Whenever I post about shopping at the farmer’s markets, both in Umbria and in Rome, the focus is usually on fresh produce. I shop for seasonal fruits and vegetables on Saturdays, and the bounty sees us through the week. But what about those times when I can’t get to the market? Luckily there are a lot of farmers who also sell things that I can place in my cupboard. Beans are number one on that list. And are perfect for making this quick and easy bean salad.
While I am a big believer in buying and using dried beans (I LOVE my Instant Pot) I also realize that not everyone has the foresight and/or time to soak and cook beans. And I am immensely grateful that one of the stands at my Umbrian farmers market sells the BEST canned chickpeas and beans.
While Sophie uses the chickpeas to make hummus at least once a week, I’m currently obsessed with bean salad. I can pull it together in about 10 minutes, and while it stands on it’s own, it’s also a great side for meats. I usually serve it for lunch, along with a big green salad, this cucumber salad or this zucchini salad.
Here follows the recipe, but please feel free to improvise. I like to keep it simple and don’t add much seasoning beyond salt and pepper. I love a bit of crunch and usually use celery, but a carrot is great too.
One more thing: don’t ever let anyone make you feel guilty about using canned beans over dried.
Bean Salad
Yield 2-4
Ingredients
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- red wine vinegar
- 1 can drained white beans
- 1 medium ripe tomato, chopped
- 1 handful of chopped parsley
- 1 carrot or stalk celery, chopped
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
Place the red onion in a small bowl with the vinegar and salt. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes.
Mix everything else in a bowl, then add the drained onions, reserving the vinegar. Stir and taste and add some of the vinegar, and adjust the seasoning.
You can double the recipe since it’s even better the next day.
Notes
I used canned Purgatorio beans, a local heirloom variety. Cannellini would work well too.
If you live in Italy you can order these beans and much more from
Azienda Agricola Fratelli Graziani and you can also follow them on Instagram
Simple to make, yet delicious – my kind of recipe!
I made this last night and it was delicious! However, I was not very confident in knowing how much oil and vinegar to use. Do you have a measurement guideline?
Hard to say. you have to dress it to your own taste.