Mediterranean bean salad: The colorful filling salad

This Mediterranean bean salad is designed for days when you want a big bowl of salad on the table without having to cook beforehand. Giant beans and cannellini beans are combined with peppers, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, iceberg lettuce and fresh herbs. The light balsamic dressing gets a mild sweetness from maple syrup, while olive oil binds everything together.

Unlike our bean salad – like at home, this version does not consist of green beans. The white beans and the colorful mixed vegetables make the salad stronger and versatile enough for the grill buffet, lunch break or a quick cold meal.

It is crucial that as little unnecessary liquid as possible gets into the bowl. Drain the beans thoroughly and remove the soft inside of the cucumber. The iceberg lettuce is only added when the salad is served. This way it stays firm and crisp.

Giant beans and cannellini beans – The two varieties differ primarily in their size and structure. The giant beans are large and soft, while the smaller cannellini beans are distributed more evenly between the vegetables. But you can also use beans of your choice: kidney beans or chickpeas work just as well.

Cucumber – Remove the seeds and the soft inside before coarsely grating the cucumber. This step prevents too much cucumber water from getting into the dressing.

Peppers, carrots and tomatoes – They provide color and different consistencies. Peppers are cut into strips, carrots are roughly grated and tomatoes are cut into pieces.

Iceberg lettuce – It brings freshness and a firm bite. Since it becomes soft in the dressing over time, it should only be added shortly before serving. Instead of iceberg lettuce, you can also use romaine lettuce or lettuce.

parsley and chives – The fresh herbs add flavor to the salad without overpowering the beans and vegetables. Don’t chop them too finely so that they can still be recognized in the salad.

Light balsamic and maple syrup – The light vinegar provides acid without turning the vegetables dark. Maple syrup rounds off the acidity. We also explain how vinegar, sweetness and oil combine to create a balanced sauce in our balsamic dressing.

The most important point is the cucumber. If the entire core is rubbed, it quickly releases a lot of liquid. Halve them lengthwise and remove the seeds with a spoon. It is then chopped on a coarse grater.

The beans must also drain sufficiently. If a lot of canned liquid sticks to it, it will dilute the dressing. So leave them in the colander while you prepare the rest of the vegetables.

Deliberately grate carrots and cucumbers coarsely. Finely grated vegetables lose their firm structure more quickly and combine with the dressing to form a softer mass. The coarser grater ensures that the individual ingredients in the finished salad are still recognizable.

First mix the dressing separately. Light balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, salt and pepper can be distributed more evenly. Then add it to the beans, vegetables and herbs.

The iceberg lettuce stays out until the end. If you want to eat the bean salad straight away, you can mix it in immediately before serving. If you don’t want the salad to be served until later, store the iceberg lettuce separately in the refrigerator.

You can prepare the bean and vegetable mix as a grill side dish and store it in the refrigerator. Only fold in the iceberg lettuce when the grilled food is almost ready. This means that the large bowl with the dressing doesn’t sit on the table for an unnecessarily long time.

The same principle works for meal prep. Place beans, vegetables, herbs and dressing in a tightly sealable container. Take the iceberg lettuce with you in a second can and mix it in before eating.

If you would like to offer a second fresh bowl in addition to the bean salad, our Greek farmer’s salad with olives goes well with it. He relies more on tomatoes, cucumber and olives and therefore complements the bean salad without repeating it.

Leftover Mediterranean bean salad should be covered and stored in the refrigerator. If iceberg lettuce is already mixed in, it will lose its bite during storage. Therefore, for preparation and storage, it is better to keep it separate.

Prepare the Mediterranean bean salad for the next barbecue evening, a colorful buffet or your lunch break. If you try it out, please tag us below @gernekochen and tell us which types of beans ended up in your bowl.