Quick And Easy Tuscan Bean Salad Recipe For Summer

This vibrant tuscan bean salad recipe is the perfect simple meal for nights when you don’t want to cook! Made with canned cannellini beans, kalamata olives, fresh feta, and crisp fruit and veggies, this salad will quickly become a new family favorite!

Tuscan White Bean Salad Recipe

Summer is by far my favorite season for getting creative with cooking and developing new recipes in the kitchen, but I also have a pretty strict no stove/oven policy once temps are above  85 degrees, which means that summer in our house is full of A LOT of salads. My absolute favorite is this tuscan white bean salad made with juicy garden tomatoes, fresh peaches, and local feta.

I am a firm believer in the endless potential that salads can provide when it comes to depth of flavor and satisfaction, which is why I like to challenge myself to create new and exciting salads that truly leave my friends and family going back for seconds.

This Mediterranean bean salad is no different and was inspired by the foods I grew up eating in our Sicilian household. While other folks may think of mac and cheese or mashed potatoes when they envision their childhood comfort foods – I think of salty olives, juicy fruits and white beans dripping in olive oil – and gelato, because what is summer really without gelato?!

Ingredients You Will Need To Make A Tuscan White Bean Summer Salad

The best part about this tuscan bean salad is that the ingredients are really simple and will most likely be easy to find at your local grocery store. Here is what you are going to need to get started:

• Canned White Beans: I personally love cannellini beans for their smooth and creamy texture, but really any canned white bean would work!
• Canned Kalamata Olives (Pitted): This Mediterranean bean salad wouldn’t be complete without the rich flavor of Kalamata Olives. I personally love to buy the canned varieties to avoid any plastic waste. Also remember that any olives you don’t use can be kept in the refrigerator in their brine!
• Feta Cheese: I love the salty creamy flavor that feta cheese adds to this Mediterranean bean salad, but feel free to skip it if you want to make this salad dairy free!
• Fresh Cherry Tomatoes: Nothing says summer quite like fresh tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes are my personal favorite to add to this salad for their slightly sweet and juicy flavor.
• Cucumber: Cucumber adds the perfect crunch to this tuscan bean salad
• Seasonal Summer Stone Fruit: You can really add any stone fruit to this tuscan white bean salad but a combination of fresh nectarines and plums balance the creamy white beans and salty olives/feta perfectly in my opinion.
• Fresh Basil: No Mediterranean salad is complete without a little fresh basil.
• Dressing: This tuscan bean salad speaks for itself with all the combined Mediterranean flavors so a simple dressing of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt/pepper to taste is all you really need.

How To Make Tuscan Bean Salad

Making this tuscan white bean salad is as simple as salads can get, doesn’t require any cooking, and can come together in less than 15 minutes! 

Step One:

Make sure you have one can of white cannellini beans and one can of kalamata olives on hand in the pantry. Canned cannellini beans and kalamata olives are staple ingredients in my Mediterranean-inspired pantry, as they are shelf stable (thanks to canning) and are used in so many of our favorite meals all year round.

Step Two:

Drain and rinse the canned cannellini beans in a large colander and set to the side to allow to dry.

Step Three:

Drain the canned kalamata olives from their brine, making sure to save enough brine to cover any remaining olives that you wish to save for another day. Once opened, you can store opened olives in their brine in the refrigerator for about 3-4 weeks. If your kalamata olives have not been pitted, you can choose to leave them whole or remove the pits.

Step Four:

Using a peeler, peel a large cucumber, saving the outer strips for your salad. Once you reach the inner flesh and seeds of the cucumber, slice the remaining cucumber into rounds and set to the side. This will help you reduce any unnecessary food waste and enjoy all the nutritional benefits of the cucumber, while providing different textures to your salad.

Step Five:

Slice cherry tomatoes, plums and nectarines into bite size pieces. Additionally, take a small bunch of fresh basil and loosely chop into small pieces.

Step Six:

Combine all vegetables in a large salad bowl and top with the drained canned cannellini beans, pitted kalamata olives and chopped basil. Toss well until all the fruit, veggies, beans, basil and olives have been well mixed.

Step Seven:

Add a sprinkle of feta cheese to the salad and top with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.

Step Eight:

Season with sea salt to taste and serve alone or with your favorite grilled fish or meat.

Tips For Making The Best Mediterranean White Bean Salad

While this Mediterranean White Bean Salad is virtually fool proof to make, there are a few things to keep in mind if you want it to come out perfectly every time!

1. Drain The Canned White Beans Well: We don’t want any soggy beans in this salad so always make sure to drain and rinse the canned cannellini beans well, and then allow them to dry before adding to your salad.
2. Dress The Salad Immediately Before Serving: If you are making this Mediterranean white bean salad recipe ahead of time, make sure to save the dressing for right before serving. This will help keep the salad crisp and avoid a soggy salad bottom.
3. Choose Fresh/Just Ripe Seasonal Fruit And Veggies: For the fresh fruit and veggies in this Mediterranean white bean salad recipe make sure to pick ingredients that are just ripe and not too soft.
4. Add Feta Right Before Serving: Feta will soak up the flavors in the white bean salad so it is best to sprinkle it into your salad right before serving.

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