Italian Bean Salad with Cannellini Beans & Chickpeas

This Italian Bean Salad combines cannellini beans, chickpeas, fresh cherry tomatoes, and diced red onion tossed in a tangy homemade dressing. This salad recipe is refreshing and delicious, perfect for a light lunch or a tasty side.

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Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

• Cannellini Beans: Also called white kidney beans, canned cannellini beans are tender, creamy, and mild in flavor. Canned beans are an excellent addition to any salad.
• Garbanzo Beans: Also known as chickpeas, are a staple in Mediterranean cooking. They are easy to find in the canned beans section of the grocery store. Because they are firmer than cannellini beans, they give a great textural contrast to this salad.
• Cherry Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes add a great pop of color and freshness to this salad. I always have an abundance of them because they are easy to grow at home, and I love adding them to any salad.
• Red Onion: Onions add a delicious crunch and flavor to salads. To tone down the strong flavor, add the diced red onion to the salad dressing and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients. Soaking the red onions in red wine vinegar and lemon juice reduces their intense flavor.
• Flat Leaf Parsley: Parsley is a great addition to add fresh flavor and color. 

Dressing Ingredients

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: As always, high-quality extra virgin olive oil is best for salad dressing. This Sicilian Extra Virgin Olive Oil is one of my favorites. 
• Red Wine Vinegar: I have found that red wine vinegar always works great with any beans. Alternatively, white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, or even balsamic vinegar are also great substitutes.
• Lemon Juice: Lemon juice should always be freshly squeezed for the best flavor.
• Honey: This Italian bean salad dressing has lemon juice and red wine vinegar, so it needed a sweetener to round out the flavors. Honey adds a subtle sweetness without being too strong.
• Garlic: I love adding minced garlic to my salad dressing before mixing with the other ingredients. As a result, the vinegar mellows the flavor but leaves enough in the background to add a wonderful umami flavor.
• Salt and Black Pepper: Salt and freshly cracked black pepper are always necessary to make a perfectly seasoned salad dressing. 

Substitutions

1. Beans:
   • Substitute cannellini beans with great northern beans, butter beans, or navy beans. Any white beans will work.
   • Swap chickpeas (garbanzo beans) with black beans or kidney beans for a different texture and flavor.
2. Vegetables:
   • Use sun-dried tomatoes, grape tomatoes, diced Roma, or heirloom tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes.
   • If red onion is too strong, green onions and shallots have a milder flavor.
3. Fresh Herbs:
   • Replace fresh parsley with fresh basil, cilantro, or dill.
4. Dressing:
   • If you don't have red wine vinegar, try white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or balsamic vinegar.
   • Maple syrup and agave are fantastic alternatives to honey in this lemony white bean salad for a unique sweetness.

Variations

1. Add Cheese:
   • Add crumbled feta cheese, goat cheese, or shaved Parmesan for a salty kick.
2. Extra Veggies:
   • Mix in diced bell pepper, cucumbers, or celery for added crunch and color.
   • Add cooked green beans for extra flavor and color. 
   • Toss in some pitted green or black olives for a Mediterranean twist. Castelvatrano olives are my favorite.
   • Add diced avocado for some textural contrast.
3. Leafy Greens:
   • Serve the bean salad over mixed greens, spinach, arugula, or kale for a more hardy salad.
4. Add Your Favorite Protein:
   • Add shredded chicken, diced cooked shrimp, or canned tuna to turn the salad into a complete meal.
5. Make it Spicy:
   • Turn up the heat with a pinch of red pepper flakes, hot sauce, or thinly sliced jalapeños.