Packed with protein and robust flavors, this easy to make, delicious and healthy Mediterranean Bean Salad is the perfect choice for lunch or dinner!
I've been on bit of a bean kick over the last year. Between making my homemade chilis, like Easy White Bean Chicken Chili and Easy Stove Top Chili, to enjoying fun and tasty salads, like Chickpea Cucumber Feta Salad, there isn't a week that goes by that beans aren't on my shopping list.
With kidney beans and chickpeas, this protein packed salad has two of my legume favs. When you toss in an English cucumber, diced tomatoes, fresh garlic, peppers, and feta cheese, it becomes an incredible dish that's filling enough to call itself a meal.
I've been whipping up a batch of this delicious salad with its simple vinaigrette on the weekend and then eating it throughout the week for lunch! It hits the spot every time.
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👪Why you'll love it
| Easy to make- This super healthy salad is very simple to put together--just chop and mix! While it can be served right away, it tastes best after marinating in the fridge for a few hours. Versatile- Mediterranean Bean Salad is an excellent choice for lunch or dinner. It's also a great potluck or picnic side, and pairs well with so many grilled proteins and sandwiches. Keeps well- Once prepared, the salad will last for up to 5 days in the fridge. |
🥘Ingredients
For a complete list of ingredients with measurements, see the printable recipe card below
- English cucumber- my favorite for this salad because of its edible skin and tiny seeds
- orange or yellow bell pepper- while any pepper will do, I try to use one of these two to offer a color variety to the salad; they're also a little bit milder in taste
- vine ripe tomatoes- feel free to use cherry or grape tomatoes instead, which will produce less juice
- chickpeas- offer a heartiness and healthy serving of protein
- red kidney beans- for a bold, robust flavor; feel free to use cannellini (white kidney beans) instead, which have a milder taste
- celery, red onion, fresh garlic, cilantro- for added flavor and crunch (you can substitute fresh parsley or dill for the cilantro)
- extra virgin olive oil & McCormick Perfect Pinch Salad Supreme Seasoning (contains paprika, poppy seed, celery seed, cheese cultures, buttermilk powder and more)--this is for the dressing
- crumbled feta cheese- optional, but adds a nice tangy vibe to the salad
🔪Instructions
For a more detailed set of instructions, see the printable recipe card below
- Add chopped cucumbers, diced tomatoes and peppers to a large mixing bowl and gently stir.
- Drain and rinse beans; add the bowl and mix.
- Add the diced celery, onion and minced garlic; gently stir.
- Sprinkle in the cilantro and mix.
- In a small bowl, mix the olive oil and pinch perfect seasoning together; drizzle over the salad and stir to combine.
- Add the crumbled feta cheese.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to blend flavors. Then toss and enjoy!
Hint: Because this is a large salad, I find it helpful to use a wooden slotted salad spoon to stir the ingredients.
🥣Substitutions
Seasoning: If you can't find Pinch Perfect, use 2 t. paprika and ½ t. celery seed.
Vegetarian: Omit the feta cheese or use vegetarian feta cheese.
Cucumbers: Mini or Persian cucumbers can be used instead of an English cucumber.
📖Variations
Deluxe: Make this salad even more nutritious by adding a can of cannellini, pinto or butter beans.
Spicy: Add a dash of cayenne pepper for an added kick of flavor.
🍽Equipment
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- garlic mincer
- colander
- large mixing bowl
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- small mixing bowl
- mixing spoons
🍶Storage
Refrigerate and enjoy within 5 days. The salad will lose some of its luster the longer it sits due to all the juices from the tomato, peppers and cucumber, but will still taste delicious! You can always drain it a little bit and spruce it up with some additional Pinch Perfect, garlic and feta cheese!
💭Top tip
This salad tastes best after sitting in the fridge for one hour before serving.
🗨️FAQ
Rinse and drain the beans well. You may choose to have them sit on a paper towel in a colander for a bit before adding them to the salad. You can cut down on the sogginess further by using whole cherry tomatoes instead of sliced tomatoes.
No. The canning process essentially cooks the beans. All you need to do is drain and rinse them.
🥄Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
🍴Pairing
As mentioned, this hearty and healthy salad makes a great meal all on its own. It's also a wonderful side dish for BBQs, picnics and potlucks. It pairs well with grilled proteins and a variety of sandwiches.
These are my favorite summer sides and desserts to serve with Mediterranean Bean Salad:
📋Recipe
Mediterranean Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber quartered and chopped
- 1 orange bell pepper diced
- 2 vine ripe tomatoes about 1 cup when diced
- 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- ½ cup celery diced
- ⅓ cup red onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro finely chopped--can substitute fresh parsley or dill
- ¼ cup extra virign olive oil
- 1 tablespoon McCormick Perfect Pinch Salad Supreme Seasoning contains paprika, poppy seed, celery seed, cheese cultures, buttermilk powder and more
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Before starting:
- Quarter and chop cucumbers into 1 inch pieces
- Dice pepper, tomatoes, celery and onion
- Mince garlic
- Finely chop fresh cilantro
- In a large bowl, add the chopped cucumber and diced bell pepper; mix.
- Add the diced tomatoes; mix.
- Next, add the kidney beans and chickpeas; gently stir.
- Add the diced celery, onion and minced garlic; gently stir.
- Then add the cilantro; mix well.
- In a small bowl, mix the olive oil and pinch perfect seasoning together. Then drizzle the dressing over the salad and gently mix it in.
- Add the crumbled feta and gently stir.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to blend flavors.
- Toss before serving and enjoy!
- Refrigerate and enjoy within 5 days.
Liz M. says
What a delicious salad. Since I wanted to enjoy this all week, I took your advice and used whole cherry tomatoes instead of sliced tomatoes. It tasted great and held up well.
Kitchen Ready Betty says
So glad it turned out great! Yes, that's definitely the way to go with the tomatoes if you're looking to enjoy this healthy bean salad for more than a few days.