Italian White Bean Salad

Easy-to-make and no cooking required, this delicious Italian White Bean Salad is a summer side go-to!! It travels well too making it the perfect salad to bring along to BBQ, parties, and warm-weather gatherings.

When the weather warms up, I turn to recipes with simple ingredients that require vert little prep and celebrate the season.

Italian white beans salad combines fresh summer ingredients, like cherry tomatoes, basil, and parsley, with budget-friendly pantry staples like beans, olive oil, and red wine vinegar.

And since it tastes even better the next day, it's the perfect make-ahead side.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked cannellini beans, rinsed and drained if canned
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar or lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Method:

In a large bowl, toss together the rinsed and drained white beans, halved cherry tomatoes. and thinly sliced red onion. This forms the base of your salad, bright and colourful.

Next, sprinkle the freshly sliced basil leaves into the bowl. This add a lovely aroma and taste that will elevate the dish.

In a small bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar (or lemon juice), minced garlic, dried oregano, salt and freshly ground black pepper until everything is nicely blended.

Pour the dressing over the bean and vegetable mixture. This is where the magic happens! gently toss everything together to ensure all the ingredients are coated evenly without mashing the beans.

Give the salad a taste, and if needed, adjust the seasoning with more salt, pepper or vinegar/lemon juice to your liking.

Let the salad sit for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. This will allow the flavours to meld beautifully.

Your Italian White Bean Salad is ready to serve! Enjoy it chilled or at room temperature as a delightful side dish.