A super easy white bean salad flavored with Tuscan ingredients like olive oil, basil, dried tomatoes, and roasted red peppers. It's a great potluck option! Head over to the Quick Healthy Recipes page for more great ideas.
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This tuscan white bean salad one of our favorite salads, is very simple to make, plus it uses ingredients I normally have on hand, including tomatoes which I dry from my garden produce each year and keep in olive oil.
Sometimes in the summer I like to plan a meal that consists of one, two, or three salads and to increase the amount of protein, I include a bean salad. With it's flavors of garlic, basil, balsamic and the pop of dried tomatoes and other vegetables, this salad tops the list.
This also makes a great potluck dish - I've gotten a ton of compliments when I've served it to a crowd (little did they know how inexpensive and easy it was!). This also keeps really well, making it a good option for meal prepping and for taking on camping trips.
Make Tuscan White Bean Salad
The ingredients you'll need to make this white bean salad are often pantry staples:
- White beans: Great Northern, Cannellini, or Navy (If using dry beans , you can cook and freeze them anytime according to the method I discussed here to be ready to use in this and other recipes.)
- Dried tomatoes in oil (or homemade dried tomatoes like this) - if using tomatoes not packed in oil, rehydrate them in water first.
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil (the oil from the tomatoes is best)
- Onion
- Roasted red peppers
- Fresh basil, garlic, and Parmesan, Asiago, or Romano cheese
I used Great Northern white beans, cooked and frozen according to the method I shared here, but any of the white beans listed above will work. You can use canned beans or cook the beans right before assembling the salad. Using dry beans in either of these cooking methods is the way to make it the most budget-friendly and be in total control of the all the ingredients.
3 Cooking Tips For This Recipe (and Other Salads):
1. The first tip is a way to make the dressing (or any homemade vinaigrette) blend easier:
Use a small whisk held between your hands and twist the handle back and forth quickly. You'll be amazed at how it emulsifies the oil and vinegar in seconds, no kitchen appliances needed, and lasts a lot longer than simply shaking in a bottle.
2. Easy way to chop or dice onions. Cutting onions is many people's least favorite kitchen task (mine is peeling and chopping garlic - ugh), mainly because they can be strong and make your eyes water.
Here's how:
- Peel, slice the ends off, and cut the onion in half. Lay one half on it's side and starting at the ends, cut slices horizontally - bigger slices like pictured above for chopped onions, or thinner slices for diced onions.
- Turn the onion's root end toward you and slice vertically, holding the slices together as you go creating small onion pieces.
These two cuts utilize the onions natural rings to provide the next 'cut' into smaller pieces. Sometimes you need to break them up a bit, but most of the time that happens when you're mixing them into your dish. I never chop onions any other way now!
Cutting onions this way vs. the way I was originally taught (cut sections one way down, turn and cut the other way, then put on it's side and cut slices…) is faster and easier leading to less time for the sulfur to make it's way to your eyes (or whatever causes the tears…). It's also safer, because you aren't dealing with a whole onion - round and slippery doesn't play well with sharp knives typically.
3. How to cut the basil in strips for this salad. Cut the leaves in half if they are large, and then make a pile of them with some smaller leaves. Roll them up as best you can and start slicing them from an end.
This makes thin, slightly longer pieces that are nice in salads like this.
Now - onto the salad! After your ingredients are prepped, you mix the dressing and pour it over the bean mixture, stirring well. Add about 1/4 cup of the grated cheese and mix and season with salt and pepper. That's it.
Spoon the salad into a serving bowl or platter (if different from the mixing bowl). Top with the remaining grated cheese and a sprig of basil.
Like I mentioned, this salad is actually better as it sits, making it perfect to make ahead for potlucks, parties, and camping trips. It's a great combo - easy and SO delicious!
Tuscan White Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked white beans*
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1/2 cup roasted red pepper chopped
- 1/2 cup dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped
- 1/4 cup finely sliced fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic about 4 large cloves
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup grated Romano Parmesan, or Asiago cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Combine the beans, onion, pepper, dried tomatoes, basil, and garlic in a large bowl.
- Mix the oil and vinegar until thoroughly combined. Pour over bean mixture, add half of the cheese and stir well. Add salt and pepper, tasting to adjust seasonings.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and top with remaining cheese and a whole or chopped basil leaf, if you'd like.
Notes
Nutrition
More Easy Salads You May Like:
Easy Heirloom Tomatoes and Feta Salad
Greek Style Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Green Beans
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This recipe has been updated - it was originally published in 2009. Enjoy!
Erin says
Do you know how far ahead this can be made? Will it keep several days? Thanks! I love bean salads!
Jami says
Yes! We've had it for several days in the fridge - in fact it's a great camping recipe, I've made it in advance and it's good all the way through the trip.
Sydra Krueger says
Hi Jami, not really about bean salad, as yummy as it sounds. But wondering how you house hunting chores are coming/going. It's been awhile;I'm sure you're ready to be getting on with life again.
Jami says
Ah, you are so right about wanting to 'get on with life again' Sydra - we'd LOVE that. 🙂 We are exploring continually and hopefully I will have news on that front soon!
Lisa says
Delicious!!! I made this exactly EXCEPT I only had one can of white beans on hand. I made the salad to speck, kept it refrigerated until dinner time, then tossed it into a salad of baby spinach and romaine. It didn't need any more dressing and was delicious! Everyone loved it! Thank you!!!
Jami says
Love that idea, Lisa - I'll have to try that, it sounds like a perfect way to get some more greens in 😉
Brenda says
I will definitely try this recipe. A great looking/sounding budget friendly recipe.
Jenelle says
Jami,
I finally got around to trying this salad. We had it for dinner tonight and everyone loved it! Thanks for the great idea. 🙂
Jami @ An Oregon Cottage says
P. Homemaker-
I just dry them in my electric dehydrator until there is no moisture, but they are still pliable. Then I put them in a jar, cover with olive oil (important that they always remain covered), and keep them on my shelf in the kitchen. No processing is necessary! You must not add any fresh things like garlic or herbs, though.
Years ago our newspaper, The Oregonian, they ran this method for keeping dried tomatoes, so I know it is safe. I've done it for years with no problems. I've kept them for a year, sometimes a few months more, and the only difference is they darken the older they get. But still yummy!
The Mangerchine's says
This looks delicious! I will definitely be trying it soon!
Shannon
The Prudent Homemaker says
Jami,
Do you dry your tomatoes and can them in oil?
I have been looking all over for instuctions? I LOVE tomatoes like this and I have a ton in my garden.
Jenelle says
Jami,
Thank you for postng this recipe for me! We have a tight grocery budget so I am always looking for new/ interesting/ creative ways to make bean based dinners because they are so healthy AND budget friendly.
We will try this one next week. 🙂
Jenelle