Way Better Three-Bean Salad
Classic three-bean salad is based on such a good idea: dried (or canned) and fresh beans, celery, and a tangy-sweet dressing. Yet somehow it’s always terrible — not when you first taste it, but if you try to eat more than a couple bites.
We rethought it, adding lots of fresh parsley, giving it more of a pickle-y, much less sugary vibe (there’s only a pinch of sugar in a gigantic bowl) and boosting the flavor with a nice dose of sumac.
This is super easy to put together, as the only thing that needs cooking are the green beans, and they cook in a flash. This makes a lot of bean salad — some for today, and some for tomorrow: It’s even better after marinating a day or two. We love it on its own, or mixed into a green salad.
Serves 6 to 8.
Ingredients
1/2 pound / 225 grams French green beans
1 can (15.5 ounces / 439 grams) kidney beans, drained
1 can (15.5 ounces / 439 grams) garbanzo beans, drained
4 stalks celery, sliced
2 scallions, sliced (both green and white parts) or three tablespoons chopped red onion
1 smallish bunch Italian parsley, roughly chopped (go ahead and include some stems)
Juice of half a juicy lemon
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of sugar
2 teaspoons dill pickle relish, or chopped dill pickled or cornichons
1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons sumac
A pinch or three of Aleppo pepper, Espelette pepper or chile flakes to taste
Instructions
1. Boil the French green beans in a good quantity of well salted water, till they are crisp-tender, about 3 or 4 minutes. Drain, refresh in cold water, drain well and put them in a large bowl with the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, celery, scallions (or red onion) and parsley.
2. Make a vinaigrette: Put the lemon juice and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl with the water, salt and sugar. Whisk to dissolve the salt and sugar. Add the relish or chopped pickles and whole-grain mustard and whisk briefly to combine. Whisk in the olive oil. Taste the vinaigrette and adjust the seasoning. Add the dressing to the bean mixture, along with the sumac and Aleppo pepper, and toss very well to combine. Enjoy immediately, or let it marinate in the fridge a day or two.
Way Better Three-Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound / 225 grams French green beans
- 1 can (15.5 ounces / 439 grams) kidney beans, drained
- 1 can (15.5 ounces / 439 grams) garbanzo beans, drained
- 4 stalks celery, sliced
- 2 scallions, sliced (both green and white parts) or three tablespoons chopped red onion
- 1 smallish bunch Italian parsley, roughly chopped (go ahead and include some stems)
- Juice of half a juicy lemon
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Pinch of sugar
- 2 teaspoons dill pickle relish, or chopped dill pickled or cornichons
- 1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sumac
- A pinch or three of Aleppo pepper, Espelette pepper or chile flakes to taste
Instructions
- Boil the French green beans in a good quantity of well salted water, till they are crisp-tender, about 3 or 4 minutes. Drain, refresh in cold water, drain well and put them in a large bowl with the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, celery, scallions (or red onion) and parsley.
- Make a vinaigrette: Put the lemon juice and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl with the water, salt and sugar. Whisk to dissolve the salt and sugar. Add the relish or chopped pickles and whole-grain mustard and whisk briefly to combine. Whisk in the olive oil. Taste the vinaigrette and adjust the seasoning. Add the dressing to the bean mixture, along with the sumac and Aleppo pepper, and toss very well to combine. Enjoy immediately, or let it marinate in the fridge a day or two.