This vegetarian bean salad recipe is the perfect summer meal! Made with white beans, vegetables and a fresh lemon dressing, it’s a healthy, high-protein and high-fibre salad.
19oz can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), strained and rinsed
1 yellow zucchini, diced
1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed and chopped
2cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, diced
1/4cup parsley, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons basil, roughly chopped
4oz goat cheese, crumbled (optional)
dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 clove garlic, grated
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 pinch salt
1 pinch black pepper
Instructions
In a small bowl or jar, combine dressing ingredients, whisk together until emulsified and set aside.
Bring a small pot of water to a boil and season with a pinch of salt.
Add chopped asparagus to the pot and cook for 1-2 minutes until bright green in colour. Once cooked, transfer the asparagus to a bowl of ice-cold water and allow to cool completely before straining and patting is dry. (This step is optional, but the process of blanching the asparagus makes it more palatable and tender.)
In a large bowl, combine the beans, yellow zucchini, asparagus, tomatoes, red onion, parsley and basil and toss to combine.
Drizzle the salad with the dressing and toss again to ensure everything is well coated.
Taste the salad, season with additional sea salt and pepper to taste or a squeeze of lemon, and top with crumbled goat cheese.
The salad can be served immediately or stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.