This Mediterranean White Bean Salad is a quick and easy recipe that’s packed with healthy, flavorful ingredients. Loaded with cannellini beans, veggies, feta, and fresh herbs, all tossed in a homemade Greek dressing, this protein-packed salad is filling and nourishing.
The best part? It takes just minutes to toss together. Plus, this cannellini bean salad stores well and tastes better served cold the next day! It’s perfect for meal prep lunches all week or for a summer potluck.
Why You'll Love This Mediterranean White Bean Salad
- It’s quick and easy. This Mediterranean white bean salad will be ready to eat in just 10 minutes (or less if you’re fast with chopping veggies)! It’s the perfect meal for when you’re low energy or short on time. Plus, the beans and veggies have plenty of healthy energy to keep you going — and is filling too!
- The perfect meal prep. This cannellini bean salad is so quick and easy, and can be eaten at room temperature but it’s meant to be eaten cold. Plus, it stores well in the fridge which makes it an ideal recipe for your weekly meal prep. Bring it for lunch, take it to a picnic or potluck, or serve it as a low-effort side dish at dinner.
- It’s fully customizable. This Mediterranean white bean salad can be used as a perfect base salad from which you can add or remove ingredients as you see fit. If you love olives, capers, bell peppers, or onions, then add them in! Have leftover kale that you need to eat? Throw it in your white bean salad! Craving balsamic? Add it to your bean salad. No cannellini beans? Use chickpeas! This Mediterranean white bean salad is incredibly versatile.
Ingredient Notes
To make this quick and easy Cannellini White Bean Salad, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):
- white beans - also known cannellini beans or butter beans. We used canned beans but you can also cook dried beans from scratch. You will need about ¾ cup dried beans. Also keep in mind that you will need to soak the beans overnight.
- tomatoes - I prefer small tomatoes such as grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes in this recipe. Of course there is nothing stopping you from using larger tomatoes. Just chop them up into ½ to 1-inch pieces.
- mini cucumbers - I prefer Persian cucumbers for this salad. You can use a larger English cucumber but you may want to cut each slice into 6 pieces to keep them small.
- feta cheese - or substitute with goat cheese if you prefer.
- fresh parsley - feel free to substitute with your fresh dill or another of your favorite herbs.
- salad dressing - the dressing is a simple Greek style salad dressing made with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. You can add in a little minced garlic for an extra oomph.
How to Customize
You can customize this salad with other ingredients that you have on hand. To keep it as a Mediterranean style salad, add in kalamata olives, bell peppers, and/or red onions.
How to Make the Best Cannellini White Bean Salad
- Combine salad ingredients. In a large serving bowl or mixing bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, and parsley.
- Make the dressing. In a small mixing bowl, make the dressing by stirring together olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Toss. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve cold.
How to Serve
This Mediterranean white bean salad can be served on its own as a complete meal, thanks to the beans, which provide protein, carbs, and essential nutrients. However, this Mediterranean bean salad pairs well with:
- hummus, olives, and pita bread
- grilled or roasted beef, lamb, or pork
- baked chicken or salmon
- steamed or roasted vegetables
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Always rinse canned foods: Although beans are an extremely healthy protein to work into your diet, canned beans are high in sodium, which can lead to high blood pressure and dehydration. This is why it’s important that you rinse and drain canned beans before making your salad — to make it even healthier!
- How to store bean salad: Store cannellini bean salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The longer it is refrigerated, the more the flavors will blend into each other — it’s actually more flavorful the next day! Give it a quick stir to redistribute the dressing and ingredients before serving.
More Salad Recipes with Beans
- 40 Best Salad Recipes
- Chickpea Greek Salad
- Buckwheat Salad
- Warm Lentil Salad
- Mediterranean Wedge Salad with Roasted Chickpeas
- Southwest Salad
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Recipe
White Bean Salad
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 servings
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Mediterranean White Bean Salad is loaded with cannellini beans, veggies, feta, and fresh herbs, tossed in a homemade Greek dressing. Perfect for meal prep!
Ingredients
- 1 (15 ounce) can white beans (or cannellini beans), rinsed and drained
- 1 cup grape tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes), halved
- 1 cup mini cucumbers, sliced and quartered
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large serving bowl or mixing bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, and parsley.
- In a small mixing bowl, make the dressing by stirring together olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve cold.
Notes
Always rinse canned foods: Although beans are an extremely healthy protein to work into your diet, canned beans are high in sodium, which can lead to high blood pressure and dehydration. This is why it’s important that you rinse and drain canned beans before making your salad — to make it even healthier!
How to customize: You can customize this salad with other ingredients that you have on hand. To keep it as a Mediterranean style salad, add in kalamata olives, bell peppers, and/or red onions.
How to store bean salad: Store cannellini bean salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The longer it is refrigerated, the more the flavors will blend into each other — it’s actually more flavorful the next day! Give it a quick stir to redistribute the dressing and ingredients before serving.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Tossed
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
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