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My irresistibly refreshing Mediterranean Bean Salad is perfect for a backyard BBQ or picnic! Serve this bean salad recipe with grilled chicken, fish, or shrimp, or enjoy it as a quick go-to lunch. Ready in just 20 minutes, this is an easy summer salad I guarantee you will love!
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Best Bean Salad Recipe
There is nothing I love more during the summer than meals using fresh produce and simple ingredients. My colorful Mediterranean bean salad recipe fits the bill perfectly! It's mouth-watering, easy to make, and a great cold bean salad for pairing with summer BBQs.
This easy bean salad is always a crowd pleaser, and pairs deliciously with your picnic and BBQ favorites. My family loves it during the summer, of course, but you can make it any time of year, and it will be delicious!
Whether you're serving this simple bean salad recipe as a side dish for your main course or enjoying it as an appetizer with some chips for dipping, I know you're going to love it just as much as my family and I do. Enjoy!
Mediterranean Bean Salad FAQs
Bean salad makes a great pairing choice for any protein from chicken, beef, and pork to seafood or vegetarian options. I recommend serving it with a summer BBQ menu, or enjoying it as part of a picnic spread!
I recommend eating Mediterranean bean salad the day it is prepared; however, it lasts in the fridge for 3-5 days when stored in an airtight container.
Mediterranean Bean Salad Ingredients
- Pinto beans
- Green beans
- Cherry tomatoes
- Mint
- Parsley
- Basil
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
How to Make Mediterranean Bean Salad
- Begin by boiling a pot of water. Once boiling, add in green beans and wait for at least 4 minutes or until they soften (see recipe tips for info on crunchier beans).
- Drain the water from canned beans and add the beans to a salad bowl.
- Prepare the vinaigrette by mixing lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Using a sharp knife, start chopping the parsley, including the section of the stems that are attached to the leaves. Discard the bottom, leafless section of the stems. Cut the cherry tomatoes into wedges.
- Take a bowl and mix the beans, parsley and the vinaigrette. Toss until well combined.
- Next add the green beans, fresh cherry tomatoes sliced into wedges, basil, and mint leaves and mix until all the ingredients are combined.
- Refrigerate for 15 minutes or eat straight away. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- If you like green beans to be crunchier, once you remove them from the boiling water, immediately add them into a bowl with ice water for at least 10 minutes.
- Be sure to give your bean salad a quick toss if it's been sitting out before serving, the dressing tends to settle at the bottom of the dish.
- Be gentle when mixing the salad together, I recommend using a silicone spatula to fold the salad together so there are no squished vegetables and beans.
- If using canned beans, I recommend rinsing your beans extra well. This will help lower their salt content by about 40% and eliminate any unpleasant canned taste.
- Add additional veggies to this dish like carrots, celery, artichokes, zucchini, or radish.
- Swap the pinto beans for red kidney beans, black beans, or chickpeas.
How to Cook Dry Beans for Bean Salad
If you want to use dry beans rather than canned, I recommend preparing them in a pressure cooker.
- To cook dry beans, wash and clean the beans.
- Add them to the pressure cooker, then add water and salt to taste. For 1 pound of beans you will need 8 cups of water.
- Cook them for at least 20-40 minutes on high pressure (time will vary depending on bean variety). Ex. pinto beans take 25 minutes to cook on high pressure.
- Once cooked, drain them and set them aside.
What to Serve with Bean Salad
- Beef Roulade with Harissa Sauce
- Beef Kofta Kebabs
- Instant Pot Corn on the Cob
- Try pairing the kebabs with White Garlic Sauce
Try serving my Mediterranean Bean Salad recipe with Turmeric Cauliflower Rice!
Easy Salad Side Dishes
Try even more of my easy salad side dishes below:
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Rocket Salad with Pear
- German Potato Salad
- Black-Eyed Pea Salad
- Cauliflower Rice Salad
- Broccoli Apple Salad
- Arugula Burrata Salad
- Instant Pot Potato Salad
Did you try this recipe? Let us know in the comments below, and leave a rating! We love to hear from you.
Mediterranean Bean Salad
Equipment
- 1 Pot
- 1 Salad bowl
Ingredients
- ½ cup pinto beans
- 2 cups green beans
- 2 cup cherry tomatoes
- mint as you'd like
- 1 bunch parsley
- basil as you'd like
- lemon juice from ½ lemon - approximately 1 to 1.5 Tablespoons lemon juice (adjust to your taste)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Begin by boiling a pot of water. Once boiling, add in 2 cups green beans and wait for at least 4 minutes or until they soften.2 cups green beans
- If using canned beans, drain the water and add them to a salad bowl.2 cups green beans
- Prepare the vinaigrette by mixing lemon juice from ½ a lemon, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Using a sharp knife, start chopping the bunch of parsley, including the section of the stems that are attached to the leaves. Discard the bottom, leafless section of the stems. Cut cherry tomatoes into wedges.lemon juice, 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper, 2 cup cherry tomatoes
- Take a bowl and mix ½ cup pinto beans, parsley and the vinaigrette; toss until well combined.½ cup pinto beans, 1 bunch parsley
- Then add the green beans, 2 cups fresh cherry tomatoes sliced into wedges, basil, and mint leaves and mix until all the ingredients are combined. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or eat straight away. Enjoy!2 cups green beans, 2 cup cherry tomatoes, basil, mint
Notes
- If you like green beans to be crunchier, once you remove them from the boiling water, immediately add them into a bowl with ice water for at least 10 minutes.
- Be sure to give your bean salad a quick toss if it's been sitting out before serving, the dressing tends to settle at the bottom of the dish.
- Be gentle when mixing the salad together, I recommend using a silicone spatula to fold the salad together so there are no squished vegetables and beans.
- If using canned beans, I recommend rinsing your beans extra well. This will help lower their salt content by about 40% and eliminate any unpleasant canned taste.
- Add additional veggies to this dish like carrots, celery, artichokes, zucchini, or radish.
- Swap the pinto beans for red kidney beans, black beans, or chickpeas.
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