White Bean Salad

Fresh herbs, arugula, a drizzle of olive oil and fresh lemon juice make this white bean salad a bright, vegetarian dish that tastes like spring.

By / Photography By | February 25, 2015

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 6 ounces dried white navy beans, cooked or 1 15-ounce can beans, drained
  • 1 spring green onion or red onion, chopped
  • 1 large handful arugula (or spinach), roughly chopped
  • 1-2 tablespoons each fresh thyme, chives, parsley
  • 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • salt and pepper

Preparation

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet. Add onion, and saute 10 minutes. Combine beans, green onions, arugula, herbs, remaining olive oil, lemon juice salt and pepper to taste, and toss gently.

Best served room temperature.

About this recipe

Being a seasonal cook, I use fresh herbs more in the spring than any other time of year. Every spring, just outside my back door, crawling thyme, beautiful oregano, hardy mint and purple topped chives sprout up in my garden like magic. But real magic for me is arugula, my favorite green. Home-grown arugula bears little resemblance to that in bags or tubs from the supermarket (which, of course is perfectly fine). Mine is super peppery, thick and hardy. This year I got some arugula in the ground early. I planted a lot of it to ensure I would have some to harvest. As it turns out, it's a good year for it — chilly and wet. Peppery arugula is best raw, so inspired by a recipe in The Meat Free Monday Cookbook (one of my favorites), I tossed it in this simple white bean salad. Along with the arugula I took advantage of my other spring garden herbs – oregano, thyme, and chives – and a sautéed fat Vidalia green onion. A drizzle of olive oil and fresh lemon juice pulled it altogether for a fresh, bright, vegetarian dish that tastes like spring.

I served with some toasted cheese bread, but a grilled cheese would be equally as good. If you happen to have some thick, rich balsamic around, a drizzle of it before serving is perfect.

 

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Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 6 ounces dried white navy beans, cooked or 1 15-ounce can beans, drained
  • 1 spring green onion or red onion, chopped
  • 1 large handful arugula (or spinach), roughly chopped
  • 1-2 tablespoons each fresh thyme, chives, parsley
  • 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • salt and pepper
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