This easy Mediterranean inspired Cannellini Bean Salad is made with canned beans and a few other flavorful ingredients… in only five minutes! It’s the perfect no-cook Vegetarian side dish for gatherings and busy weeknights. Make a bowl today!
Say goodbye to boring bean salads! The flavors in this cannellini bean salad are so simple, but just absolutely wonderful. It’s got creamy white beans, juicy tomatoes, bright herbs, rich olive oil, and just the right amount of acid from the red wine vinegar.
Together, the Mediterranean inspired flavors are bright, and the finished dish is rustic, inviting, and just downright cozy. That’s a lot to say about a bean salad!! Serve with crusty bread, simple grilled fish, meatballs, or marinated chicken breasts.
This is one bean salad that’ll convert even those who aren’t thrilled with vegetarian dishes or beans. Even my meat-and-potatoes husband took one bite and said, “Oh! Wow! This is really good!” And then he had a second helping.
This salad is made mostly with pantry and household staples, but my favorite thing about it is that the salad and the dressing are made and tossed together in the same bowl, so there’s no extra dirty dishes or work for you!
You may also like: Greek Chickpea & Cucumber Salad, Mediterranean Salad with Tuna.
🍅 Recipe Ingredients
- Cannellini Beans. This recipe is made with canned beans for ease, but dried beans will work too – just plan to give yourself 7 to 8 hours of extra time to cook them!
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Red Onion. When the onion marinates in the vinegar dressing a bit before serving, it takes a lot of the harshness out of them!
- Parsley or if you don’t have fresh herbs, substitute a mixture of dry Italian seasonings.
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper
Optional Ingredients
These would be fabulous additional ingredients. Depending on what you have on hand and what you enjoy, feel free to add in any or all of the following:
- 1-2 Avocados, diced *
- 1 cup baby arugula*
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta
- 1 bell pepper, diced
*For best results, wait until just before serving to stir the avocado and/or arugula into the salad.
What are Cannellini Beans?
Cannellini beans are one variety of white beans. They look like cream colored kidney beans, their flavor is mildly nutty and earthy, and the skins are extremely tender.
Cannellini beans are the most commonly used white bean in Italian dishes, particularly those with mediterranean influences.
➡️ If you don’t have cannellini beans, you can substitute any other white bean. Great northern beans, navy beans, and baby lima beans all work
🔪 Recipe Steps
The beauty of this recipe is in its simplicity. The ingredient and the cooking process are incredibly easy to simple it is.
Do the prep work: Open the cans of beans, pour the contents into a colander, and rinse well under water. Mince the onions and parsley. Slice the tomatoes in half.
Mix & serve: Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and mix it together well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. You can serve it immediately or cover and set it the refrigerator until you’re ready to enjoy it, but give it a quick toss before serving.
📝 Notes & Helpful Info
To make in advance
This recipe is great to make in advance! I’ve found it’s even better if you make it a day in advance and give the flavors a chance to meld together. If you’re making it more than a day in advance, leave the tomatoes and parsley separate, then mix them in before serving. That’ll give you the freshest tasting salad.
To store leftovers
Transfer any leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator 3-4 days. Give it a good stir before you serve it to toss the dressing with the salad again!
Like this recipe? Drop a star rating below or tag me on Instagram @cookathomemom so I can share it to my stories!
Cannellini Bean Salad – Vegan, Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 3 cups cannellini beans , about two 15 oz. cans, rinsed
- 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1-8 cup minced fresh parsley
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Optional Ingredients
- 1 cup baby arugula
- 1-2 avocado diced
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta
- 1/2 bell pepper diced
Instructions
- Do the prep work: Open the cans, pour the contents into a colander, and rinse well under water. Mince the onions and parsley. Slice the tomatoes in half.
- Mix Together: Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and mix it together well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve: Serve immediately, or cover and set it the refrigerator until you're ready to serve. Quickly toss the salad once more before before serving.
Lynne says
Liked this salad and it was very easy to make. I agree with the other commenter that it calls for way too much olive oil. Next time I will likely cut that in half.
Becky says
Made this earlier today and had it for lunch. I added the feta cheese. Very good! I’m trying to eat less meat so this is a good option for lunch.
Cook at Home Mom says
Hi Becky, I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe and that it works well with your dietary preferences! Thank you for the lovely feedback. 🙂 -Laura
Penny says
I just made this and OMG it is delicious. Only thing I changed was I used white wine vinegar instead of the red wine vinegar and put a Lil minced garlic in cause I love garlic with everything
Cook at Home Mom says
Hi Penny! I’m SO glad to hear you enjoyed this salad. It’s one of my favorites too. I love the changes you made, too! Thanks for sharing!! 🙂 -Laura
Robin says
Made this for a light salad to eat with some soup for dinner and while it is quite good, I think the recipe calls for too much olive oil. Next time I make it I will reduce the amount of olive oil.
Cook at Home Mom says
Hi Robin, Thanks for the feedback. I’m glad you enjoyed the salad and found a simple way to make it more to your tastes! 🙂 -Laura
transplantwest says
Delish !!! though I added cucumbers and sweet peppers… then goofed and added oregano (with the red wine vinegar. Again delish !! will try your other variations.
Love the macros included but what’s the serving size as printed??
Cook at Home Mom says
I LOVE the addition of cucumbers and sweet peppers – yum! The great thing about this recipe is there’s no such thing as goofing — you can make it however you like it, and it’s so forgiving that pretty much any changes you make will work beautifully! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it. The recipe makes 6 servings, so it would be ~1/2 cup.
Tasha says
This bean salad is my spring theme salad!!! Love it!!!
Cook at Home Mom says
Hi Tasha, Thank you for your kind words! -Laura