immediately or refrigerate for 30 minutes to enhance flavors.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in fifteen minutes flat with zero cooking required
  • The flavors actually improve after a few hours in the refrigerator making it perfect for meal prep
02 -
  • Letting the salad sit for even thirty minutes transforms it completely as the beans soak up the dressing
  • Dice the onion smaller than you think you need to because large chunks will overpower each bite
03 -
  • Use the highest quality olive oil you can afford because the flavor really shines in simple dressings like this
  • Marinate the red onion in the vinegar for ten minutes before adding it to the salad if you find raw onion too sharp
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