Easy White Bean Salad with Shrimp or Chicken in 15 Minutes
This easy white bean salad with comes together in just 15 minutes, making it perfect for a quick dinner or a hearty lunch. Protein packed with beans and cooked shrimp (or chicken) plus plenty of fresh vegetables all coated with a delicious light lemon vinaigrette, it’s a quick and healthy pantry recipe you’ll want to keep on repeat.
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This is another recipe in our occasional, ongoing series of easy meals from your pantry! For this series “pantry” includes not only the pantry shelves, but also the things we may have (or that we preserved!) in our fridges and freezers, too.
As you can see from previous pantry recipes like Tuscan White Bean Salad and 10 Minute Chickpea Wraps, having a stash of canned (or frozen!) beans means you can have quick dinners or lunches pretty much anytime.
As I was thinking about pantry meals to share, I decided to develop a more neutral base white bean salad recipe that uses the most simple pantry ingredients and which you then can add lots of different foods to be the most flexible and use what you have on hand.
This is that recipe and I am in LOVE. It’s just so simple to put together and while you could use any vinaigrette salad dressing, I think the lemon-herb vinaigrette is so fresh and lovely with the beans and veggies – and especially good with the shrimp I used in the photos.
And talk about meal prep! If you keep the bean salad separate from any greens you want to serve it with this will store in the fridge for an entire week and just get better with time.
Really, these are my favorite type of recipes, just start with the base add what is available:
- No shrimp? Thaw some cooked, frozen chicken.
- Need vegetarian? Just add more veggies and maybe a bit of feta cheese if you do dairy.
- What about the jar of pickled green beans or roasted red peppers in the fridge? Chop them and add to the salad – the tangy beans will add great flavor.
My hope is with this “back pocket” recipe, you’ll always have a quick dinner idea in the making.
Recipe Ingredients
Ingredient Notes & Variations
The Base Recipe
- Cooked white beans. Could you use chickpeas? Sure!
- Chopped onions. To me, this is a base ingredient, but of course if you’re allergic, don’t like them, or don’t have any onions, add something different.
- Lemon Herb Vinaigrette. Obviously, my favorite with white beans, but any of the vinaigrette variations here, or the maple balsamic dressing, or really any dressing you like would work. If store bought is all you have, then use it (but if there’s one thing I’d encourage everyone to make, it’s homemade salad dressings because they take less than 5 minutes, save money, and have no icky oils or weird ingredients).
Ideas for Additions
- Cooked shrimp, chicken, or other chopped leftover protein.
- Chopped sweet peppers – or mild green peppers like Anaheim or poblano for a different flavor profile.
- Tomatoes – add in chopped tomatoes or top with halved grape tomatoes.
- Greens – serve on a bed of chopped lettuce, spinach, or massaged kale.
- Cucumbers – sliced or chopped.
- Cheese – grated parmesan or romano, crumbled feta, queso fresco, goat, or blue cheese.
- Pickled foods – chopped pickled green beans, pepperoncini, roasted peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, giardiniera, pickled jalapeños.
- Fermented veggies – chopped fermented cauliflower and carrots, corn relish, fermented jalapeños even sauerkraut served on the side.
TIP: If you’ve only got raw shrimp in the freezer, it only adds 5 minutes to the prep time, and it’s always a bit more tender than precooked shrimp, so I usually cook shrimp if I’m using it for this salad.
How to Make White Bean Salad with Shrimp
Step 1: Prep ingredients and mix in a bowl. I did cook the shrimp in a skillet first in a bit of oil and garlic – tender and delicious!
Step 2: Toss with dressing and serve on a bed of greens.
Storage
Store this in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days (when kept separate from any greens).
Recipes To Serve This With
This salad is amazing served with a crusty bread!
I hope you enjoy this lemony white bean salad! If you make it, be sure to leave a rating and review so I know how you liked it!
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Easy White Bean Salad with Shrimp or Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/2 to 1 pound of cooked shrimp thawed if frozen OR 2 cups of cooked chicken
- 1 15-ounce can white beans any kind, drained (use 2 cans for 4 servings)
- 1/2 onion, diced
Lemon Vinaigrette*:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice preferably fresh
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon dried herbs optional (basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano or a mix like Italian)
- 1/2 teaspoon honey or maple syrup optional
Optional Vegetables:
- Chopped sweet peppers, or mild green peppers like Anaheim or poblano for a different flavor profile
- Chopped tomatoes or top with halved grape tomatoes.
- Cucumbers, sliced or chopped
- Cheese: grated parmesan or romano, crumbled feta, queso fresco, goat, or blue cheese.
- Pickled foods: chopped pickled green beans, pepperoncini, roasted peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, giardiniera, pickled jalapeños.
- Fermented veggies: chopped fermented cauliflower and carrots, corn relish, fermented jalapeños even sauerkraut served on the side.
- Lettuce, spinach, or chopped kale for serving
Instructions
- Thaw (or cook) shrimp if needed and gather the salad ingredients you're using, placing them into a medium bowl as each is ready.
- Add all vinaigrette ingredients into a 1-cup glass measuring cup and whisk well to combine.
- Pour dressing over salad ingredients and toss.
- Serve salad on a base of chopped greens, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
