Summer meal prep just got a whole lot easier with this Mediterranean Bean Salad. When the days get hot and cooking feels more chore than joy, this is the dish I fall back on. It brings together hearty chickpeas and creamy cannellini beans with crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, pickly onions, zesty spices, a bright olive oil vinaigrette, and a shower of herbs and salty feta. Because it holds up so beautifully in the fridge, you can stretch the batch over several days of lunches or dinners. It’s light, simple, and exactly what a fresh summer meal should be.
This year seems to be the Year of the Bean, and I’m here for it! I’ve already had a year-long obsession with bean soups, and this summer I’m making the effort to include this incredible protein- and fiber-packed ingredient in my diet no matter the dish.
My take on the classic Mediterranean Bean Salad makes summer eating effortless and delightful, leaning heavily on fresh veggies and an assortment of herbs and spices to create something absolutely crave-worthy.
I like to make a big bowl of this gut-nourishing bean salad on Sunday, and then enjoy it throughout the week for lunches and dinners. Here are a few ways I’ve been using it up for meal-prep:
- As a main for a summery dinner with garlic bread, pita bread, naan, or flatbread on the side.
- Piled high on rice cakes for a simple, packable lunch.
- Spooned over a bowl of cottage cheese for a creamy, low-cal boost of protein.
- Serve as a side as part of a larger meal.
- Mixed with leafy greens and shredded cabbage and then topped with chicken or crispy tofu for a hearty salad-salad.
- As a cookout or potluck side dish.
However you choose to serve it, it’s a refrigerator champ, getting more flavorful while the ingredients maintain their textures. And best of all, it’s so quick and easy to prepare using canned beans: Just chop a few vegetables, sprinkle on some herbs and spices, dress it up, and you’re good to go!
If you’re looking to incorporate more beans into your meals, try my Herbed White Bean Picnic Salad, or my Vegetarian Cobb Salad Lentil Bowl, or my Marry Me White Beans.
Recipe Highlights
- Difficulty: Easy.
- Cook time: No cooking!
- Prep time: About 10 minutes of vegetable prep time.
- Servings: Makes about 1 1/2 quarts of bean salad, or six 1-cup servings.
- What makes my version special: Protein-packed chickpeas and cannellini beans are the stars of this nutritious bean salad, seasoned with the exciting flavors of Mediterranean herbs and spices. A simple, tangy olive oil vinaigrette mixed right in the salad bowl makes for a light and effortless dressing. It’s the bean salad I turn to most often for summer meal prep, as it can stand up as the main with a side of toasty bread, and then the next day sit alongside chicken or fish.
Key Ingredients
Here are the main ingredients that make this salad special. The full list with quantities appears in the recipe card below.
Beans — Cannellini beans and chickpeas are always a salad favorite here at Casa SoupAddict, and the combination of soft white beans and toothsome garbanzos creates a can’t-beat texture. Of course, you can substitute just about any tender canned bean. Great northerns and red kidney beans are always great options. Be sure to thoroughly drain and rinse the beans. The liquid within the can is perfectly edible; however, it has a starchy goopiness that’s okay for soups, but not so much for salads.
Vegetables — Summer vegetables are salad must-haves, and I usually reach for cucumbers, roasted red peppers, cherry tomatoes, pickled onions, and scallions. Helpful tip: It’s a major pet peeve of mine when restaurants leave cherry tomatoes whole in salads. Stabbing at an unyielding, roly-poly tomato with a fork is an aggravating dining experience. Always slice cherry and grape tomatoes into halves or quarters — it only takes a minute.
Herbs & Spices — Bean salads aren’t really anything to write home about … until they’re properly seasoned with lots of fresh, verdant herbs and zingy spices. For this recipe, I went with a Mediterranean profile that includes parsley, mint, za’atar, Aleppo pepper, and more. So delish!
Vinaigrette — Although I usually have any number of bottled dressings in the fridge at any given moment, I like to go super simple with this salad and use just lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and my favorite extra virgin olive oil. The herbs and spices season this salad beautifully, so you don’t really need the boost from a flavored vinaigrette, but of course you can use your favorite Italian or Greek blend.
Cheese — Feta is a go-to choice, but I’ll mention that in the photos here, I actually used a smoked goat cheese that is to die for. Either way, feta or goat cheese, buy a block if you can and crumble it yourself for the freshest flavor.
A No-Measure, No-Cook Bean Salad
I’ve included measurements in the recipe so that my typical method can be replicated, but this salad is actually incredibly flexible and can adapt to what you have on hand, what’s in season, or what you’re craving. When making the salad for ourselves, I rarely measure out the ingredients: I just eyeball everything, and it works out great.
Feel like briny olives or capers? Good choice! How about some artichoke hearts, shredded carrots, or fresh rather than roasted bell peppers? Pinto beans in the pantry but no garbanzos? No problem! A bottle of your favorite honey mustard vinaigrette in the fridge? Pour it right on. Mozzarella balls instead of — or in addition to! — feta. Yes! Prefer cilantro over parsley. That works!
My trip to the farmers’ market often guides what the salad looks like in any given week of the summer, but the basic formula is always the same: canned beans, fresh veggies, green herbs, lemon, olive oil and vinegar, and Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, or Northern African spices, such as za’atar, aleppo pepper, sumac, cumin, coriander, paprika, sesame, baharat, ras el hanout, and more.
Pro salad maker’s tip: Don’t hold back on the fresh herbs! Parsley, dill, and mint (and even basil and cilantro) add so much flavor to this salad. Be more conservative with their dried counterparts (which are very concentrated), but sprinkle on the fresh leafy green herbs with abandon. They complement the rest of the salad beautifully — you won’t regret it!
How to Make Mediterranean Bean Salad
Ready to make the recipe? Skip to the recipe card now to see the full ingredient list, quantities, prep/cooking times, and printable, detailed instructions. Or, keep scrolling for a visual walk-through and summary of making the salad.
Good things start with beans
Add the well-rinsed and drained beans to a large mixing bowl, followed by the chopped vegetables.
Season well
Add the fresh herbs and zesty spices, plus the lemon rind, lemon juice, and green onions.
Dress it like a boss
Pour the red wine vinegar and olive oil over the salad, and gently toss or fold without damaging the beans. I usually don’t add the cheese until after the salad has been thoroughly combined, so that it doesn’t disappear into the vinaigrette. A generous pinch each of salt and black pepper pulls it all together. If you can, let the salad rest for 15 minutes or so, to give the flavors a head start on melding. Refrigerate leftovers for 4 to 5 days.
Recipe FAQs
And that’s my Mediterranean Bean Salad! It’s simple enough for a weeknight meal but tastes like something you’d order at a Mediterranean restaurant. If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out, so drop a comment and a rating below and let me know what you think!
Mediterranean Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 15 ounces canned cannellini beans , rinsed and drained
- 15 ounces canned chickpeas , rinsed and drained
- 1/2 large English or Persian cucumber , chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
- 1/4 cup chopped pickled red onions
- 4 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes , sliced in halves or quarters (12-14 tomatoes)
- 3 green onions , sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill , minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint , minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley , minced
- 1 tablespoon za’atar
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- 1 lemon , zested (use both juice and zest)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup feta or goat cheese , crumbled
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
- To a large mixing bowl, add the beans and vegetables, followed by the herbs, spices, and lemon zest. Stir well to mix.
- Pour the red wine vinegar and olive oil over the salad and stir to coat everything with the oil.
- Sprinkle the crumbled cheese over the salad.
- Taste and add salt and pepper to season as needed.
- If possible, let the salad rest for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to infuse, or refrigerate for an hour for more effect. The salad stores well for several days.