This 3 bean salad recipe is a recent, enjoyable twist on the American traditional! I toss recent inexperienced beans, kidney beans, and chickpeas in a daring, tangy dressing.
Like macaroni salad and potato salad, three bean salad takes me proper again to my childhood. It was one thing I ate at potlucks, picnics, and even the occasional college lunch. I bear in mind liking the candy and tangy dressing, however the mushy canned inexperienced beans? Not a lot.
So, to kick off picnic salad season this 12 months, I’ve bought a brand new three bean salad recipe to share with you. In some ways, it’s identical to the one I ate as a child. It options darkish pink kidney beans and hearty garbanzos, and it’s tossed in a punchy (although significantly much less candy) dressing. However these canned inexperienced beans? You gained’t discover them right here. As an alternative, I add blanched recent ones, together with thinly sliced celery and pink onion for crunch. It’s daring and refreshing, and like all good picnic salad, it solely tastes higher in the event you make it forward. I believe you’re going to like it!
Three Bean Salad Recipe Substances
Right here’s what you’ll must make this straightforward three bean salad recipe:
- Three beans, in fact! I exploit recent inexperienced beans, kidney beans, and garbanzos, although you might definitely experiment with utilizing different varieties of beans in the event you’d like. Pinto beans and cannellini beans would each be good substitutes for the kidney beans and chickpeas. And when you’ve got recent wax beans readily available along with inexperienced ones, by all means, toss them in!
- Additional-virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, and honey – You’ll whisk collectively these components to make the dressing. In a standard three bean salad recipe, it will be a lot sweeter, with nearly equal elements vinegar and sugar. I choose the flavour of a pure sweetener like honey (or maple syrup, in the event you’re vegan), and I scale it wayyyy again to provide the salad a tangy, pickle-y pop.
- Purple onion and celery – They add savory taste, colour, and crunch.
- Parsley – It offers the salad a pleasant recent end.
- And sea salt – To make all of the flavors pop!
Discover the whole recipe with measurements under.
The way to Make Three Bean Salad
This three bean salad recipe is tremendous easy to place collectively! Right here’s the way it goes:
First, blanch the inexperienced beans. This speedy cooking method makes the recent beans extra tender and highlights their pure sweetness. Convey a big pot of salted water to a boil and set a bowl of ice water close by. Drop the beans into the boiling water, and cook dinner for two minutes, or till they’re crisp-tender and vibrant inexperienced. Switch them to the ice water, then drain and switch to a kitchen towel to dry.
Subsequent, make the dressing. In a big bowl, whisk collectively the vinegar, garlic, mustard, honey, and salt.
Then, toss the salad collectively. Add the onion, kidney beans, chickpeas, blanched inexperienced beans, celery, and parsley to the bowl with the dressing, and toss to coat.
When you toss the salad collectively, pop it within the fridge to relax for 1 hour. You may be tempted to skip this step, however belief me, the salad shall be so significantly better in the event you don’t! Because it chills, the beans absorb the flavors within the dressing, which makes the entire dish punchier and extra thrilling to eat.
After an hour (or as much as 3 days), go forward and dig in!
Three Bean Salad Serving Solutions
This three bean salad could be a scrumptious addition to any summer time picnic or cookout. Attempt pairing it with no matter you’re grilling – perhaps veggie burgers or black bean burgers – and some enjoyable sides like fruit salad or corn on the cob.
This three bean salad can be an incredible recipe to make forward for lunch. I typically get pleasure from it by itself (the protein-rich beans make it a lot satisfying), but it surely’s an incredible facet dish for a sandwich too. We like it with Caprese, egg salad, and chickpea salad sandwiches and these wholesome lunch wraps.
Extra Favourite Picnic Salads
When you love this three bean salad recipe, strive one in all these recent picnic salads subsequent:
Three Bean Salad
Serves 4 to six
This 3 bean salad recipe is a simple, scrumptious summer time facet dish! Make sure you chill it for at the least an hour (or as much as 3 days) earlier than serving in order that the beans can absorb the flavors within the dressing.
- 8 ounces inexperienced beans, reduce into 1-inch items
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup very thinly sliced pink onion
- Freshly floor black pepper
- 1½ cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1½ cups cooked kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
- ½ cup finely chopped parsley
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Convey a big pot of salted water to a boil and set a bowl of ice water close by. Drop the inexperienced beans into the boiling water and blanch for two minutes. Take away the beans and instantly immerse within the ice water lengthy sufficient to chill fully, about 15 seconds. Drain and place on paper towels or a kitchen towel to dry.
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In a big bowl, whisk collectively the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, mustard, honey, and salt. Add the onion, chickpeas, kidney beans, celery, inexperienced beans, and parsley, and toss to coat. Chill for 1 hour, then serve.
