USA · Salads

Dense Bean Salad

Three types of beans, crisp vegetables, briny olives, crumbled feta, and a sharp oregano-garlic vinaigrette.

15 min✻4 servings✻330 kcal
Dense Bean Salad

Ingredients

  • canned chickpeas400 g
  • canned cannellini beans400 g
  • canned black beans400 g
  • English cucumber1
  • red bell pepper1
  • cherry tomatoes250 g
  • red onion0.5
  • feta cheese100 g
  • pitted olives80 g
  • small bunch of flat-leaf parsley1
  • extra virgin olive oil4 tbsp
  • red wine vinegar2 tbsp
  • garlic cloves2
  • dried oregano1 tsp
  • honey0.5 tsp
  • salt and black pepper to taste

Method

  1. 1Drain and rinse all three cans of beans thoroughly. Shake off as much water as possible — wet beans dilute the dressing.
  2. 2In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, cannellini beans, black beans, cucumber, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and parsley.
  3. 3In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, oregano, honey, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
  4. 4Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently until everything is evenly coated. Taste and adjust salt and vinegar.
  5. 5Add crumbled feta and olives. Fold them in gently — they break apart with aggressive mixing.
  6. 6Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. The salad gets noticeably better after an hour as the beans absorb the dressing. Best the next day.