honey balsamic 3 bean salad

Is it me or do salads like this seem to multiply in the fridge?

It’s probably me, I know. But I’m telling you, I’ve been eating this stuff for the past 3 days and it doesn’t even look like I made a dent! Every time I open the fridge it’s like, oh you’re still here… and I consider myself to be a good eater. I shouldn’t complain though, because this dish is fit to feed the masses; that’s why I made it in the first place.

I offered to bring my 3 bean salad to my cousin’s BBQ last weekend. I was playing around with different recipes during the week (hence the leftovers) and settled on this one. We have a big family and this type of dish goes a long way. It’s great because you can make it in advance and it travels well. The longer it sits, the better it tastes. The 3 bean combo includes chickpeas, black beans, and haricots verts (French style green beans). I tend to use haricots verts over the regular ones as they are thinner and have a nicer flavor. The salad is tossed together with plenty of fresh herbs and a lip smacking honey balsamic vinaigrette.

For me, it’s hard to imagine any BBQ or picnic without some sort of bean salad on the table. I’ve made this several different ways and it screams for personal interpretation (make it your own!) It’s the quintessential summer dish.

Tips:

• When using canned beans, make sure that they are drained thoroughly and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel if necessary. You don’t want any extra water in your salad!
• To keep your haricots verts bright green, shock them in an ice bath or rinse in a colander under cold water after cooking (if you skip this step, they will turn a dullish yellow/green color). Pat dry to remove any extra moisture. Your green beans can be blanched 1 day ahead of time.

honey balsamic 3 bean salad

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• Author: The Clever Carrot
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 15 mins
• Yield: 6 1x

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Ingredients

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 1/4 balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp. honey
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 c. olive oil

Salad

• 2x 14 oz. cans of chickpeas, rinsed & drained*
• 1x 14 oz. can of black beans, rinsed & drained*
• 3/4 lb. haricots verts (French style green beans)
• 1 c. roasted red peppers
• 1/4-1/3 c. thinly sliced red onions
• 1 heaping tbsp. fresh chives
• 1/4 c. fresh basil
• salt & pepper

*When using canned beans, make sure that they are drained thoroughly and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel if necessary. You don’t want any extra water in your salad!

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Instructions

1. To make the vinaigrette, add the balsamic vinegar, honey, and Dijon mustard to a bowl. Whisk well to combine. Slowly add the olive oil, and continue whisking until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
2. For the salad, begin by preparing the haricots verts. Bring a medium size pot of water to a boil and season with salt. Add the green beans and blanch until crisp tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to an ice bath or run under cold water in a colander to retain their bright green color.*See note below. Pat dry with to remove excess moisture. Trim away the ends and dice into 1/2 inch pieces.
3. In a large bowl, add the green beans, chickpeas, and black beans.
4. Remove red peppers from the jar and pat dry. Roughly chop into pieces.
5. Using a mandolin, shave the red onion into paper thin slices. You want to use between 1/4-1/3 cup depending on taste.
6. Finely chop the chives.
7. Roughly chop the basil.
8. Add the roasted red peppers, red onion, chives and basil to the bowl. Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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Notes

*To keep your haricots verts bright green, shock them in an ice bath or rinse in a colander under cold water after cooking (if you skip this step, they will turn a dullish yellow/green color). Pat dry to remove any extra moisture. Your green beans can be blanched 1 day ahead of time.