Description
A vibrant and crunchy bean salad packed with fresh vegetables, herbs, creamy dressing, and a delightful combination of flavors. This salad is perfect as a light lunch, side dish, or a healthy snack, featuring white beans, cucumbers, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, olives, fresh parsley, dill, and a zesty lemon-parmesan dressing.
Ingredients
Scale
Beans and Vegetables
- 2 cans (15 oz each) white beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 long English cucumber, sliced
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
Herbs and Cheese
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 bunch fresh dill, chopped
- 1/3 cup freshly shaved parmesan cheese
Dressing
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prep the beans: Rinse and thoroughly drain the white beans to remove excess liquid and keep the salad fresh and light. Transfer them into a large mixing bowl.
- Chop the veggies: Slice the cucumber, finely chop the red onion, halve the cherry tomatoes, and dice both the yellow and red bell peppers. Add all these vegetables to the bowl with the beans.
- Add the olives and herbs: Halve the kalamata olives and chop the fresh parsley and dill finely. Add these to the vegetable and bean mixture for added flavor and freshness.
- Add the cheese: Gently fold in the freshly shaved parmesan cheese to the salad mixture, enhancing it with a creamy and savory note.
- Make the dressing: In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, minced garlic, lemon zest and juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk until smooth and well blended.
- Add the dressing: Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and gently stir to combine all flavors evenly throughout the salad.
- Serve: Garnish with additional freshly shaved parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of chopped fresh herbs if desired. Serve the crunchy bean salad chilled or at room temperature as a refreshing side or light meal.
Notes
- For extra crunch, you can add toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds.
- This salad tastes best if allowed to sit for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Use low-fat mayonnaise or Greek yogurt to reduce calories.
- The salad can be prepared a few hours in advance and refrigerated.
- Adjust lemon juice and seasoning to taste, depending on your preference.
- Gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-cook
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup (about 150g)
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 350mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 26g
- Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 9g
- Cholesterol: 8mg
Keywords: bean salad, crunchy salad, Mediterranean salad, white beans, cucumber salad, healthy salad, vegetarian, no-cook recipe
