Mediterranean Bean Salad

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Here’s a speedy Mediterranean bean salad that combines fluffy beans with crispy cucumbers, tomatoes, savory olives, red onions and aromatic oregano. All tossed in a fresh lemon garlic dressing.

This bright salad packs some of the best Mediterranean flavor boosters and makes a healthy, filling plant based meal ready in 10 minutes.

Top view of a brown salad bowl full of Mediterranean bean salad.

First of all, I used convenient canned cannellini beans since I love their size and fluffy texture, but you can totally use any kind of beans or dried beans you have in the pantry.

In this recipe the soft white beans are combined with fresh cucumber, tomatoes, onions and cupboard essentials like juicy Kalamata olives, extra virgin olive oil, and oregano.

Everything is tossed with a super flavorful dressing made with lemon, extra virgin olive oil and a touch of garlic. It’s a quick homemade dressing that tastes deliciously fresh and brings all those amazing ingredients together.

And the beans don’t dominate, but thanks to their soft texture, they absorb the flavour from the dressing making a yummy and surprisingly filling meal!

It’s so YUMMY and easy to toss together that I would eat it everyday

Serve this Mediterranean bean salad with crusty panini bread or whole grains, it’s so good and substantial enough for dinner, work lunches and picnics with friends.

List of the ingredients

  • Beans (cannellini, Great Northern beans, kidney beans…)
  • English cucumber
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Kalamata olives
  • Red onion
  • Lemon juice
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Garlic
  • Dried oregano
  • Salt & pepper
Top view of the ingredients to make this Mediterranean bean salad with tomatoes, cucumber and olives.

How to make Mediterranean bean salad

(Note: the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)

  • Halve the tomatoes, cut the cucumber, and finely slice the onions. I usually use this slicer for the onions, it’s easy to use with any vegetables and it gets the job done in no time.
Top view of a chopping board with sliced red onions, cucumber cut into quarters and cherry tomatoes.
  • Place the tomatoes, the drained beans, and the olives in a large salad bowl.
  • Make the dressing by placing all the ingredients in a glass jam jar.
Top view of a brown bowl full of Mediterranean salad and a glass jam jar full of dressing.
  • Shake the jar vigorously until the dressing looks emulsified.
  • Pour over the salad, toss to combine, and serve.
A hand holding the glass jar full of lemon garlic dressing.

Mediterranean bean salad ingredients

Beans: canned cannellini beans are my favorite for this salad, but you can use other types of beans as well, not necessarily white beans. Black beans, kidney beans or other type of white beans will work as well. And you’re more than welcome to use dried beans if you wish, you will need 1 ¼ cups (notes in the recipe card).

Onions: I prefer red onions when it comes to salads. They’re sweeter than regular onions and packed with antioxidants. Make sure the onions are fresh and firm.

Kalamata olives: their fruity flavor and meaty texture make them way better than regular black olives and bring so much flavor.

Tomatoes: I used cherry tomatoes, but grape tomatoes, or large ones chopped into small pieces are fine too. Make sure you remove the excess water from large tomatoes.

Cucumber: crunchy, fresh cucumbers are best. Remove their seeds if needed.

Oregano: for fragrant and aromatic notes.

Dressing: use fresh lemon juice and good-quality extra virgin olive oil, it’s definitely the best for flavor and nutrition. I added some pressed garlic to the dressing for a more aromatic flavor.

Salt and pepper: the recipe for the dressing calls for salt and pepper too, but once the salad is tossed, feel free to taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Top view of a plate with Mediterranean bean salad with lemon wedges and crusty bread in the background.

Salad variations

The recipe is so versatile, and if you decide to make it more substantial or if you love to amp up that beautiful Mediterranean flavor, there are many other ingredients that you can add:

  • Flavor boosters: jarred sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, red peppers, feta cheese add a ton of flavor.
  • More vegetables: avocado, grilled peppers, eggplant or zucchini make a great addition to this Mediterranean salad. They bring flavor, color, texture and nutrition.
  • Grains: to turn this salad into a full balanced meal, toss in 2 cups of cooked grains like brown rice, quinoa, barley or couscous.

Love beans?

Me too! Check out these quick salads and yummy bean recipes:

Top view of a plate full of Mediterranean bean salad with tomatoes, onions, cucumber and olives.
Recipe updated: originally posted in October 2018, I’ve tweaked the recipe adding more notes and new pictures.

More delicious salads?

If you look for more vegan salads packed with protein and ready in 10 minutes, I have a few fav recipes here:

I’m sure you’ll love this Mediterranean bean salad, and if you make it, let me know!

Leave a comment, rate it or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram. I would love to hear from you!

Top view of a large bowl full of Mediterranean bean salad with tomatoes and cucumber.
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Mediterranean Bean Salad

This bright Mediterranean bean salad packs some of the best Mediterranean flavor boosters in one delicious bite and makes a healthy, filling plant based meal ready in 10 minutes. 
Note: this recipe was originally posted in 2018. I’ve updated this page today, tweaking the recipe (it wasn't vegan before, but it is now) and adding new pictures.
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: Mediterranean bean salad
Servings: 4
Calories: 399kcal
Author: Katia

Ingredients

  • 2 cans (14oz each) white beans (cannellini, navy beans..), rinsed and drained
  • 1 ½ cup cherry tomatoes*
  • ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
  • 1-2 small red onions, finely sliced
  • ½ cucumber, cut into quarters and diced
  • 1 Tablespoon dried oregano

Dressing

  • 3 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, or more to taste
  • 1 ½ Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 small garlic clove, pressed or grated
  • ¾ teaspoon fine salt, or more to taste
  • teaspoon ground black pepper, or more to taste

Instructions

  • Halve the cherry tomatoes, finely slice the onion, rinse and drain the canned beans, dice the cucumber.
  • Tip all the ingredients into a large salad bowl, add the pitted Kalamata olives and the oregano.
  • Place the ingredients for the dressing in a glass jam jar. Shake the dressing until well combined and pour over the salad.
  • Toss gently to combine, taste and adjust as necessary until the flavors really pop. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes until the flavors mingle together and serve with crusty bread.

Notes

Tomatoes: grape tomatoes, or large ones chopped into small pieces are fine too. Make sure you remove the excess water from large tomatoes.
Canned beans: use canned beans that are not too mushy. I notice that they differ a lot from brand to brand, especially when it comes to white beans. Some are cooked to perfection and hold their shape nicely, they’re perfect for a salad. Other beans are too mushy, good for soups, but too soft for salad recipes.
Dried beans: canned beans make a shortcut here, but if you prefer dried beans use you will need 1 ¼ cups of dried beans to make 2 cans.
How to cook dried beans:
  • Soak the beans in plenty of water overnight (keep in mind they will triple in volume).
  • Drain and place the beans in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the beans are tender. 
  • The cooking time will vary from 30 minutes to 1 ½ hours depending on size and type of the beans used.
  • Start checking after 30 minutes , and if they seem to be ready, check often because small beans can go overcooked quickly.
  • Drain excess water and allow the beans to cool before using in this salad recipe.
Mediterranean bean salad storage: this salad keeps very well for 3-4 days stored in air tight container in the fridge.
Nutrition facts: the nutrition values are  for one serving and are based on an online nutrition calculator.  It’s an estimate only and it should not be considered as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. Please see my disclosure policies.
 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 399kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 718mg | Potassium: 1241mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 389IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 209mg | Iron: 8mg

4 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This salad is perfect! Fragrant, beautiful, and delicious. We loved everything about it and will definitely make it again.

    1. Hi Roberta, I’m so glad it turned out delicious!
      Thanks so much for sharing your feedback x

  2. 5 stars
    Made this for lunch today! Loved it! Will definitely make again! Had to improvise with some ingredients but it all came together for a wonderful meal! Thanks for posting!

    1. You’re so welcome, Beth! I’m glad you liked it 😊

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