In this recipe, we use the Three Bean Salad quick option for summer gatherings. The sweet and tangy dressing is easy to whip up with basic pantry items. This Three Bean Salad is also considered quintessential American summer picnic food.
I prefer this three bean salad recipe because it is easy to make, effortlessly eye-catching, and also customizable to taste.
Why Make This Salad :
In our house, weekend plans usually come together on the fly: a quick “hey, are you free this weekend?” text turns into a last-minute get-together. Being raised in the South, I was taught that you never walk into someone’s home without bringing something along.
What Kind of Beans Go Into a Three Bean Salad?
Three bean salad is made with canned green beans and canned cannellini beans in this easy vegan pasta recipe. I have just never really liked the taste of canned green beans, so cannellini works much better for me.
If you have home-cooked beans on hand, made either on the stove or in a pressure cooker, feel free to use those instead of canned ones. You can also swap in cooked green beans, wax beans, or black beans for any of the three.
Ingredients:
Three beans:
naturally, this recipe uses fresh 1 (15-ounce) green beans, rinsed and drained, 1 (15-ounce) can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained, and 1 (15-ounce) can of garbanzo beans, finely drained, though you want to try other types of beans if you’d like.
Bean Substitutions:
Both pinto beans and cannellini beans work nicely as alternatives to kidney beans and chickpeas. And if you’ve got fresh wax beans on hand, too, don’t hesitate to add them alongside the green beans!
Extra-virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, and honey:
These Three Bean salad ingredients come together with a quick whisk to create the dressing. While a classic three bean salad tends to be quite sweet, often with equal amounts of vinegar and sugar. I like to use a natural sweetener such as honey or maple syrup.
Red onion and celery:
the dressing works to tone down the onion’s sharpness while lightly pickling the rest of the ingredients, leaving behind a sweet, tangy flavor that’s hard to resist. It also gives you a savory flavor, color, and crunch.
Parsley:
This gives a Three Bean salad a light, fresh touch at the end.
And sea salt:
Add some salt according to your taste.
How to Make Three Bean Salad (Step-by-Step):
Step 1:
The Three Bean salad gets blanched first, a technique that keeps them crisp while boosting their natural sweetness. Bring a large pot filled with salted water up to a boil, and set a bowl of ice water off to the side.
Let the beans cook for roughly 2 minutes until vibrant and just tender, then transfer them straight into the ice water. Once cooled, drain and pat them dry using a kitchen towel.
Shock the onion:
Cut the red onion into thin slices and place them in a bowl of ice water for around 5 minutes to soften their strong taste. We add some dice about ¼ cup of the onion finely, and chop up roughly ¼ cup of fresh parsley.
Step 2:
Whisk the vinegar, sugar, olive oil, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl to create the dressing. Toss in the onion, kidney beans, chickpeas, blanched green beans, celery, and parsley, and stir well until everything is fully coated.
Step 3:
Now put the Three Bean salad in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the beans to marinate in the flavor of the dressing. When it comes close to room temperature, then serve it.
Three Bean Salad
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the green beans for about 2 minutes, then transfer to an ice water bath. Drain and pat dry.
- Soak the sliced red onion in ice water for 5 minutes to soften its sharpness, then drain.
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper.
- In a large bowl, combine the green beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, onion, celery, and parsley. Pour the dressing over and toss well.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to overnight) before serving. Bring close to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- Fresh green beans work better than canned for flavor and texture; blanch fresh beans 1–2 minutes, then shock in ice water.
- Tastes better the longer it sits, as the beans soak up the dressing.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Special equipment:
For this recipe, you’ll need a large pot, a slotted spoon or spider skimmer, a colander, and a whisk.
How Do You Dress This Salad?
This three bean salad is dressed with a sweet-and-sour dressing like vinegar, olive oil, and sugar. If you want to skip the sugar, you can. After making this salad, chill it in the refrigerator for 3 hours and also allow the dressing to soak into the beans.
When you want to serve, remove the three bean salad from the refrigerator, and when it comes to room temperature, then serve it.
Cooked beans typically stay fresh in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days, but because the vinegar in this dressing essentially pickles the salad, it’s likely to stay fresh for a longer period.
Storage Instructions:
You can keep the three bean salad fresh by storing it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Three bean salad actually tastes better the longer it sits in the fridge.
Over time, the beans soak up the dressing, and everything becomes more flavorful. It should stay fresh for about four days if you don’t finish it sooner.
Notes:
Using Fresh Green Beans:
If you want to use fresh green beans instead, slice them and boil for 1-2 minutes, then place them in ice water to stop the cooking. It’s better not to use canned green beans, since they’re softer and don’t have as much flavor as fresh or frozen ones.
Why Add Olive Oil:
I always add olive oil to this vinaigrette because it makes it richer in flavor . It balances out the tartness and helps mix everything smoothly. Still, you can try it without oil if that’s what you prefer.
Adjusting the Sweetness:
The dressing is made a bit sweet to soften the strong taste of the vinegar and mustard, but feel free to change it as you like. If you’re not a fan of sweet flavors, use a small amount of sugar first and add more only if needed.
What to Serve with Three Bean Salad:
This three bean salad is very grateful for any summer lunch ideas. We must try with Monte Cristo sandwich recipe .This three bean salad recipe is an easy and delicious recipe for lunch. It is also used as a side dish for sandwiches like creamy shrimp pasta.
FAQs:
Can You Make It in Advance?
Yes, you can definitely make this ahead of time. It actually tastes even better after a few hours or overnight in the fridge, once the beans have had a chance to soak up all that dressing. Just give it a quick toss before you serve it.
Can You Freeze This Salad?
Yes, freezing this salad is possible thanks to the vinegar in the dressing, which acts as a natural preservative and helps the salad hold up a bit better than a typical fresh salad would. That said, the texture may still soften slightly once thawed, so it’s best enjoyed fresh or refrigerated rather than frozen for the best quality.
Nutrition:
Serving: 1 cup | Calories: 210kcal (11%) | Carbohydrates: 26g (9%) | Protein: 7g (14%) | Fat: 9g (12%) | Saturated Fat: 1.3g (7%) | Cholesterol: 0mg (0%) | Sodium: 380mg (16%) | Potassium: 420mg (9%) | Fiber: 7g (25%) | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 350IU (7%) | Vitamin C: 8mg (9%) | Calcium: 50mg (4%) | Iron: 2.5mg (14%)
