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Home » All Recipes & Inspiration » Italian Bean Salad

Italian Bean Salad

Published: Aug 7, 2023 by Genevieve Morrison · This post may contain affiliate links

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A bowl of Italian 3 bean salad in a bowl beside flowers.

This easy, traditional Italian bean salad recipe includes garbanzo beans, cannellini beans, and kidney beans with a few more tasty surprises! Tomatoes, bell pepper, sweet onion, feta, kalamata olives, and fresh parsley make this beautiful summer salad even more delicious and impressive! It also takes less than 30 minutes to make!

A bowl of Italian 3 bean salad in a bowl beside flowers.
Contents hide
1 The Simple Process
2 Ingredient Notes
3 How to Make This Recipe Step by Step
4 Common Questions
5 Mediterranean Recipes to Pair with This Salad

Italian Bean Salad

This vegetable protein-packed salad is made with a simple 2-ingredient Italian dressing of red wine vinegar and olive oil. That’s it! No need to add any more herbs and spices to this Mediterranean-inspired side dish. It’s full of elegant, fresh flavors and delightful textures. 

I served this salad at my summer barbecue this year, and it was a show-stopper! It was such a bright, colorful companion to the rest of my menu. I served it with side dishes that included flavors from around the world, but it would pair perfectly with other Mediterranian-inspired recipes like Tuscan Pasta, Farro with Pesto and Zucchini, or Lamb meatballs with Tzatziki.

The recipe calls for ½ cup of feta, but if you’re a cheese-lover, feel free to double the amount! It also looks beautiful with a little sprinkled on top with fresh parsley.

Tomatoes, beans, onion and feta in a bowl in front of flowers on a table.

The Beauty of This Salad is in the Slicing!

This is an eye-popping salad, and that’s because of how each ingredient is sliced. You’ll chop nice, tiny pieces of bell pepper, pretty, thin slices of onion, and big, luscious slices of cherry tomatoes.

I even like to save a few tomatoes to strategically place on top before serving so they don’t get lost in the mix, and look extra pretty!

The Simple Process

  • First, we’ll wash the beans and set them aside.
  • Next, we’ll thinly slice onion, chop olives, dice bell pepper, chop parsley, and slice cherry tomatoes.
  • Then, we’ll mix it all together with feta and a simple dressing of red wine vinegar and olive oil.

Ingredient Notes

11 ingredients on a table with labels describing what they are.

kalamata olives – make double sure to choose pitted kalamata olives at the grocery store.

cherry tomatoes – If you can find a mix of colors, that’s highly recommended. It helps to make the salad look like a big bowl of candy! 

bell pepper – I love a yellow bell pepper for this recipe because it makes the salad so colorful, but you can use green or red as well.

chickpeas, kidney beans, and cannellini beans – These are beans traditionally used in Italian bean salads, but feel free to substitute with black beans, lima beans, butter beans, fava beans, navy beans, great northern, or cranberry beans.

red wine vinegar – You can also substitute with white balsamic vinegar. Just don’t use dark balsamic vinegar or it won’t look as pretty.

parsley – You can also substitute with fresh basil.

How to Make This Recipe Step by Step

A collage of 4 numbered images showing how to clean and prep ingredients.

1. Pour 15 oz. cans of garbanzo beans, kidney beans and cannellini beans into a strainer or colander and strain and rinse under water. Set aside.

2. Thinly slice ½ red onion. 

3. Slice ½ cup kalamata olives into halves or thirds.

4. Dice 1 yellow bell pepper into tiny pieces.

A collage of 4 numbered images showing how to prep ingredients and mix them.

5. Finely chop 2 tbsp. parsley.

6. Slice 1 cup cherry tomatoes in half.

7. Gently stir all ingredients in a mixing bowl with ½ cup feta, 2 oz. red wine vinegar and 1 oz. olive oil. Optionally set aside a little bit of chopped parsley and feta for garnish on top.

8. Pour into a serving bowl, garnish with parsley and feta. Serve cold.

Common Questions

How long will this salad last in the fridge?

Bean salad will last for up to a week in the fridge, when placed in a sealed container. You may want to give it a toss in the vinegar and olive oil before serving once it’s been sitting in the fridge for a while.

What can you serve with Italian bean salad?

Italian, Mediterranean and Tuscan-Inspired dishes pair best with this salad like:
Tuscan Pasta
Grilled lamb Skewers
Lemon Orzo
Farro with Pesto and Zucchini
Lamb meatballs with Tzatziki
Parmesan and Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
Rosemary Lamb Chops

A bowl of Italian 3 bean salad in a bowl centered, beside flowers.

For more inspiration, subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Instagram, on Pinterest, tiktok, and Facebook! And if you ever make any of my tasty drinks or treats, take a picture and tag me. I want to see!

Mediterranean Recipes to Pair with This Salad

  • Lamb skewers with rosemary tops on a rustic platter.
    Grilled Lamb Skewers
  • A bowl of pasta with spinach on a lace table cloth beside flowers
    Creamy Tuscan Pasta
  • A bowl of lemon orzo on a lace table cloth surrounded by lemon slices and flowers.
    Lemon Orzo
  • A silver bowl full of pesto farro with assorted vegetables.
    Farro with Pesto and Zucchini
A bowl of Italian 3 bean salad in a bowl centered, beside flowers.

Italian Bean Salad

This vegetable protein-packed salad is made with a simple 2-ingredient Italian dressing and makes such an elegant summer side dish!
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Gluten Free
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 10 people
Calories: 541kcal
Author: Genevieve Morrison

Equipment

  • 1 mesh strainer or colander
  • 1 cutting board and knife
  • 1 mixing bowl

Ingredients

  • 15 oz. can garbanzo beans
  • 15 oz. can cannellini beans
  • 15 oz. can kidney beans
  • ½ cup red onion – thinly sliced
  • ½ cup kalamata olives – sliced In halves and thirds
  • 1 yellow bell pepper – diced
  • 2 tbsp parsley – finely chopped
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes – sliced in half
  • ½ cup crumbled feta
  • 2 oz. red wine vinegar
  • 1 oz. olive oil

Instructions

  • Pour 15 oz. cans of garbanzo beans, kidney beans and cannellini beans into a strainer or colander and rinse under water. Set aside.
  • Thinly slice ½ red onion. Slice ½ cup kalamata olives into halves or thirds. Dice 1 yellow bell pepper into tiny pieces. Finely chop 2 tbsp. parsley. Slice 1 cup cherry tomatoes in half.
  • Gently stir all ingredients in a mixing bowl with ½ cup feta, 2 oz. red wine vinegar and 1 oz. olive oil. Optionally top with a little chopped parsley and feta for garnish. Serve cold.

Notes

This salad will last for up to a week in the fridge, when placed in a sealed container.
You may want to give it a toss in the vinegar and olive oil before serving once it’s been sitting in the fridge for a while.
See post for detailed instructions with photos of the process.
 
Nutrition information is an estimate.

Nutrition

Serving: 6ounces | Calories: 541kcal | Carbohydrates: 103g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 1610mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 32g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 222IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 442mg | Iron: 15mg
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Comments

  1. Sherry

    August 21, 2023 at 7:26 pm

    Hi, Genevieve,
    This sounds so good! I am going to use Gorgonzola instead of feta just because I love blue cheeses. Thank you for the recipe

    Reply
    • Genevieve Morrison

      August 21, 2023 at 9:37 pm

      Oh yes, that will be just as tasty! Enjoy the recipe!

      Reply
5 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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