Packed with protein, this easy to make, vegan-friendly Mediterranean Bean Salad is the perfect choice for lunch or dinner.
This super healthy salad is so simple to put together--just chop and mix all the fresh ingredients with the tender beans and simple vinaigrette! When you wait 1 hour for the flavors to come together, the flavor payoff is so totally worth it 😉.
I've been on bit of a bean kick over the last year. Between making Easy Stove Top Chili, and 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 Mediterranean bean salad has two of my legume favs. When you toss in an English cucumber, diced tomatoes, fresh garlic, and peppers, it becomes a full and satisfying dish that's filling enough to call itself a meal.
I often add feta cheese to this salad for added protein and tang, but to keep the salad vegan-friendly, simply hold the feta or use vegan feta (which contains no animal rennet).
I've been whipping up a batch of this nutritious salad with its simple vinaigrette on the weekend and then eating it throughout the week for lunch! So, so good and hits the spot every time.
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🥘Ingredients
- 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
- celery, red onion, fresh garlic, cilantro- for added flavor and crunch (you can substitute fresh parsley or dill for the cilantro)
- 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
- extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, paprika, celery seed, salt & pepper- for the vinaigrette
- crumbled feta cheese (optional)- adds tangy vibe to the salad (hold for a vegan plate, or use vegan feta)
🔪Instructions
- Step 1: Add chopped cucumbers, diced tomatoes, peppers, celery, onion, garlic, and cilantro to a large bowl and gently mix.
- Step 2: Drain and rinse beans; add to the bowl and mix.
- Step 3: Mix the oil, vinegar, and seasonings; drizzle over dressing.
- Step 4: Refrigerate for 1 hour for flavors to meld. Stir before serving.
Hint: Because this is a large salad, I find it helpful to use a wooden slotted salad spoon to stir the ingredients.
🥣Substitutions
Vinegar: Red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be used instead.
Vegan: Omit the feta cheese or use vegan 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 or salad 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 added seasonings.
💭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
These are my favorite summer sides and desserts to serve with Mediterranean Bean Salad:
📋Recipe
Mediterranean Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber chopped or sliced
- 1 orange bell pepper diced
- 2 vine ripe tomatoes about 1 cup when diced
- 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
- 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional) hold for vegan plate
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add cucumber, bell pepper, tomato, celery, onion, garlic, and cilantro; mix.
- Next, add the kidney beans and chickpeas; gently stir.
- In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and seasonings; drizzle over the dressing and gently mix.
- Add the crumbled feta (if using) and gently stir.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to blend flavors.
- Toss before serving and enjoy!
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.