This Mediterranean Bean Salad With Italian Vinaigrette makes the best Mediterranean side dish! It's a simple recipe that's easy to make and a filling dish from all the fiber and protein in the beans. There's no added sugar that is often included in bean salad recipes - just zesty summer flavor!
The salad ingredients include kidney beans, cannellini beans, cucumber, red onion, kalamata olives and feta cheese, and it's all dressed in an Italian vinaigrette of herbs, olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and garlic.
Take this salad to a cookout, have as a salad topper, use as a cracker topper, bring to a picnic or just eat by itself!
What Beans Should I Use?
You can use canned beans or hydrate dry beans yourself. I usually used canned beans because of convenience. However, if you want to make your own beans, this article is a helpful guide to making different types of beans on the stove.
So back to canned beans! I rinse my canned beans, so they aren't covered in the liquid and pick up the Mediterranean flavors of the vinaigrette. Rinsing your beans also reduces the sodium content up to 41% by rinsing off the added salt.
In this recipe, I use kidney beans and cannellini beans. I wanted to use large beans with a soft texture that aren't too crunchy. Since the cucumber slices add a nice crunch, I wanted the beans to be noticeably different. I think they work well together!
Salad Instructions
Assuming you are using canned beans, start by rinsing your beans in a colander. Add the beans to a big bowl and get chopping!
Chop up the cucumber, red onion, and kalamata olives and add it all into the bowl of beans. Add in the feta cheese and sprinkle the Italian herbs over everything. Give it a good stir!
Italian Vinaigrette Instructions
In a smaller bowl, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, salt and pepper together. Drizzle over the bean salad and mix in well!
Done! You got a simple and delish bean salad packed with bright Mediterranean flavors ready for eatin'! I like to garnish the salad with fresh herbs like parsley, but basil, thyme or mint would go well too!
Serving Suggestions
I usually have this as a side dish. It goes well with sandwiches and burgers, so serving it with lunches and dinners is what we do most of the time. However, you can also have it as a snack.
Another option is using it as a salad topper to give salads more texture and added protein. Since this bean salad is full of Mediterranean flavor, it makes eating more vegetables easy peasy! Salads also come together so quickly since the bean salad already has so much in it. So pile it onto a bed of greens is all you need to do!
Recipe Tips and FAQs
Cold bean salads, like this recipe, will last up to five days in the refrigerator.
Great question! This dilemma came up for a Pinterest user, and she used fresh herbs such as basil and oregano and had great results. Another option is to make your own homemade Italian seasoning with dried thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano and basil.
No, while the salad will become more flavorful with time, you don't need to wait to serve the salad once all the ingredients are mixed together. Just make sure to give it a good stir before serving if its been sitting for a while to get the Italian vinaigrette mixed in well!
Other Mediterranean Side Dishes
If you're looking for other yummy Mediterranean side dishes that are easy to make, try my Za'atar Fries, Mediterranean Farro Salad or Mediterranean Buddha Bowl. My favorite cuisine is Mediterranean food, so I'm always making Mediterranean versions of my favorite meals.
Let me know if you have a recipe you'd like to see given a Mediterranean twist in the comments!
Mediterranean Bean Salad With Italian Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Bean Salad
- 1 15 oz can of drained and rinsed kidney beans
- 1 15 oz can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans
- 1 cucumber quartered
- ½ cup red onion diced
- ⅔ cup kalamata olives sliced
- ¾ cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1 tablespoon Italian Herbs
Italian Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- salt & pepper
Instructions
Bean Salad
- Rinse and drain canned beans in a colander and add to a large bowl.
- Chop cucumber, red onion and kalamata olives and add to the bowl of beans.
- Sprinkle the feta cheese over the bowl and dried Italian herbs.
Italian Vinaigrette
- Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and minced garlic.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Drizzle over bean salad and mix well - enjoy!
Notes
- If you don't have dried Italian herb seasoning, you can make your own by mixing dried thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano and basil. Fresh herbs like basil and oregano work too!
- Rinsing the canned beans reduces the added salt and removes the liquid so that the beans can absorb the flavors of the Italian vinaigrette.
Nutrition
(Nutrition values are calculated by third-party software and an estimate that can vary based on product brands and cooking methods.)