I feel like beans are having a moment right now, and as a bean girlie, I’m here for it. Bean salads (or as TikTok has dubbed them, dense bean salads) are popping up everywhere. So obviously, as a bean fan, I had to add to the bean campaign with this green olive bean salad.
This chickpea and butter bean salad is a combo of not one but two beans (both chickpea and butter beans), loads of castelvetrano olives, parsley, cilantro, aromatics, and a sweet honey dijon vinaigrette. Plus, the beauty of this chickpea salad is that it tastes better the longer it sits (within limits of course). Making it perfect for meal prep.
This salad really has it all – it’s protein-packed, fiber-rich, loaded with flavor and micronutrients, among many other things. It’s safe to say that this green olive bean salad is living rent-free in my fridge!
Green Olive Bean Salad Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need for this green olive chickpea salad.
- Chickpeas
- Butter beans: I highly recommend Strianese canned butter beans (also labeled fagioli bianchi di Spagna); they taste amazing!
- Castelvetrano olives: Aka my favorite olive variety – but any green olive will work here.
- Fresh cilantro
- Fresh parsley
- Shallots: Feel free to use red onion instead or even pickled red onions if you have them on hand.
- Fresh garlic
- Lemons
- Olive oil
- Honey: If you’re vegan, swap the honey for maple syrup.
- Dijon mustard
- Spices: Including ground cumin, ground coriander, and cayenne pepper. Feel free to swap out the cayenne pepper for 1 tsp of red pepper flakes.
- Kosher salt
A Few Quick Notes
- Don’t worry too much about measurements, except for the dressing. Add more beans; add in additional goodies like artichokes, swap the shallots out for pickled onions, really make this recipe your own. The dressing is the only key part of this recipe that you need to accurately measure.
- Let the beans sit for at least 30 minutes, but the longer the better. Not only will the beans absorb some of the dressing, but it’ll also help quick-pickle the shallots. And who doesn’t like sweet pickled shallots?
Serving Suggestions
My vehicle of choice for the green olive bean salad is toasted sourdough – it’s the perfect quick and easy lunch. However, you can simply enjoy the salad on its own. Because it’s just that good! Store any leftovers in a glass tupperware in the fridge for up to 5 days!
Can’t wait for you to make this green olive bean salad! If you’re looking for more summer bean salads, highly recommend giving this black bean salad a try – it’s phenomenal! If you have any questions, comment below or send me a DM on Instagram.
PrintGreen Olive Bean Salad
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Rest Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner, Salads
- Cuisine: American
Description
This green olive bean salad is a combo of not one but two type of beans, loads of castelvetrano olives, parsley, cilantro, aromatics, and a sweet honey dijon vinaigrette. Plus, the beauty of this chickpea salad is that it tastes better the longer it sits. It’s safe to say that this green olive bean salad is living rent-free in my fridge!
Ingredients
Salad Base
- 1 can (13.4 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (13.4 oz) butter beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup castelvetrano olives, roughly chopped
- 1 medium shallot, finely minced
- 1/2 cup finely minced cilantro
- 1/2 cup finely minced parsley
- 1–2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Honey Dijon Vinaigrette
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp honey (a heaping tablespoon)
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (sub with 1 tsp red pepper flakes)
Instructions
- Add the salad base to a bowl. Add the chickpeas, butter beans, olives, shallot, herbs, and garlic into a serving bowl. Set aside.
- Make the dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients to a jar or cup and whisk well until emulsified.
- Toss together and serve. Pour all of the dressing on the salad and toss together well. Adjust for salt as needed and let sit at least 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy on toasted sourdough, or just on its own.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Tina Johnson says
Made this amazing salad and added cherry tomatoes as they are in season and I had a bounty of them . So so good . The dressing was a winner and I will make it again and again I’m sure !
Ben says
Fantastic!! Love the flavors – olives with beans is absolutely magical!!
Sarah says
Delicious! Will make again.
Philip Dembinski says
easy knockout summer recipe
Jess says
I discovered this recipe on Sunday. It’s now Thursday and I’ve made it 3 times already! I don’t like cilantro so I went without. I also doubled (okay, tripled) the amount of garlic. The flavors and textures are great. I might char some lemon and add it to the next batch to add a smoky element. Thank you for the recipe!