This bean salad with sweet red pointed pepper, carrot and fresh herbs really is quite simple, but it is so tasty. I like to eat it as a filling lunch (that can be prepped a couple of days ahead!) and I think it’s nice to bring to picnics or the beach as a little side dish or snack. Speaking of snacks, I also like to use the leftovers — if there are any — as a topping for nachos together with a handful of cheese, some salsa and some pickled jalapeños for a vegetarian ‘loaded nachos’ type of deal.
When using dried beans, as I do, the soaking and boiling does need a bit of patience and (hands-off) waiting and cooking time, but I always feel like the texture and flavour of dried beans are a lot nicer for salads than most canned varieties. Having said that, this recipe does work for canned beans and chickpeas as well, of course. In that case, it can really be whipped up in minutes for a quick lunch.
Bean Salad
- V
- VG
- GF
- DF
Nutrition per portion
Ingredients
- 250g dried small or medium sized beans
- 1 carrot (about 120g)
- 1 sweet pointed red pepper (about 100g)
- 1 spring onion
- small bunch of fresh dill
- small bunch of fresh parsley
- -
- For the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or other good quality olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt to taste
Method
- Soak the dried beans in cold water overnight.
- After soaking the beans, transfer them to a pot with fresh water and bring to a simmer. Simmer on low heat for 45 minutes (at least), or until the beans are tender. Cooking time can take anywhere between 45 minutes up to 1.5 hours for small beans and between an hour to 2 hours for medium-sized beans. The time they need depends largely on the type, size and age of the beans you are using, so I’d recommend you start checking around 45 minutes and continue cooking until the beans are tender but not mushy.
- In the meantime, dice the red pepper and grate the carrot. Finely chop the green onion, dill and parsley. Add chopped vegetables and herbs to a bowl.
- Make dressing by mixing olive oil, white wine vinegar, mustard and some salt. Set aside.
- When the beans are done cooking, drain and allow to cool (rinse them under cold water to speed up the cooling time if you need to). Once the beans are cool, mix with the chopped vegetables, herbs and dressing. Adjust seasoning according to taste.
