Name: Antipasto-Style Italian Bean Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup Lemon White Balsamic Vinaigrette (prepared and mixed *see recipe); 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 2 cloves garlic (fresh peeled and minced); 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 1/3 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)); 1/4 cup onions ( finely chopped); 1/2 cup pepperoncini (chopped); 4 ounces provolone cheese (diced (about 1 cup)); 4 ounces pepperoni (diced (about 1 cup)); 1/3 cup parsley (fresh chopped - optional); salt and black pepper (to taste)

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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.

Antipasto Style Italian bean salad getting tossed to mix with the lemon white balsamic vinaigrette.

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.

Jump to:

Salad Ingredients
Zesty Vinaigrette
Step By Step Salad Guide
Recipe Preparation Tips
Make the Salad Uniquely Yours
Chilling and Storage
What to Serve with an Italian Bean Salad?
More Salad Recipes
Antipasto-Style Italian Bean Salad
Sources

Salad Ingredients

Ingredients to make the zesty bean salad laid out in white dishes all chopped and ready to go on a gray table.

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.

Lemon and White balsamic vinaigrette dressing in a jar with a lid with a fresh lemon next to it.

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

Making the Lemon white balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Make the Dressing: Blend together the ingredients for the vinaigrette dressing and add fresh garlic.

Chopped Antipasto ingredients are added to a bowl with the Italian cannellini beans and drizzling on the lemony salad dressing.

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.

Tossing the salad and serving it it up in a white and green little 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.

Chopped dense bean salad in white and green bowls.

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.

Summery bean salad with fresh vegetables, cold cuts, cheese and pepperoncini peppers.

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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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.

Comments

5 from 2 votes

Antipasto Style Italian Bean Salad