Four Bean Salad is a perfect side dish for those hot summer grilling nights! This zesty bean salad is a great summer side dish or potluck favorite, a colorful mix of canned beans tossed with a sweet-tangy dressing!
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This homemade dressing is so easy and adjustable, if you want it a little less tangy just add more sugar. I used canned green beans but you could use fresh if you want. Make this over the weekend and enjoy it all week long! It's a great dish that only gets better the longer it sits.
Why this recipe works
This classic bean salad is a refreshing and easy side dish, that can be made ahead of time. Perfect for any barbecue or potluck like my Grilled Shrimp Cobb Salad. It makes a great side dish to almost any meal like my Grilled Teriyaki Steak, or my Grilled Soy Sauce Chicken.
Ingredients needed for this recipe
Ingredients Notes
- Sugar- You can add more or less according to your taste.
- Apple cider vinegar-White vinegar can be used in a pinch.
- Green Beans-Canned or fresh works here.
- Yellow Wax Beans-If you can't find these just use another can of green beans.
- Kidney beans-Both dark red kidney beans and light red are fine.
- Garbanzo beans-Also is known as chickpeas and a great addition to this salad.
- Red Onions- Or white onions if you prefer.
- Pimentos- Or a finely diced red bell pepper.
How to make this Four Bean Salad
- Step 1-In a small bowl mix all the dressing ingredients together until combined.
- Step 2-Add the drained beans and other ingredients to a large salad bowl.
- Step 3-Toss the bean mixture with the zesty dressing.
- Step 4-Chill and serve!
Recipe tips
- This salad is even better the next day when all the flavors have melded together.
- Top with some fresh dill or fresh basil instead of fresh parsley.
I prefer canned beans for this salad. But you can use fresh you will just have to blanch them first to soften them up. Just lightly boil them in water until desired tenderness. Then add them to ice water to stop the cooking process.
You can really use just about any beans, so feel free to swap out for cannellini beans, lima beans, pinto beans, or even black beans.
Yes, kidney beans and garbanzo beans are packed in a thick liquid that I always advise to rise off. Just place in a colander and rinse with cold water.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
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Marinated Four Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1- 14.5 oz can red kidney beans
- 1- 14.5 oz can garbanzo beans
- 1- 15 oz can green beans
- 1- 15 oz can wax beans
- 1/2 red onion sliced
- 1- 2 oz jar diced pimentos
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk together sugar, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper and set aside.
- Drain and rinse all the canned beans and pimentos and place them in a large bowl. Add onion, parsley, and dressing and mix until combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
Great additions!:)
This is a great recipe for cold four bean salad, And I ramped it up a bit by adding FRESH parsley, basil, oregano, and thyme from my garden, and whisked the fresh herbs in my small food processor with the other dressing ingredients, to which I also added about three tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. The fresh herbs and the lemon juice made everything taste so fresh and summer like. I also have a couple of years of sweet corn that I have blanched and I plan on cutting it off the cob and adding it to the salad as well.