Cannellini Bean Salad – Crisp, Creamy, Crunchy, Tangy, Vibrant, Satisfying

Cannellini Bean Salad – Crisp, Creamy, Crunchy, Tangy, Vibrant, Satisfying

French Breakfast RadishesCannellini Bean Salad with Snap Peas, Radishes, Cucumbers, Greens & Goat Cheese Tossed in a Sherry Mustard Vinaigrette

Such a great salad. Full flavored with its tangy Sherry Mustard Vinaigrette dressing, crisp and crunchy with an abundance of garden vegetables and greens, and hearty and satisfying with marinated cannellini beans. Enjoy Cannellini Cannellini Bean Salad – Crisp, Creamy, Crunchy, Tangy, Vibrant, SatisfyingBean Salad as written during the spring and summer. Change out the vegetables to enjoy it during the fall and winter months, too.

Cannellini beans

There’s just something wonderful about cannellini beans. These smooth tasting and creamy, large Italian white kidney beans, also known as fasolia, star in today’s Cannellini Bean Salad. Their firm skin holds them together well in salads, soups and stews.

Cooked, Drained Cannellini BeansCannellini beans are popular in Greek and French cuisines. And, especially so in Tuscany and much of Italy in such well-known dishes as minestrone and pasta e fagioli. Or simply stewed with garlic and rosemary.

Like all legumes, cannellini beans are nutrient rich with high levels of protein, essential minerals, vitamins and fiber.

It can be difficult to find dried cannellini beans. For ease and convenience, I usually use canned beans. Alternatively, you could replace the cannellinis with garbanzos (chickpeas) or Great Northern beans.

For the best flavor

Make the salad dressing in the same bowl you’ll toss the Some of the G oodies that Make this Salad so Delicioussalad. For the best flavor, marinate the beans and sliced cucumber in the tangy Sherry Mustard Vinaigrette while you prepare the rest of the salad ingredients.

Then, toss together the green onions, blanched, naturally sweet sugar snap peas, crumbled creamy goat cheese, sharp radishes, slightly bitter radicchio, tender greens and fresh herbs with the creamy cannellini beans. Mmm mmm.

Cannellini Bean Salad – Crisp, Creamy, Crunchy, Tangy, Vibrant, Satisfying

Cannellini Bean Salad with Snap Peas, Radishes, Cucumber, Greens & Goat Cheese Tossed in a Sherry Mustard Vinaigrette

Try this Crisp, Creamy, Crunchy, Tangy, Vibrant main dish salad with beans you cook yourself or organic beans from a can. Vary the vegetables depending upon what’s in season, i.e., blanched broccoli florets or green beans, sliced celery, roasted red peppers, halved cherry or grape tomatoes, etc. You could also substitute garbanzos (chickpeas) or Great Northern beans for the Cannellini beans.
Inspired by and adapted from a Williams Sonoma recipe.

Serves 4-6                                                   Printer-Friendly Recipe
Active time  30-45 minutes

Ingredients

Vinaigrette

  • 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
  • 1 large clove garlic, pressed with a garlic press, grated or finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon homemade, fermented Country-Style Mustard, or prepared Dijon-style mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salad

  • Cannellini Beans and Cucumber Marinating in the Mustard Sherry Vinaigrettenaigrette1-15 ounce can (1 ½ cups) cannellini beans, well-drained and rinsed if not organic
  • 1 cup peeled, quartered lengthwise, sliced cucumber
  • 6 ounces (2 cups) sugar snap peas, stems and strings removed
  • ⅓ cup thinly sliced green onions, both white and green parts
  • A Bunch of French Breakfast Radishes½ cup thinly sliced French Breakfast, Watermelon or other radishes
  • 4 cups salad greens, cut in about ¾ by 1 ½ -inch pieces
  • 1 ½ cups radicchio, sliced ¼-inch thick
  • ½ cup crumbled fresh goat cheese
  • 2 tablespoons very thinly sliced fresh basil leaves (chiffonade)
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped Italian or curly parsley
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Cooling Blanched Sugar Snap Peas in Ice WaterPrepare the vinaigrette dressing in the bottom of a large salad bowl. Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, garlic and salt. Let stand for 5 minutes to mellow the garlic. Then whisk in the olive oil until the dressing emulsifies.
  2. Toss the beans and sliced cucumber in the vinaigrette. Let them marinate together while you prepare the rest of the salad ingredients.
  3. Some of the Goodies that Make this Salad so DeliicousBring a small pot of water with a large pinch of salt to a boil over high heat. Add the sugar snap peas. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Then, drain the snap peas and put them into ice water to both stop the cooking process and cool them rapidly. When cold, drain and dry them well.
  4. Add the snap peas, green onions and radishes to the salad bowl.
  5. Just before serving, add the salad greens, radicchio, goat cheese, basil and parsley to the salad bowl. Toss everything together, adjusting the salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

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