This Marinated Sun-Dried Tomato Bean Salad is rich in umami flavor and packed with filling fiber. An easy to make ahead option for quick and healthy meals.
Why You’ll Love This Marinated Sun-dried Tomato Bean Salad
- Easy to customize. This salad is a blueprint with flavors that you can easily play around with. Feel free to use any of the tips below to make this salad taste the way you want it to.
- High fiber. We should all be striving to slowly increase the amount of fiber we’re consuming, especially since only 5% of the US population meets the daily fiber recommendation. Adding more beans is one way to help increase the average amount of fiber we need in a day.
- Great to make in advance. Comes together quickly and can be stored in the fridge to then be used to build fast meals around.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Beans: I used a combination of cannellini beans and chickpeas. You can of course, change up the beans. Feel free to use just cannellini beans, just chickpeas, or even a mix of cannellini beans and red kidney beans. Use the combo that works best for your palate.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: This is the namesake of the recipe, so I highly recommend using them as written. I used the variety packed and jarred in oil. Mine were already julienned for convenience, but feel free to slice them yourself. If not a fan of sun-dried tomatoes, you can swap for good-quality olives, marinated artichoke hearts, or jarred roasted bell peppers.
- Onions: I used shallots specifically, but red onions or white onions can work really well here too.
- Scallions: You can swap for some minced chives instead.
- Capers: These add more complex flavors to this salad. They are similar to olives, so feel free to use a few olives in place of capers if you prefer. If you’re not a fan of capers, feel free to leave them out entirely.
- Herbs: I used fresh parsley, but fresh chives or dill can be used instead.
- Mustard: I used Dijon mustard specifically, but whole grain mustard works well too.
- Oil: Use good-quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor. If being mindful of oil content, feel free to swap with an equal amount of unsweetened plant-based yogurt.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon is needed, as you’ll need both the zest and juice.
- Avocado: This adds another layer of creaminess. You can replace it with 1–2 tbsp of extra mayo or leave it out entirely if you’re not a fan.
How to Make a Marinated Sun-dried Tomato Bean Salad
Fill a small bowl with ice cold water. Add the shallots to the bowl to soak while you prep the remainder of your ingredients. After 10 minutes, drain, rinse, pat dry and set aside.
Mince half the parsley and add it to a large mixing bowl along with the mayonnaise, oil, mustard, vinegar, caper brine, agave, oregano, red pepper, zest and juice of 1 lemon and a pinch of salt. Whisk to combine, taste and adjust salt to your preference.
Add the chickpeas, cannellini beans, sun-dried tomatoes, scallions, capers, shallots, avocado, a generous pinch of salt and fresh cracked black pepper to the bowl of dressing. Stir well to combine, making sure everything is evenly dressed.
Cover and chill your bean salad for at least 30 minutes before serving. To enjoy, toast up your favorite bread in a pan with a little oil then cut a clove of garlic in half and rub the cut end over the toast. Spoon a portion of the salad then use the bread to scoop it up and enjoy.
Expert Tips
- Ways to save time. Get sun-dried tomatoes that are already julienned in a jar. You can also prep your salad in the same bowl by mixing your dressing first, then adding the other salad components before mixing everything together. Alternatively, prep the salad in the container you plan to store it in to save on extra dishes.
- Reduce the sharpness of your shallot. Soak the sliced shallots in ice cold water for 5 minutes to remove their astringency. Drain, rinse, and pat dry before adding them to the salad.
- Adjust the flavors to your liking. Taste the salad after it’s mixed so you can adjust the flavors to suit your preference. I like to take a spoonful of the salad and use it as a canvas to adjust the flavors without messing with the whole dish. If I think I need more salt, I’ll add a pinch to the spoon and taste. The same goes for additional acid, sweetener, etc. Once you find what you are looking for, add more of that ingredient to your bowl as needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! I would just prep it without adding the cubed avocado. Avocado oxidizes over time, so feel free to add it when you’re ready to enjoy the salad. Without the avocado, this bean salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you do mix in the avocado, store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
The bean salad itself is naturally gluten-free. The bread used to serve with it is completely optional. Feel free to serve with gluten-free crackers, corn tortillas, cooked rice, or stuffed in a gluten-free wraps.
Make It Balanced
Beans are a great source of protein, fiber and iron. To make this dish into a complete meal, consider serving the bean salad with some whole grain bread, crackers, or over your favorite grain for a balance of energy and fiber.
If you’d like to add more to this bean salad consider adding any of the following:
- Roasted Red Bell Pepper
- Cherry tomatoes
- Artichoke hearts
- Massaged Kale (thinly sliced kale rubbed with a little extra virgin olive oil, salt and a little lemon juice until it has softened significantly)
- Arugula
More Easy to Prep Meals
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Description
This Marinated Sun-Dried Tomato Bean Salad is rich in umami flavor and packed with filling fiber. An easy to make ahead option for quick and healthy meals.
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp of the brine from the jar of capers
- 1 tsp agave syrup
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1, 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1, 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes jarred in oil, julienned
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp capers, minced
- 1 avocado, cubed
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
For serving: Toasted sourdough or whole wheat bread rubbed with fresh garlic
- Fill a small bowl with ice cold water. Add the shallots to the bowl to soak while you prep the remainder of your ingredients. After 10 minutes, drain, rinse, pat dry and set aside.
- Mince half the parsley and add it to a large mixing bowl along with the mayonnaise, oil, mustard, vinegar, caper brine, agave, oregano, red pepper, zest and juice of 1 lemon and a pinch of salt. Whisk to combine, taste and adjust salt to your preference.
- Add the chickpeas, cannellini beans, sun-dried tomatoes, scallions, capers, shallots, avocado, a generous pinch of salt and fresh cracked black pepper to the bowl of dressing. Stir well to combine, making sure everything is evenly dressed.
- Cover and chill your bean salad for at least 30 minutes before serving. To enjoy, toast up your favorite bread in a pan with a little oil then cut a clove of garlic in half and rub the cut end over the toast. Spoon a portion of the salad then use the bread to scoop it up and enjoy.
Notes
Ways to save time. Get sun-dried tomatoes that are already julienned in a jar. You can also prep your salad in the same bowl by mixing your dressing first, then adding the other salad components before mixing everything together. Alternatively, prep the salad in the container you plan to store it in to save on extra dishes.
Reduce the sharpness of your shallot. Soak the sliced shallots in ice cold water for 5 minutes to remove their astringency. Drain, rinse, and pat dry before adding them to the salad.
Adjust the flavors to your liking. Taste the salad after it’s mixed so you can adjust the flavors to suit your preference. I like to take a spoonful of the salad and use it as a canvas to adjust the flavors without messing with the whole dish. If I think I need more salt, I’ll add a pinch to the spoon and taste. The same goes for additional acid, sweetener, etc. Once you find what you are looking for, add more of that ingredient to your bowl as needed.
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