Three Bean Salad with Olives and Feta
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This savory and filling 3 bean salad is an excellent side dish to share at your next summer gathering! Chickpeas, cannellini beans, and kidney beans are mixed with red onion, tomatoes, bell peppers, kalamata olives, feta cheese, and fresh herbs with a delicious tangy dressing.
what is three bean salad?
There are various types of bean salads all across the world, and for good reason as bean salad is a fantastically filling side dish to accompany your meal. Three bean salad is believed to have originated in the American south, a recipe that was not documented in a cookbook until the mid 1960s. However, there are variations all around the world the salad itself has many elements of classic Mediterranean dishes!
Each three bean salad is a little different, but they usually consist of three different types of beans such as kidney beans, waxed beans, and green beans. These are then mixed with other vegetables, usually peppers and onion, and mixed in a sweet vinaigrette dressing.
gathering ingredients to make three bean salad:
To make this three bean salad, you will need to gather a few key ingredients! These ingredients can easily be found at your local grocery store and are in season in the summer months.
Beans. In this salad, I used garbanzo beans, kidney beans, and Cannellini beans. You can use canned beans or cook them yourself from dried beans.
Red Onion. Finely dice your red onion for a perfect salad texture!
Cherry Tomatoes. Use firm, ripe cherry tomatoes for this recipe.
Orange Bell Pepper. Any color bell pepper will work, but I think orange gives it a beautiful color and adds to the slight sweetness of the dressing.
Kalamata Olives. These olives give the salad the best flavor!
Feta Cheese. You will want to use crumbled feta cheese for this salad.
Parsley. Fresh parsley works best for this salad, for flavor and color.
variations & Substitutions:
While the ingredients for this recipe are easy to come by, there are variations and substitutions that can be made. Here are some common variations to this three bean salad recipe:
Beans. While I used garbanzo, kidney, and Cannellini beans you can easily swap in other types of beans! Great northern, navy, or even green beans make great substitutes.
Vinegar. If you do not want to use red wine vinegar for the dressing, you can use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar for a similar flavor.
Sugar. I used honey to sweeten this salad and add flavor. Granulated or brown sugar can be used in its place, if needed.
Onion. Instead of red onion, white onion works best or even chopped green onions are lovely in this salad!
how to make three bean salad:
Step One: Begin by making the Sweet Honey Vinaigrette. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Step Two: To a large bowl, toss together the garbanzo beans, kidney beans, Cannellini beans, red onion, tomatoes, bell pepper, kalamata olives, feta, and parsley. Season with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to your taste.
Step Three: Serve the salad immediately or place in the refrigerator, covered, and serve later. This salad will store for about 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator and tastes better as it marinates!
what to serve with three bean salad:
This sweet and healthy three bean salad tastes great served with so many summer meals! It works wonderfully as a side dish to accompany meat as the main course, and it also is a delicious main course as a salad for lunch. If you are looking for a protein-rich vegetarian main dish, this salad is an ideal choice.
Here are some recipes from my blog that pair well with my Three Bean Salad:
final thoughts:
What do you think? Will you be making this fresh and healthy salad for your next summer meal? I love this blending of flavors in this hearty bean salad! With creamy, soft beans, salty feta cheese, fresh cherry tomatoes and bell peppers, and bright parsley all mixed together in a sweet honey vinaigrette dressing it’s the perfect blend of sweet and savory.
xoxo Kayla
Three Bean Salad with Olives and Feta
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil or avocado oil
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) honey
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 15 oz (425 g) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz (425 g) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz (425 g) Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup red onion (130 g), diced finely
- 1 cup (150 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup (175 g) orange bell pepper, diced finely
- 1/2 cup (50 g) kalamata olives, halved
- 1/2 cup (80 g) feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 tbsp (6 g) parsley, minced
- Flaky sea salt, to taste
- Freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Set this aside for now.
- To a large bowl, toss together the garbanzo beans, kidney beans, Cannellini beans, red onion, tomatoes, bell pepper, kalamata olives, feta, and parsley. Season with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to your taste.
- Serve the salad immediately or place in the refrigerator, covered, and serve later. This salad will store for about 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator and tastes better as it marinates!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
325Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
