Reinvented Five Bean Salad

By Stefanie Samara Hamblen • May 24, 2010 • 1 Comments

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Author Notes: I grew up eating our family's traditional 5 Bean Salad - canned beans with bottled salad dressing. Loved the concept, but prefer as much fresh seasonal food as possible. - Stefanie Samara Hamblen - Stefanie Samara Hamblen

Food52 Review: The beauty of this salad lies in two things – simplicity, and lemon. Lemon thyme, basil, zest and juice – which sounds like a lot of lemon but, when combined with the heartiness of the two canned beans, it really works. The salad comes together in a snap (no pun intended) and is both an easy keeper and a crowd pleaser. The lemon keeps it bright and refreshing and the beans bring it down to earth. All around a great reinvention! Note: Right now you can’t swing a cat by the tail without hitting a mountain of beautiful green beans, but I checked 2 groceries and the farmers market and found nary a wax bean nor an Italian bean, so technically I tested a 3 bean salad, but I think I got the gist. - aargersi - A&M

Serves 6-8

2 cups fresh green beans, broken into 1 inch pieces
1 cup fresh wax or yellow beans, broken into 1 inch pieces
1 cup fresh Italian or Roma beans, broken into 1 inch pieces
15 ounces canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
15 ounces canned dark kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup high quality olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh herbs - combination of lemon basil and lemon thyme
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste

Lightly steam the fresh green, wax and Italian beans until just tender and then cool to room temperature - do not rinse.
Combine cooled fresh beans with canned beans, stir gently until completely mixed.
In a blender, combine oil, juice, herbs and zest. Blend until smooth.
Toss beans with 1/2 the dressing and stir gently until beans are completely coated.
Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired.
Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving. Serve remaining dressing on the side. Can be served at room temperature, so it is perfect for potlucks and picnics.