White Bean Salad
This healthy White Bean Salad recipe is as simple as mixing a handful of ingredients together, and letting the flavors meld. It’s a great recipe for meal prep!
I can bring this dish together in 5 minutes, no joke. It’s easy, easy, easy.
If you’re looking for some new additions for Sunday meal prep, these beans keep unbelievably well in the fridge. They can be packed into work lunches for the week to come, or can even be a go-to dish for potlucks or picnics.
I recently had some friends over for lunch and served it, and kept getting complimented on how good the beans were.
This made me laugh because it’s little more than a few cans of beans tossed with some fresh ingredients. But it really is delicious!
Not to mention, keeping healthy ready-to-eat food in the fridge helps me avoid eating things like Peanut Butter Cookies that may be hiding in the pantry.
How to Make White Bean Salad:
Start by making the dressing. In a large mixing bowl, combine extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, salt, and pepper:
Whisk that together well, then add rinsed and drained canned Cannellini beans, chopped red onion, parsley, and rosemary:
You can really do any sort of white bean you like, but I love the silky, creamy texture that Cannellini beans have.
Toss this together well, then place in the fridge for an hour, to let the flavors meld. Like any non-lettuce salad, it’s best when it’s gotten a chance to sit.
If you’re in a hurry, you can serve it earlier, but you can taste the difference when you wait.
Transfer the beans to a serving bowl, and enjoy:
Baba Ganoush, Corn and Avocado Bean Salad, and Coleslaw are some of my other favorite healthy dishes to keep in the fridge for quick noshing. Enjoy!
White Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 clove garlic pressed
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 2 15oz cans of cannellini beans rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, salt, and black pepper.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Try to let the salad sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving, to let the flavors meld together. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
Post updated in November 2019. Originally published November 2012.
20 Comments on “White Bean Salad”
Hi Joanne,
Can the rosemary be substituted for something else?
Leonor
Yes, you may just omit it since the parsley will provide plenty of freshness.
Joanne, Thank You Sooo Much!
I just made the beautiful White Bean Salad.
I enjoyed the fragrance of the Parsley, Onion, Garlic, and Rosemary.
I added Maldon Sea Salt, fresh Black Pepper!
The Lemon 🍋 Wow!
The salad is in the fridge. Lunch is at 2:00.
That sounds lovely! Enjoy!
I’ve just put this White Bean Salad in my fridge! The small taste test was pretty fantastic. Can’t wait till it has melded. Thanks
This is a great simple, healthy salad. I added cucumber and might sprinkle in some feta. Yum!
Great salad. I microwaved the drained bean plus 1 tsp salt for 3 minutes before adding to the dressing. Let sit for 30 minutes then add 1 chopped avocado along with the parsley and dill. Refrigerate before serving!
This is such a wonderful recipe! I’ve lately found that white beans helps raise your potassium level and came across this recipe. It is so fresh and full of flavor. I’ve made it several times and had it all week for lunch. Thank you!
Hi Joanne,
What’s the brand of canned bean do you use? The brand I currently buy overcooked the bean so they are all split and mushy. It taste great still. 🙂
Hi Duong, I shop mostly at Whole Foods these days and buy their organic store brand, though I generally think that Bush’s does a good job and that’s more widely available. Hope that helps!
I also use whole foods brand for this recipe no salt added. Beware Kroger brand as the Beans are undercooked and have a terrible “sharp” texture. And thanks for the recipe btw!!
So good and so easy! This will be lunch for the next 2 days…if I don’t gobble it up before then!
Great salad! I just watched your g+ hangout and loved it 🙂 Great job!
Thanks Katrina, so glad you enjoyed the hangout!
Looks wonderful! I share your love of beans and I do the same thing with the cans of chickpeas, sometimes. 🙂 Rosemary with white beans is a terrific combination.
See, I knew we should be friends! lol.
Haha, I see I’m not the only one who’s mind goes that route when they hear beans. 🙂 I too love beans and in salads they are great. Yummy recipe and thanks for sharing.
Hey, Joanne! Love your website. I once asked a dietician how one can eat more beans and avoid the “explosion factor.” Her reply was to gradually introduce beans to your diet, about 1/2 c. per week. This allows your system to adjust without the noisy
side-effects.
Just want to tell you how much I love your recipes! Great website!
I thought you went to Florence! That’s in Tuscany, although I know what you mean by going to the less city-like places to get a more authentic experience. I spent a summer in Perugia in Umbria during college, and it was such a wonderful experience being out there. Not to mention the food. Even the olive oil is better out there. This salad looks awesome!