As a bean aficionado, bean salads are a staple for me throughout the week, and this za’atar bean salad is one of my new favorite iterations. It’s loaded with goodies (a whole jar of castelvetrano olives). It has a myriad of flavors (tang from the sumac and brightness from the za’atar). Plus, it’s perfect for meal prep, and as the name suggests, tastes even better the longer it marinates.

Now, after years of making bean salads, I feel like I have them down to a science (a formula if you will), and it’s all about layering different flavors and textures. Canned beans (I like to mix varieties), loads of goodies (jarred artichokes, olives, etc.), aromatics (like onion and garlic), plus a flavor-packed dressing or marinade equals the most incredible bean salad!!

And this marinated bean salad is no exception – the base is butter beans and chickpeas, goodies like castelvetrano olives and artichokes, along with quick-pickled red onions and loads of lemon for brightness. All tossed in a tangy and fruity marinade of garlic, evoo, za’atar, and sumac. Yeah, it tastes just as good as it sounds!!

Ingredients for this Bean Salad

Outlining everything you’ll need for this bean salad, plus a few notes (consider it a grocery list).

Canned chickpeas
Canned butter beans: I highly recommend Strianese canned butter beans (also labeled fagioli bianchi di Spagna); they taste amazing! Whole Foods carries them. However, Eden Foods and Bush’s Best also have great butter beans that are more widely available.
Castelvetrano olives (pitted)
Jarred artichoke hearts: These are optional, but they add a creamy element to the salad that I love.
Red onion: Feel free to swap this for jarred pickled red onions.
Lemons: You’ll need both the juice and zest.
Fresh parsley
Fresh mint
Olive oil
Garlic cloves
Za’atar: Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice mix that typically has sumac, oregano, thyme, sesame seeds, and salt, so if you can’t find it at the store, you can easily make your own. Mix together 1 tsp each of sumac, dried oregano, dried thyme, toasted sesame seeds, cumin, coriander, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt.
Ground cumin
Sumac: Possibly one of my favorite aromatics – it adds a nice fruitiness and tang to this dish!

Method Behind This Za’atar Bean Salad

Start by prepping the onions – toss them in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt, and set aside. This helps to mellow out the sharpness and bring out the sweetness. If you want the onions to have some crunch, don’t slice them too thin.

butter beans and garbanzo beans in a colander

Prep the remaining ingredients – roughly chop the olives, halve the artichokes, and finely mince the herbs (stress on finely mince the herbs). Add everything to the bowl with the onions.

The last component of this salad is the marinade. Saute the garlic in the olive on medium heat until it just begins to brown. Take off the heat immediately and sprinkle in the spices (this blooms the dry spices and brings out even more flavor). Pour the marinade over the salad, toss to combine, and adjust for salt as needed (I added an additional 1 1/2 tsp of kosher salt).

Serving Suggestions

My vehicle of choice for this salad is some toasted sourdough with a generous smear of ricotta (Kite Hill is my go-to dairy-free ricotta). And for all my gals who do eat dairy, I highly recommend swapping out the ricotta for labneh (it’s a Middle Eastern yogurt). Other ways to serve this is in a pita wrap or on its own (it’s that good).

And that’s all for this za’atar bean salad – couldn’t be more excited for you to make it. Don’t forget to leave a starred rating and review – love hearing your feedback (truly makes my day), and it helps my blog be shared more widely.