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
Test Kitchen Notes
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 —The Editors
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Ingredients
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2 cups
fresh green beans, broken into 1 inch pieces
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1 cup
fresh wax or yellow beans, broken into 1 inch pieces
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1 cup
fresh Italian or Roma beans, broken into 1 inch pieces
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15 ounces
canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
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15 ounces
canned dark kidney beans, drained and rinsed
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1/2 cup
high quality olive oil
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1/2 cup
fresh lemon juice
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1/2 cup
fresh herbs - combination of lemon basil and lemon thyme
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1 tablespoon
fresh lemon zest
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salt and pepper to taste
Directions
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Lightly steam the fresh green, wax and Italian beans until just tender and then cool to room temperature - do not rinse.
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Combine cooled fresh beans with canned beans, stir gently until completely mixed.
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In a blender, combine oil, juice, herbs and zest. Blend until smooth.
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Toss beans with 1/2 the dressing and stir gently until beans are completely coated.
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Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired.
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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.
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