Delicious Chilled Bean Salad Recipe

Spanish recipes are known for showcasing fresh local ingredients that can elevate any dish, with a diversity of flavors, colors, and textures that display the region’s culinary traditions.

The chilled bean salad is one of the best examples of that, as it combines fresh vegetables, beans, and the traditional Spanish salad dressing all in one dish.

Making it is super simple and it will be ready in no time. If you want to learn more about it, just keep reading this article, where you will find step-by-step instructions and tips to make the perfect chilled bean salad.

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Pssst…!!?? You can’t get enough of Spanish salad recipes? Have a look at my other posts: 

• Spanish potato salad with tuna

• Ensalada de aguacate

• Spanish mixed green salad

Background of the Dish

There isn’t an exact date for the creation of the chilled bean salad, but it is known that its place of origin was Southern Spain, as it is made with popular regional ingredients.

Beans, onion, bell peppers, and garlic cloves come together with the help of a delicious Spanish salad dressing, providing one of the best main or side dishes to enjoy during a hot summer day.

With time, all sorts of innovative salad recipes were created in Andalusia, such as the sweet ensalada de melon and the light ensalada de brocoli, but the chilled bean salad remains a classic favorite.

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Things You’ll Need for Chilled Bean Salad

The ingredients that you will need to prepare this recipe for bean salad cold are canned beans, onion, red and green bell peppers, garlic clove, olive oil, and red wine vinegar.

Ingredients

• 1 can (425gr) cooked black beans
• 1 can (425gr) cooked white beans
• 3 ripe tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 cup (15gr) chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

How to Make Chilled Bean Salad – Step by Step Guide

1. For the first step in this cold bean salad recipe, you have to prepare the vegetables. For that, peel and chop the onion into thin slices. Wash and dice the tomatoes and bell peppers, discarding the seeds. Peel and mince the garlic cloves, and also chop the fresh parsley.

2. After that, drain and rinse the canned beans under cold water. Drain again and set them aside.

3. Now is the time to make the dressing for the cold bean salad. For that, mix olive oil and red wine vinegar in a small bowl. Set it aside.

4. Then, grab a large bowl and combine the prepared vegetables with the beans. Stir the ingredients of your Spanish white bean salad and season with salt and pepper.

5. To continue with this Spanish salad recipe, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or transfer it to a covered container. Refrigerate the cold cannellini bean salad for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld together.

6. For the final step, remove the chilled bean salad from the fridge and add the dressing, then mix until everything gets coated. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, then serve cold and enjoy.

Substitution of Ingredients

If you want to prepare this delicious chilled bean salad but don’t have all the ingredients at home, you can easily make some substitutions.

Like most cold bean salads recipes, you can turn this into a mixed bean salad using your favorite blend, or stick to one type like white beans, red beans, black beans, etc.

Besides that, to make this a heartier dish, you can take inspiration from the ensalada de pollo and add grilled chicken or some other type of protein like beef, seafood, or hard-boiled eggs.

The chilled bean salad uses the same dressing as the one for the traditional Spanish salad, but you can switch it to a lemon vinaigrette, a creamy dressing, or a balsamic dressing for a different flavor profile.

Tips on Serving Chilled Bean Salad

Most cold bean salads can be served as a main dish or a side one, depending on the size of the portion and the other dishes being served to complete the meal.

For example, it can work as a Spanish side salad if you serve it with a light main dish like grilled mackerel, prawns, or flamenquines.

To serve this chilled bean salad as a main dish, we recommend that you include some sort of protein to balance the components of the salad, such as chicken, beef, or marinated tofu.

Lastly, you can prepare different Spanish salad recipes and have a fully Andalusian salad bar for your next family gathering, including some timeless classics like the Spanish potato salad with olives or the Catalan bean salad.

How to Store Chilled Bean Salad

The chilled bean salad stands out as one of the freshest dishes that you can find among Spanish salads, so we encourage you to serve it the same day as you make it.

If that is not possible or you have some leftovers, then you can place the Spanish salad -before adding the dressing- in a covered container (with a lid or plastic wrap), and store it in your fridge for up to 2 days.

When ready to serve, taste the chilled bean salad, adjust the seasoning if needed, and add the dressing to cover all of the ingredients (if the flavor or texture seems off, then it is better to avoid consuming it).

Apart from cold bean salad recipes, there are dozens of Andalusian ones that you can make and store for later, for example, you have the classic Spanish bean tomato soup, the hearty Spanish bean soup, and the wonderful Spanish white bean soup.

Recipe Card: Chilled Bean Salad

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