After the holidays, I find myself on the prowl for something less rich to eat. I just know that I’ve eaten a lot of X, so now, I’m in the mood for Y. And that’s where this wintry vegan recipe for three bean salad with green beans, chickpeas, cannellini beans, fennel seed, thyme, citrus juice, olive oil and more. It’s light, but it’s also flavorful and satisfying. It makes a nice side dish, packed lunch or even a meal with some bread on the side.
This recipe makes ~4-6 servings.
A few things…
- ・Lemon juice is delightful in the dressing, but you can also swap it out for grapefruit juice.
- ・I selected cannellini beans, because they are firm and therefore, hold up well to stirring. They also have a fairly mild flavor. You could also replace them with red kidney beans. And if you stir them in really gently, great northern white beans may also work as a great substitute.
- ・If you taste it, and it needs something, it’s probably salt.
- ・As a variation, stir in some cooked and cooled vegan tortellini, like Kite Hill Tortellini with Almond Milk Alternative Ricotta. It makes a very nice cold vegan three bean pasta salad.
Please enjoy 💚 And if this recipe resonates with you, make sure to check out other UVK recipes, like Herbed Black-Eyed Pea and Cannellini Bean Salad with Garlic Toast, Kale and Cannellini Bean Soup, Cannellini Bean Salad with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette, Gnocchi with Cannellini Beans, Spinach and Tomatoes, Spinach Cannellini Bean Orzo, Vegan Slow Cooker Stewed Green Beans and Tomatoes and more.
Wintry Three Bean Salad
2 cups bite-size fresh green beans
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup finely chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp dried thyme
3 Tbsp lemon juice (or grapefruit juice)
½ tsp salt
15.5 ounce can of no salt chickpeas, drained and rinsed (OR ~1½ cups cooked chickpeas)
15.5 ounce can of no salt cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (OR ~1½ cups cooked cannellini beans)
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1. First, we’ll steam the green beans for the chickpea cannellini bean salad. Fill a large pot with 1-2 inches of water. Lower in a steamer basket and cover the pot with a lid. Bring it to a boil. Then, add the green beans in a single layer. Steam for 5-6 minutes or until fully cooked through. Immediately rinse thoroughly with cold water and set aside.
2. Next, in a small skillet, add the olive oil and shallot over high heat. When the shallot starts to sizzle, stir it around for 30 seconds. Don’t allow it to brown or burn. Stir in the garlic and fennel seed, and cook another 10 seconds. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool.
3. When the oil is cool, add it to a large salad bowl with the thyme, lemon juice (or grapefruit juice), and salt. Whisk together.
4. Add the green beans, chickpeas and cannellini beans to the salad bowl. Stir together, top with parsley, and then, taste. Adjust seasoning, if needed (more salt? More citrus?). Serve.