Mediterranean Bean Salad

Let’s eat some beans! (my eight year olds would insert a toot emoji, if there was such a thing.)

Spring is in ten days. Not that we’d even know it with the five-to-seven inches of snow falling outside my window at this very moment. But let’s say it together just to feel something inside our hollow soul chambers. SPRING IS IN TEN DAYS.

I feel better already.

So, bean salad! Zingy, bright, toothy, teeny bit of crunch. Let us peepeth.

Besides the light toasting of pine nuts, this recipe is a zero-cooking operation. Something to celebrate, n’est ce pas?

Just a few notes before we face plant.

Shallots are a fantastic sub for red onion, if you’re feeling it.

Nix the arugula if you’d prefer it to be bean-only. I like the peppery crunch, but if it’s not your thing, you’re still a good person.

Grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes – tomato tomahto. Oh, haha!

My store was out of cannellini beans, so great northern it was! Either’ll dew, boo. (sorry)

Get a little toasty toast on those pine nuts, okay? A skillet works best so you can keep your eagle eye on them. We can’t have a burning occurring today. Those things cost a mortgage payment.

The dressing! Super simple: in a little bowl you’ll whisk together some extra-virgin olive oil, minced parsley, one clove of grated garlic which I forgot to include in the ingredient photo because ding dong city, lemon juice and a good pinch of salt. Das it.

In a medium bowl, let’s combine the drained and rinsed beans, sliced cucumber, halved (or quartered) tomatoes, the minced red onion, pine nuts and arugula. So much color! So much texture.

On goes the dressing.

And you may ask yourself, what is that beautiful house?

Wait, that’s something else.

And you may ask yourself, isn’t that too much liquid, Bev? NAW. We want it. Everything gets coated and vibrant and glossy and it’s just pawfect.

Oh, the feta cheese! Crumble some over the finished salad and serve her up. You get a little bit of everything in this side salad, really. Creamy beans, a delicate toasted nut, peppery greens, aromatics like whoa, juicy, pungent tomatoes, crisp cucumber, salty feta. It’s all there. Don’t ask questions. Just do it.

I snacked on this for lunch two days in a row and it was exactly what I needed. But you can serve it with a roasted chicken, pan-seared steak, pork chops, anything! Or just dump out some sun chips next to the bowl and go postal.

(do people still say postal?)

(never mind.)

Completely satisfying, get on in that!

Mediterranean Bean Salad

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 15.5 oz can of Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 1/4 cup sliced cucumber
• 1 cup loosely packed arugula
• 2 Tbs. finely minced red onion
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
• 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 Tbs. minced parsley
• 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• Coarse salt

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the beans, tomatoes, cucumber, arugula, red onion and toasted pine nuts.
2. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, grated garlic and a pinch of salt. Pour the dressing over the bean mixture and toss to coat. Garnish with the crumbled feta and serve immediately!
3. Makes a fantastic side salad.
4. Serves two to four, depending on the size!

7.8.1.2

561

https://bevcooks.com/2022/03/mediterranean-bean-salad/

You can’t say we never ate our rainbow.