Zesty Three Bean Salad is one delicious, eye-catching dish! Toss this side together the day before to make the potluck staple everyone loves!
Colorful and bursting with flavor, Zesty Three Bean Salad is a great dish to bring to every potluck and cookout! A hearty trio of your favorite beans marinated in a delicious vinaigrette is the perfect make-ahead dish that takes only minutes to make and is a must-have at every BBQ!
Zesty and Delicious
Zesty Three Bean Salad was not a dish I really gravitated towards until I was older- there were too many other dishes, like sweets, on the potluck table to choose from! I now not only appreciate but love the delicate flavors of the different beans and the tangy boldness of the vinaigrette, which makes such a flavorful and filling dish that goes perfectly with everything else at the cookout. Three-bean salad is a light dish that is great for those hot summer meals and also hearty enough for gatherings in the colder months so it really is the perfect side dish!
Make traveling with your salad even easier with Easy Three Bean Salad in a Jar, or treat the fam to another amazing dish like Garbanzo Bean Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing!
Other Recipes to Serve with Zesty Three Bean Salad
- There’s no shortage of great dishes that are perfect with a side of bean salad but let’s just say that Sirloin Shish Kabobs just might be the best…
- Stir up a pitcher of bright, citrusy Sparkling Paloma Punch to share with everyone at the BBQ!
Ingredients
Beans: For the star of this dish, you can choose any three kinds of your favorite beans. Choose a colorful mix, like kidney beans, green beans, and wax beans, or stick with beans you know everyone likes. Canned beans are fine to use for this recipe or a mix of canned beans and fresh, blanched green beans can be used.
Produce: You will also need an onion and a little garlic for this dish. You can use a white onion or, if your beans need a pop of color, pick up a red onion to mince.
Wet Ingredients: To make the vinaigrette you will need Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil.
Seasoning: Salt and pepper will also be needed in this recipe.
How to Make Zesty Three Bean Salad
STEP ONE: Blanche the green beans in boiling water for 2 minutes. Then immediately transfer them to an ice bath. Dry the green beans and place them in a large mixing bowl. Drain and rinse the canned beans and add them to the bowl.
STEP TWO: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, minced onion, garlic, salt, and pepper.
STEP THREE: Pour the vinaigrette over the beans and toss to coat.
STEP FOUR: Refrigerate the bean salad for at least 4 hours (up to 24 hours).
STEP FIVE: Before serving, allow the salad to sit out for 20-30 minutes to come to room temperature. Give the salad one more toss to recoat the beans and enjoy!
Tips for Success
- Choose different shapes, textures, and colors of beans to make this dish look amazing and to bring variety to this salad.
- Zesty Three Bean Salad is perfect for making ahead and the flavors get even better the longer it sits! If you need the salad finished more quickly, try adding the vinegar, dijon mustard, olive oil, and about 2 tablespoons of water to a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, pour the vinaigrette over the beans and let it marinate for an hour. This could soften the beans a bit so making this dish ahead of time is still recommended.
- Store three bean salad covered in the fridge for up to five days.
What kinds of beans can I use in this salad?
Any bean found in the canned food aisle can be used in this salad! There are so many delicious choices, from kidney beans to garbanzo beans, to wax beans. Try a medley of green beans, black-eyed peas, and Canelli beans.
Speaking of green beans, if you’d like a crisper texture try blanching fresh green beans instead of using canned (like we did here). Put the beans in boiling water for two minutes and then move them to an ice bath. The ice bath stops the beans from cooking anymore and once cooled, they are ready to be dried and added to your salad.
Pinto and black beans are options for this salad as well, as are Great Northern beans. There really are a ton of combinations you can make with a variety of beans!
Can I use different vinegars to make the vinaigrette?
Just like with beans, using different types of vinegar can change the flavor of the vinaigrette. There are just as many kinds of vinegars as there are beans too! Apple cider is a great vinegar to use because we usually have it on hand and it provides a great flavor.
For this bean salad, a white wine or red wine vinegar would be delicious, or even a Champagne or Rose vinegar. A balsamic vinegar, on the other hand, would give the vinaigrette more of a savory flavor. Lastly, try a combination of vinegar, such as apple cider and white wine vinegar for even more flavor.
Beans Make the Perfect Side for Every Meal!
- Cowboy Caviar
- Italian Ceci Bean Salad
- Quick and Easy Black Bean Salad
- Aunt Patti’s BBQ Baked Beans
- Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens
*This post originally posted on 05/28/2017.
Equipment
- Spider Strainer or Tongs
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh green beans cut into 1-inch pieces (see note)
- 8 ounces canned yellow wax beans drained and rinsed
- 8 ounces canned red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white onion minced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Blanche the green beans for 2 minutes. Use tongs or a spider strainer to transfer them directly into an ice bath. Then dry the beans with paper towels.
- After rinsing the canned beans, place all of the beans into a large mixing bowl.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- Pour the dressing over the beans and toss to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours.
- Allow the bean salad to sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes to come up to room temperature before eating. Toss the beans in the dressing one more time just before serving.
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