Introducing the one and only high protein salad you will need this summer. This easy make ahead Antipasto Style Italian Bean Salad is packed with cannellini and garbanzo beans, cold cuts, cheese, fresh veggies, pepperoncini’s and topped with a zesty lemon balsamic vinaigrette. No cooking required! If you can chop and open a can, this simple 15-minute salad recipe is for you.
This light yet satisfying Mediterranean salad is the perfect side dish for barbeques, picnics, or potlucks. Try it served as a main dish served over a bed of fresh spinach or lettuce.
Bonus: You can easily prepare a week’s worth of healthy lunches by storing the bean salad and dressing separately until you’re ready to serve. This keeps the salad fresh and vibrant, making it a convenient and nutritious option for your weekday meals.
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Salad Ingredients
The best part of this Italian white bean salad recipe is that the ingredients listed are just a guideline. Feel free to use any antipasto ingredients that are similar to what we used for our charcuterie skewers. The only exclusion is tomatoes because they can break down easily if not eaten straight away.
Canned Beans – any type! We used cannellini and garbanzo (chickpeas) as that is what we had in the pantry. This easy Italian bean salad is also delicious with black, navy, kidney, fava beans and more.
Fresh Veggies of Choice – really anything goes here. We chose seedless English cucumbers and sweet mini bell peppers.
Pickled Vegetables or Antipasti - such as pepperoncini, olives, capers, and more are all good here. If you happened to have a jar of Giardiniera in your pantry, that would be so good!
Aromatics & Herbs - Fresh parsley, onions and garlic make this recipe pop. A dash of Italian seasoning or even some oregano made this hearty Italian bean salad taste like a pizza without all the gluten woes.
Cold Cuts and Cheeses – Your choice for sure! We went with spicy pepperoni and smokey provolone because that was in our inventory. Maybe you would like to try salami, prosciutto, capicola and more. For cheeses, you may even like to try fresh mini mozzarella balls because they cling on to the zesty vinaigrette. Think outside the box and add grilled chicken, pan fried tempeh, baked rainbow trout or even tuna fish, instead of the cold cuts.
Zesty Vinaigrette
This light and zesty Lemon White Balsamic Vinaigrette makes this bean salad unique. It's light, bright, and makes this cold bean salad a crowd pleaser. The natural sweetness from the white balsamic balances the sour lemon and the "real deal" extra virgin olive oil. It makes every morsel of this must try summer salad – the perfect antipasto bite.
Step By Step Salad Guide
- Make the Dressing: Blend together the ingredients for the vinaigrette dressing and add fresh garlic.
- Prep the Antipasto Ingredients: Chop the vegetables, pickled veggies, cold cuts, cheeses, and aromatics.
- Bean Prep: Open the canned beans, drain, and rinse until clear.
- Add to Bowl: Place antipasto ingredients into a large salad bowl.
- Toss with balsamic dressing.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Preparation Tips
- Same Size: Chop all the antipasto ingredients into bite sized pieces or small so it’s easier to eat.
- Rinse those Canned Beans! You don’t want that cloudy juice from the can in your salad. However, save the juice, especially from garbanzo beans, if you want the aquafaba (egg replacement) for another recipe. Rinsing the canned beans, according to several dieticians can reduce the sodium content and reduce the difficult to digest carbohydrates that cause gas. (1) Use a colander. Rinse the beans in cold water until it runs clear and there are no more bubbles.
- Remove the floating skin from the Beans while washing: It’s a texture thing – don’t even get us started! This is an important step to remove the tough bean skins. We also perform this procedure on our roasted garbanzo beans recipe to give them an extra crunchy texture during the baking process.
Make the Salad Uniquely Yours
Feel free to add your own favorite antipasto ingredients to the mix. Swap the pepperoncini peppers for capers, add marinated artichokes, substitute salami for the pepperoni. You get the idea – have fun with it!
Who says that Italian Cannellini Bean Salad even needs to be made with white beans? Substitute kidney, black or even mung beans for the white beans. Use what you have on hand. We are all about that!
Chilling and Storage
- Chilling Time: In the perfect world, if you can let the bean salad marinate for at least 30 minutes, it gives all the ingredients a chance to soak up all those bright and delicious flavors of the dressing.
- Storage: After you add the dressing, it is best enjoyed the same day. The vegetables will start to soften after that.
- Reminder: Store the bean salad and dressing separately until you’re ready to serve, if longer than 24 hours.
What to Serve with an Italian Bean Salad?
Start out with an appetizer of Toasted crostini with a homemade olive tapenade or bruschetta bread with your favorite vino or sparkling water.
Try this antipasto style Italian bean salad as a main dish or lunch. Serve it up over fresh spinach, rocket, or chopped lettuce with a few roasted pepitas for added crunch.
It’s also a fabulous side dish for our green chicken kababs, marinated grilled flank steaks and our Mediterranean red snapper packets.
Don’t forget dessert! If you are grilling out, consider our easy grilled nectarines or a make ahead blueberry tarts with puff pastry for a delicious sweet treat to end your summer meal.
More Salad Recipes
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Antipasto-Style Italian Bean Salad
Equipment
- Jar with lid To shake and mix the lemon balsamic vinaigrette
Ingredients
Salad Dressing
- ¾ cup Lemon White Balsamic Vinaigrette prepared and mixed *see recipe
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cloves garlic fresh peeled and minced
Italian Bean Salad Ingredients
- 15 ounces garbanzo beans
canned (also known as chickpeas) - rinsed well - 15 ounces Cannellini beans canned (also known as white beans) rinsed well
- 1 and ⅓ cups cucumbers 3 small Persian cucumbers or 1 English cucumber
- 1 large red bell pepper or 6-7 sweet mini peppers chopped (about a cup chopped)
- ¼ cup onions finely chopped
- ½ cup pepperoncini chopped
- 4 ounces provolone cheese diced (about 1 cup)
- 4 ounces pepperoni diced (about 1 cup)
- ⅓ cup parsley fresh chopped - optional
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare Salad Dressing
- Add the ingredients to make the Lemon white balsamic vinaigrette in a jar with lid. (⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup white balsamic, 1 teaspoon dried Italian dressing, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste) Then add the minced garlic and 1 teaspoon of dried oregano. Close the lid to seal the jar and shake and mix until well combined. Set aside.
- In a colander, rinse the garbanzo beans and cannellini beans until the water is clear. Shake to remove any excess water. Remove any little bean skins that have been removed from the beans and discard. Place in a large salad bowl.
- Prepare and chop cucumbers, red bell pepper, onion, pepperoncini, provolone cheese, pepperoni, parley and place in the salad bowl along with the beans.
- Give the lemon white balsamic vinaigrette one more vigorous shake and pour over the antipasto style Italian bean salad. Toss the salad. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Sources
Manian, Christina. "The One Thing You Should Do Before Eating Canned Beans." Health, December 4, 2024. https://www.health.com/should-you-rinse-canned-beans-8741490.
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
Cinque de Terre is on our list of places to visit! Lovely memories here, and a great summer recipe 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
I highly recommend the Cinque de Terre. I would also bring my hiking shoes as you can walk between each of the areas and of course try all the restaurants along the way or just bring a backpack and pack a lunch for a romantic picnic. Don't forget the wine. Take care
Balvinder says
What a lovely trip and so is this salad! I love bean salads and have to try your recipe with green beans and feta.
Raymund says
The citrus and feta will give that salad really nice summery flavours.
Eha says
That beautifully plated and colourful salad is right up my alley - so much tasty goodness!! Love the red plate 🙂 ! Also love your story of travelling along Northern Med and all the memories left . . . you have reawakened mine - yes, I have taken that ferry ride ex Cannes also . . . .thank you for the smile on my face . . .
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hello my Dearest Eha, hope you are doing well. I love those plates as well. My husband brought them home Vietnam on one of his last business trips in each of the primary colors so you are sure to see them again soon. I have to have a little Asian flare even with my Mediterranean dishes...I am so glad I could bring back some fond memories of France for you too. Take Care
Choc Chip Uru says
This bean salad looks so tasty! And simple to throw together too 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
wok with ray says
Sounds like a nice trip you had with the hubby. This salad looks refreshing and lite and that's how I like my salad. Have a good week, Bobbi. 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks Ray. This is a great salad and it is light refreshing, easy to make but packed with protein from the garbanzo beans and that is a very good thing so my boys are not asking for a second meal only one hour later.
dianeskitchentable says
First, I love the looks of that salad! But really that trip would be my dream. When we were in Italy we didn't have enough time to get to Cinca Terra but my daughter visited there on a side trip when she studied in Florence and it's her dream location. Isn't it amazing how smells bring back memories? They say that it is the strongest sense to trigger memories going back to childhood. You crack me up - that French Tupperware! If it looks like my Tupperware drawer, they'd never find the matching lid.
Healthy World Cuisine says
I guess we can only live through our children's dreams and hope they take lots of photo for us mom and dads. Did did your daughter attend a University in Florence? You know when I was writing this post I was thinking of you and was wondering if you would have caught my joke about the French tupperware. I hope it made you chuckle a little and hope you are on a speedy recovery. Take care, BAM
dianeskitchentable says
Oh I got quite a chuckle over the French Tupperware - can you imagine cleaning it? My daughter only did one semester with the study abroad program through her school. It was wonderful visiting her over there since she was an excellent interpreter for us. The month long immersion Italian nearly did her in - late night phone calls complaining about her teacher who REFUSED to speak English...then she finally saw the light.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Pure submersion is the only way. When my kids were studying Chinese I used to threaten them that I would send them for the summer to live with a Chinese family who spoke no English and have to live off congee and thousand year old eggs. It is amazing how they were instantly interested in studying their Chinese independently. I would much rather be assigned to Italy, food is fantastic and so much easier to learn than Chinese.
nancyc says
What a nice summer salad! Spending time in the Mediterranian would be so nice!
bentodays says
Lovely photos! This salad looks great, additional bonus that it is so easy to prepare!
cheri says
Hi Bam, so sweet of your husband to take you on that trip. Your pictures are wonderful. It's funny how certain smells can take you straight to a place or event that you have been to before. What a lovely salad, love the texture.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Certain smells from child memories can be so vivid. As Diane said from Diane's Kitchen Table, smells are one of the most strongest sense to trigger childhood memories and I can so believe that. Thanks so much for you kind comment. Have a super day!
kitchenriffs says
Sounds like such a fun trip! I love that part of the world. And I love salads like this -- we eat so many of them during the warm weather. This one is just inspired -- thanks.
Robyn says
What a lovely trip, Bobbi! I feel like I just took a Italian sportscar ride along the coast and had a lovely lunch. I haven't been to Italy but it's on my list to go to next - along with Greece. I love bean salad and this is so fresh and healthy. Thanks for the brief interlude this morning. 🙂 Sharing.
Healthy World Cuisine says
I hope in your dream it was a cherry red convertible Lamborghini. Thanks for the share!
The Foodie Affair says
What a wonderful trip. No wonder you have such fond memories. Your Bean Salad looks so fresh and I really love the idea of adding lavender!
Monica says
That description of your vacation with your husband was the best diversion ever...it sounds absolutely dreamy! I also love bean salads (having some white beans with dinner tonight, as a matter of fact). Yours is so lovely with all the colors and ingredients. It's hot here as well, though no where like HK, I bet. You stay cool!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hello Monica, I hope for just a moment it is nice to reflect on some great memories or maybe make some new lovely memories to be cherished. This dish would also be great with white beans. Great minds think alike. Take care, BAM
tariq says
what a tasty salad...loved it