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Mediterranean Three Bean Salad

Jul 26, 2016 11 Comments

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This healthy Mediterranean three bean salad recipe is packed with flavor, and it takes only 15 minutes to make! Perfect on its own or on top of toast!

Healthy Three Bean Salad Recipe - this delicious, healthy salad is great as a side or a main meal!

Friends, I’m about to enter the “scramble” mode. My summer trip to Europe is coming up in 2 weeks, and I am working around the clock to get things done before I go. If there was a way that I could clone myself to cook (and clean!!) all day, I would do it in a heartbeat. But I’d only want my mini me to be around for two weeks. Any longer would just be, I don’t know, creepy.

Since I don’t have all the time in the world to cook, my mindset is on easy, get in and get out kind of meals. That’s where this Mediterranean three bean salad recipe comes in. It’s essentially a bean salad packed with summer vegetables, feta, olives, and a light vinaigrette. Now that heirloom tomatoes are in season, I highly recommend buying a beefy one for this salad. The sweetness of those tomatoes balance well with the tang and saltiness of the salad. I would also use fresh green beans (or other waxy beans) instead of frozen ones. Frozen green beans just don’t get the same kind of crisp once you cook them.

From start to finish, this salad takes only 15 minutes to make. Yes, 15 minutes! It’s definitely worth making on a weeknight.

Mediterranean Three Bean Salad - this delicious, healthy salad is great as a side or a main meal!

COOKING NOTES FOR THE THREE BEAN SALAD RECIPE

  • Giving the green beans an ice bath: Once you steam the green beans, throw them into an ice bath immediately. The ice bath is critical for keeping green beans lovely and crisp. The chill from the ice water stops the green beans from cooking further. I used to skip this step out of laziness, but once I started cooking my beans this way, I can’t go back to my old ways. The texture of the beans are so much better.
  • Toss tomatoes last: Because diced tomatoes are quite delicate, I recommend tossing them last, after you’ve dressed the beans and other vegetables.
  • Variations: Feel free to add your favorite beans and summer vegetables to the mix! Cannellini beans, bell peppers, corn and zucchini are good additions.
  • Serving options: This salad is great with grains on the side or with toast and a few slices of avocado!
  • Use fresh green beans: I noticed that when I made this salad with green beans that weren’t fresh (they had been in my fridge for over a week), their color didn’t look good the next day. Try using beans that you have bought from the grocery store no more than a few days ahead.

Mediterranean Three Bean Salad Recipe - this delicious, healthy salad is great as a side or a main meal!

LOOKING FOR MORE WAYS TO COOK BEANS? TRY THESE RECIPES:

Quinoa Cakes with Chickpeas
Mexican Rice Stuffed Peppers
Perfect Hummus Three Ways: Roasted Garlic, Carrot Harissa, Cilantro Jalapeño
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Chili
Mini Sofritas Tostada Bowls

Print

Mediterranean Three Bean Salad

Mediterranean Three Bean Salad - this delicious, healthy salad is great as a side or a main meal! by @healthynibs
  • Author: Lisa Lin
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4 Servings 1x
Scale

Ingredients

Greek Vinaigrette

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (white wine vinegar works also)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon honey (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 cup (40g) finely diced red onions
  • 1 clove garlic, minced

Salad

  • ½ pound (225g) green beans, trimmed and snapped into 2-inch pieces
  • 15-ounce (425g) can of chickpeas (or garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
  • 15-ounce (425g) can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 Persian cucumber, sliced (about 3/4 cup chopped, 110g)
  • 1 cup (about 12g to 15g) loosely packed parsley leaves, chopped
  • 1/4 cup (35g) feta cheese
  • 1/3 cup (55g) kalamata olives, sliced in half
  • 3/4 cup (100g) diced tomatoes

Instructions

  1. Rinse green beans and steam for 2 to 3 minutes. While beans are cooking, add 1 1/2 cups of ice into a bowl and add water. Once green beans are cooked, submerge beans in the water to stop the cooking process. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
  2. Mix all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set aside while you prep the rest of the salad. Soaking the onions and garlic in a vinegary solution helps take some of the raw bite away.
  3. In a large bowl, add the green beans, chickpeas, red kidney beans, cucumber, parsley, feta and olives. Pour vinaigrette and toss to coat the vegetables. Add diced tomatoes and toss again. Season with salt and pepper, if you like.
  4. Serve on its own, with a bowl of grains or on top of toast!
  5. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days. If you leave the salad in the fridge for any longer, the green beans will start turn brown.

Notes

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Serves 4. Amount Per Serving: Calories: 311, Total Fat 11g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 1075mg, Cholesterol: 8mg, Total Carbohydrate: 42g, Dietary Fiber: 12g, Sugar: 10g, Protein 15g

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Appetizers, Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, Quick Meals, Sides, Vegetarian chickpeas, green beans, kidney beans

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sonali- The Foodie Physician says

    July 26, 2016 at 2:41 pm

    Such a beautiful, fresh, vibrant salad! I honestly love every ingredient you tossed in here! Summer trip to Europe…so exciting 🙂

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      July 26, 2016 at 4:46 pm

      Thank you, Sonali!! Hopefully, I’ll have some good photos to share!

      Reply
  2. Aimee | Wallflower Kitchen says

    July 27, 2016 at 6:48 am

    This salad sounds so gorgeous! I wish I was eating it right now with some vegan feta <3

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      August 1, 2016 at 9:46 pm

      Thanks, Aimee!!

      Reply
  3. Ellie says

    August 1, 2016 at 12:10 am

    The whole family loved this salad, it was quick and easy to throw together, I served it with BBQ butterflied lamb. Delicious !

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      August 1, 2016 at 9:45 pm

      Ellie, thank you so much for trying out the recipe! I’m so glad that your family enjoyed it! I should try it with grilled lamb next time.

      Reply
  4. Traci | Vanilla And Bean says

    August 3, 2016 at 8:09 am

    Hooray for Europe! Booo for more dishes! Augh.. I find myself complaining more and more about dishes, Lisa. Can I just hire someone? This bean salad is sooo fabulous.. packed with texture; sweet juicy tomatoes, crisp beans, creamy feta.. oh my ! I know I’ll love this one!

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      August 6, 2016 at 7:55 am

      Dishes are the worst! It reminds me of an episode of I Love Lucy (I’m old school), when Lucy wanted Ricky to buy her a dishwasher because she had too many dishes to clean. I used to wonder why she complained so much about it, but now I know! And, for the record, a dishwasher doesn’t actually make dishwashing more pleasant 😉

      Reply
  5. Nicole Rodriguez says

    December 18, 2020 at 11:57 am

    Why do you cook the canned beans and for how long do you cook them?

    Reply

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