This easy white bean salad recipe is one of my favorite summer staples. It’s a great side dish you can make ahead of time for a cookout or party. With simple ingredients, it's quick and easy for meal prep. Throw a scoop on some greens for a hearty and satisfying lunch.
White Beans
I love all kinds of white beans!! for this recipe, you can choose your favorite, or whatever you have in your pantry. I also like the variety of white beans for a combination of size and textures.
- Navy beans are the smallest, have a soft texture, and have a buttery/ nutty flavor.
- Great Northern Beans are larger than Navy beans and meaty with a mild, subtle flavor.
- Cannellini, are creamy white beans, larger than great northern beans, which are also called white kidney beans
- Butter Beans/Lima beans- are the most unique the larger of the white beans, with a buttery texture and slightly sweet creamy flavor.
Serving Suggestions and Meal Prep
One of the reasons I love this recipe is that it gets better each day so it works great for make-head meals. Store in an airtight container and enjoy delicious recipes all week long. It can also be served in so many ways from work lunches to dinners. Try:
- Lettuce wraps
- On crusty bread
- In wraps
- With scoopable chips
- With a bowl of peppery arugula for a ready-made salad
- Served over a large slice of juicy tomatoes
- over arugula for a flavor salad greens
Tips, Tricks and Alterations
More fresh herbs- The recipe card calls for fresh thyme, scallions, and oregano but don't shy away from adding more or swapping out for fresh parsley, fresh basil, or cilantro.
Other Onions- Shallots are nice and mild but you can use red onion or white onions if you don't have shallots. I suggest soaking them in water for 10 minutes to mellow out their bit.
Add some cheese- Goat or feta cheese would also work well if you want to add a cream element.
Change the kind of beans- I love the look of the all-white bean salad, but the dressing also works well with other kinds of beans like garbanzo beans or pinto beans. Also, check out my black bean salad recipe. I opt for cans of beans for the convenience.
Add fresh veggies- cherry tomatoes, English cucumber, green beans, or more bell peppers.
Vinegar swap: if you don't have rice vinegar, you can use white or red wine vinegar. Rice vinegar is a little sweeter, so taste and decide if you want to add a little more honey.
Instructions
Start by making the salad dressing. In a large bowl combine the rice wine vinegar, honey, lemon juice, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, fresh thyme, and fresh oregano. Add the shallot, garlic, and scallions and mix into the dressing.
After opening the canned beans place them in a colander to drain and rinse the beans thoroughly with cold water. Chop the bell pepper into small pieces and add the beans and pepper to the dressing, mixing thoroughly.
You can serve it immediately if you’re in a pinch, but I swear this simple white bean salad gets better with time. Ideally, I would make it the day before I served it at room temperature, but I try to at least let it marinate for an hour.
Bean salad is one of my favorite summer staples. It’s a super easy dish you can make ahead of time for a cookout or party. It’s also great having it in the refrigerator to throw on some greens for a hearty and satisfying lunch. This white bean salad with shallots is mild but delicious and can complement a wide variety of dishes.
If you like white beans try these simple sauteed butter beans, broccoli rade white bean salad, navy bean pizza, and ferro tomato pesto with white beans.
Recipe
White Bean Salad with Shallots
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs of fresh oregano
- 2 scallions green onions chopped
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 3 cans 15.5oz of white beans Great Northern Beans or/ and Cannellini
- 3 shallots sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
Instructions
- Start by making the dressing. In a large bowl combine the rice wine vinegar, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, fresh thyme, and fresh oregano.
- Add the shallot, garlic, and scallions and mix into the dressing.
- After opening the beans place them in a colander to drain and rinse the beans thoroughly with cold water.
- Chop the bell pepper into small pieces and add the beans and pepper to the dressing, mixing thoroughly.
- You can serve immediately if you’re in a pinch, but I swear this dish gets better with time.
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