Not Your Momma's Three Bean Salad

Three Bean Salad is a classic dish that has stood the test of time, delighting generations with its vibrant colors, tangy flavors, and satisfying textures. This salad brings together fresh green beans, kidney beans, and garbanzo beans, all marinated in a zesty but sweet vinaigrette. It's a perfect addition to any summer picnic, potluck, or casual dinner, offering a refreshing and nutritious option that's both easy to prepare and versatile enough to complement a variety of main courses. Not to mention, it's the perfect recipe for those fresh green beans from the garden or farmer's market.

Three bean saladPhoto bylove and lemons

Pro Tips

Using fresh herbs brings a wonderful freshness to your salad. I like to use parsley, garlic scapes, chives, and even dill on occasion.

I like to use fresh green beans for this recipe. You do have to blanch the green beans first, but the taste is unbeatable. It's simple to do and will only take a few minutes. If you do not have fresh green beans, you could use frozen, thawed, or even canned beans.

Slice your onions very fine. Otherwise, the onions may overpower your salad.

I love to add celery to the salad because of the crunch and texture it provides. You can absolutely add any type of fresh veggie that you enjoy.

I always make a double batch because the longer it sits in marinades, the better it becomes.

You can use any type of white, soft, creamy bean. Cannellini beans, navy beans, and great northern beans all work. Garbanzo beans are my favorite beans to use.

Three Bean SaladPhoto bylove and lemons

Ingredients:

• 1 15-oz (425g) can of dark red kidney beans - rinsed and drained
• 1 15-oz can of garbanzo beans (or white beans of your choice) rinsed and drained
• 2 cups fresh green beans (blanched)
• 1/2 of a medium-sized red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4-1/2 cup (20 g) finely chopped fresh parsley (or fresh herb of choice)
• 2 ribs of celery, diced
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
• 1/2-1 tsp dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. cracked red pepper (optional)

Directions:

Fill a large bowl with ice water and place it to the side.

Bring a medium-size saucepan to a boil. Add salt to your water. Add your green beans to the boiling water and blanch them for two minutes. Immediately remove the green beans from the boiling water and plunge them into the ice water bath. Allow the green beans to completely cool down, then remove them from the ice water bath. Allow them to drain and dry off on a paper towel.

Using a large bowl, add your olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, sugar, cracked red pepper, salt, and pepper, and whisk. Once you have your dressing mixed, toss in your thinly shaved red onion, drained chickpeas, kidney beans, celery, and freshly diced parsley and stir everything together. Place it in the refrigerator and allow the flavors to meld. The longer your three bean salad sits, the more intense the flavor will be.

Enjoy friends! ❤️