Mixed Bean Salad | No-Oil
This classic mixed bean salad a perfect side dish for picnics and social gatherings. It's so versatile, it can be made with just about any type of beans you have on-hand.
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 247kcal
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fat-free Italian salad dressing or 3-2-1 dressing (below)
- 1.5 cups kidney beans 15 oz can, drained and rinsed, or fresh cooked
- 1.5 cups pinto beans 15 oz can, drained and rinsed, or fresh cooked
- 1.5 cups black eyed peas 15 oz can, drained and rinsed, or fresh cooked
- 1.5 cups baby lima beans frozen baby lima beans, thawed & cooked; or cooked or canned lima beans, rinsed and drained SEE NOTES BELOW
- 1 cup frozen corn thawed
- 1 cup red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 cup purple onion diced
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
3-2-1 Dressing
- 6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Begin by dicing up the red bell pepper and onions. I like to make pretty small chunks, but you can slice them any size you prefer.
- If using canned beans, I drain them in a colander and rinse them by running warm water over the top.
- I highly recommend using frozen corn in this recipe. Canned corn just doesn’t have the fresh taste needed. Simply run warm water over the frozen corn to defrost it.
- Combine all of the veggies–beans, corn, diced onion, and diced red bell pepper, salt & pepper–in a large mixing bowl. You’ll need it to be pretty big to have enough room for stirring.
- Make the balsamic dressing by whisking together the 3 ingredients.
- Pour the balsamic dressing over the top of the large bowl of veggies and stir well. It can be served immediately or refrigerated to marinate for a few hours or even overnight.
Video
Notes
Pro Tips & Suggestions:
Beans- We like to use pintos, kidney beans, baby limas, and black-eyed peas, but other options could include black beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), cannellini beans, or green beans for added texture and flavor diversity.
UPDATE: Some new research is suggesting that it is best not to consume raw lima beans, so canned (drained) or freshly cooked might be better options.
Veggies- Corn, bell pepper, and onions are the veggies we like, but you could add cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots, celery, or chopped parsley as well.
Dressing- You can purchase fat-free Italian salad dressing or use my simple 3-ingredient dressing which is my preference because it's easy to make and can be customized by increasing the sweetness or tanginess.
Nutrition
Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 3g | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 5g