Easy bean salad is a simple and fulfilling salad based on pantry staples of a few cans of beans and corn.
A salad made with pantry staples
Cans of beans can be a great way to bulk up a salad and give it more substance to provide sustained energy until your next meal.
Thus, I always have a few cans of beans in the pantry.
While I love all beans, a bean mix is great in a salad as it provides a variety of shapes, colours, and sizes to nibble on as you make your way through the salad.
Cans of bean mix vary in the beans that they include. They may include butter or lima beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans, borlotti, pinto or chickpeas.
However, that doesn’t matter for this recipe. It’s about having a variety of beans rather than any specific beans in your salad.
Ingredients for this easy bean salad
Easy bean salad is so simple.
The recipe as written requires:
Salad Ingredients
- canned 4 bean mix (or 5 bean mix)
- canned chickpeas
- canned whole kernel sweet corn
- cherry tomatoes
- cucumber
- spring onions
- fresh mint
- sesame seeds
Dressing Ingredients
- lemon juice
- sesame oil or olive oil
- honey, brown sugar or coconut sugar
- garlic, optional
- salt
- black pepper
If you don’t have tomatoes or cucumber, no worries. You could try substituting or adding:
- red onion
- celery
- capsicum
- gherkins
- capers
- olives
- pineapple
I’ll leave it to you to get creative!
Tips for making this bean salad
Drain and rinse the beans
Always drain and rinse the beans and corn before combining in to the salad.
The beans and corn need draining for a few reasons. Draining and rinsing beans:
- improves the flavour and texture of the salad—they will be less mushy and hold the salad dressing better
- removes a significant amount of salt if canned in brine
- reduces the sugars that can cause gas or digestive issues, including reducing the FODMAP content
Storage
This salad can be kept in the fridge for 3-5 days in an airtight container.
If you plan on making it ahead of time, you may like to make up the salad and add the cucumber and tomato immediately before serving so they don’t become too mushy.
Have you made this bean salad recipe?
Let me know in the comments below if you try this recipe or share any modifications you make.
If you are looking for more inspiration for satisfying salads, here are some ideas for delicious and simple grain bowls.
If you are looking for other recipes with canned legumes, you may like to try my recipes for:
- pumpkin and quinoa salad with canned chickpeas
- canned lentil and quinoa salad
- spiced crispy chickpea snack
Enjoy!
Easy Bean Salad
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 400 g can 4 bean mix drained and rinsed
- 400 g can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 400 g can whole kernel sweet corn drained and rinsed
- 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes halved (250 g)
- ½ small or ¼ large cucumber diced
- 4 spring onions thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds toasted in non-stick pan (optional)
Dressing Ingredients
- 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey, brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic crushed or powdered (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place all salad ingredients in a bowl.
- Combine the dressing ingredients.
- Mix the dressing into the salad.
- Serve.
