What are the best beans to use?

You can really use any white beans in this recipe! I'm using butter beans (lima beans), but you could use cannellini beans or garbanzos (chickpeas). You could even use Kidney beans. I love to use jarred beans ( Bold Bean Co is my favourite in the UK) because I find they have the best creamy texture, but you can also use tinned beans.

Can I make the salad ahead of time?

Yes! Once made, the salad keeps really well in the fridge (up to 5 days). You can also make the separate elements (the basil tahini and the salad itself) ahead of time, and then just assemble when you're ready to serve. If you do that, leave the fresh basil out until the last minute so it doesn't wilt in the fridge.

What else could I add to the salad?

This is a wonderful base recipe that you can make your own. Add more vegetables - red pepper, cucumber, red onion or celery would be great - or you could add another protein source like grilled chicken or tofu. Play with the cheese too - pan-fried halloumi or grated parmesan would be lovely in place of the feta.

10 Minute Mediterranean White Bean Salad

Name: Mediterranean White Bean Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Cuisine: mediterranean
Ingredients: 1/4 cup basil pesto; 1/2 cup tahini; 1 jar of white beans (drained weight 500g/17oz – or use 2 x 400g/14oz tins); 250g/8oz cherry tomatoes; 3 scallions (spring onions); 2 tablespoons basil pesto; A handful of fresh basil leaves; 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (or use almonds, cashews, pistachios or sunflower seeds); 1 lemon, juiced and zested; 100g/3.5oz feta; 1 teaspoon salt

Description

10 minutes, no cooking and one super flavour-packed white bean salad loaded with crowd-pleasing Mediterranean flavours. Just chop a few veggies, toss them through white beans and pile everything on top of a quick, ultra-creamy basil tahini sauce. Perfect for meal prep, barbecues or a light weeknight meal.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the basil tahini sauce –

1/4 cup basil pesto
1/2 cup tahini

For the salad –

1 jar of white beans (drained weight 500g/17oz – or use 2 x 400g/14oz tins)
250g/8oz cherry tomatoes
3 scallions (spring onions)
2 tablespoons basil pesto
A handful of fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (or use almonds, cashews, pistachios or sunflower seeds)
1 lemon, juiced and zested
100g/3.5oz feta
1 teaspoon salt

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Instructions

Make the basil tahini sauce. Place 1/4 cup of pesto and 1/2 cup of tahini in a small food processor, blender or food chopper and blitz into a thick paste. Add 2 tablespoons of water, then blitz again until smooth and creamy. You can also do this by hand – just use a fork to mix everything together.
Prepare the salad. Drain your white beans, then rinse them in a colander, shaking them around to get rid of any excess water. Add the drained beans to a large mixing bowl. Chop your cherry tomatoes into quarters, then finely slice your scallions and add them to the bowl, along with 2 tablespoons of pesto, half the pine nuts, half the fresh basil leaves, half the lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of salt. Toss well to combine.
Assemble the salad. Smooth the basil tahini sauce onto the base of a serving plate, then top with the bean salad. Dollop over the feta, then finish by scattering the remaining lemon zest, fresh basil leaves and pine nuts on top.

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES: I’m using butter beans here, but you can use any white bean you like. Cannellini beans or garbanzos (chickpeas) would also be great. You could also use Kidney beans if that’s all you can find. I like to use jarred beans if possible (the flavour and texture is so much nicer), but they tend to be more expensive, so tinned are also fine. If you are using tinned beans, you may need to add a little more salt to the salad (they tend to not be quite as flavourful as the jarred kind). Try to use a fresh lemon, rather than bottled juice if you can.

SUBSTITUTIONS: You can really play around here – add more veggies if you like – something crunchy like diced cucumber, red pepper or red onion would be great. Swap the feta for grated parmesan or pan-fried halloumi (or leave it out for a vegan version).

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The salad will keep really well – at least 5 days – stored in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also prepare the elements in advance and then assemble the salad when you’re ready to serve. If you do that, add the fresh basil at the last minute, so it doesn’t wilt and so soggy in the fridge.

Prep Time: 10
Category: salads
Method: no cook
Cuisine: mediterranean

Keywords: white bean salad, butter bean salad