Last updated on August 8th, 2024
Are you looking for a quick and easy no-cook summer meal? Whether you need a picnic-friendly salad, an easy no-cook weeknight dinner, or a working lunch to bring all week long, this one fits the bill.
White beans are huge in Tuscany, and they play a large role in the regional cuisine of central Italy. As a resident in Italy since 2012, I have an appreciation for this cheap, filling and versatile Italian ingredient.
In this article, learn how to make Tuscan white bean salad, a staple no-cook meal in my household during the summer. It’s filling and can be tailored to seasonal ingredients, including any leftover veggies you have in your fridge. And keep in mind, this Tuscan bean salad is gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan, making it ideal for entertaining guests and families with special diets!
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What Is Tuscan Bean Salad?
Tuscan white bean salad is a cold, non-cook, mayonnaise free salad flavored with herbs, vegetables like tomatoes and fennel and dressed in a simple Italian vinaigrette of olive oil and red wine vinegar.
Tuscan bean salad is a popular warm weather dish because it has a lot of flavors and textures (crunch from the onion and fennel, creaminess and heartiness from the cannellini beans, brightness from the tomatoes and parsley).
If you love Italian salads, try making:
Caprese Salad
Fennel and Orange Salad
Kale Salad with Gorgonzola
Lentil Salad with Roasted Vegetables
Panzanella
Spring Farro Salad
Tuna Salad (Mayo-Free)
Tuscan Bean Salad
Ingredients
This Italian salad recipe is adaptable, making it easy to swap out ingredients and use what I have on hand. These ingredients serve as a general guideline and template for a traditional Tuscan bean salad that you might eat in Italy but feel free to use your favorite vegetables for (see substitutions below).
Cannellini Beans
Use 2-15 ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed or about 18 oz (500 grams) homemade cannellini beans beans.
To keep this recipe really affordable, consider making your own white beans with a bit of pre-planning (needs 6-8 hours of pre-soaking plus cooking time) with my recipe by rehydrating and cooking dried white beans.
Red Onion
Adding red onion adds not only flavor but extra crunch to this Tuscan bean salad. If you like the bite of raw onion, add ½ red onion, thinly sliced as is. If not, soak the thinly sliced red online in red wine vinegar for 5 min before adding it to the Tuscan white bean salad.
Other Ingredients
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into halves or quarters
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 bulb of fennel, thinly sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
How To Make Tuscan Bean Salad
Thinly slice the red onion and cover with the ¼ cup red wine vinegar in a small bowl for about 5 minutes. If you prefer the crunch and sharp taste of raw onion, skip this step.
Drain and rinse the canned cannellini beans. Alternatively, measure out your homemade white beans, draining them of any liquid.
Chop the tomatoes, fennel and parsley. Add to a large bowl with the cannellini beans.
Drain the red onion or add it raw to the Tuscan bean salad mixture.
In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil with the red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the dressing to the white beans and gently toss. Test for seasoning (you may need to add more salt depending on the type of canned white beans you used) and serve.
Tuscan White Bean Salad Substitutions
Think of this Tuscan white bean salad recipe as a formula or platform with ratios to add whatever vegetables you prefer or have on hand, including these possible options:
- Substitute any kind of spring white onion for red onion.
- For a lemony twist, substitute lemon juice for the red wine vinegar, adding the zest of the lemon to the dressing.
- Substitute cherry tomatoes with roasted vegetables of your choice including spring asparagus, red bell peppers, cauliflower or squash.
- If you don’t like cannellini beans, you can substitute chickpeas or Navy beans for a similar, no-cook Tuscan bean salad.
Tuscan White Bean Salad Variations
If you like this recipe and would like to use it as a base for creativity, consider (but don’t limit yourself to) these variations:
- If you feel like using a store-bought salad dressing, you can absolutely add that as well, just as long as it’s dairy free, which keeps this white bean salad recipe safe for picnics and potlucks.
- Add 2 tablespoons of pesto to the olive oil dressing.
- Add ½ cup crumbled feta or other hearty cheese like goat cheese for a creamy finish right before serving.
- Toss in 1-2 cups baby arugula or spinach leaves right before serving.
How To Serve Tuscan Bean Salad
Tuscan bean salad is a complete meal that can be bulked up with the addition of fresh greens of your choice.
Should you wish to serve Tuscan bean salad as a side dish, you can pair it with grilled meats and fish, roasts and other salads at a picnic.
If I am making this for dinner, I typically serve it as a side dish but at lunch, I tend to serve it alongside other light lunch items such as a caprese salad, prosciutto and melon, a green salad or grilled vegetables.
How To Store Tuscan White Bean Salad
Tuscan white bean salad can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days. When pulling out for another meal, be sure to mix it well as the dressing can settle at the bottom of the dish.
Tuscan white bean salad does not freeze well.
Looking for cannellini bean recipes? You may be interested in
Homerun Italian Cannellini Beans Recipes For Dinner
Tuscan Cannellini Beans with Tomatoes and Garlic (Fagioli All’Uccelletto)
Polenta With Cannellini Beans And Kale
Italian Greens And Beans
Tuscan Bean Salad
Tuscan Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 2 15-oz cans cannellini beans
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut into halves or quarters
- ½ cup parsley chopped
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 bulb fennel thinly sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Thinly slice the red onion and cover with the ¼ cup red wine vinegar in a small bowl for about 5 minutes. If you prefer the crunch and sharp taste of raw onion, skip this step.
- Drain and rinse the canned cannellini beans. Alternatively, measure out your homemade white beans, draining them of any liquid.
- Chop the tomatoes, fennel and parsley. Add to a large bowl with the cannellini beans.
- Drain the red onion or add it raw to the Tuscan bean salad mixture.
- In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil with the red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the dressing to the white beans and gently toss. Test for seasoning (you may need to add more salt depending on the type of canned white beans you used) and serve.
Notes
- Substitute any kind of spring white onion for red onion.
- For a lemony twist, substitute lemon juice for the red wine vinegar, adding the zest of the lemon to the dressing.
- Substitute cherry tomatoes with roasted vegetables of your choice including spring asparagus, red bell peppers, cauliflower or squash.
- If you don’t like cannellini beans, you can substitute chickpeas or Navy beans for a similar, no-cook Tuscan bean salad.
- If you feel like using a store-bought salad dressing, you can absolutely add that as well, just as long as it’s dairy free, which keeps this white bean salad recipe safe for picnics and potlucks.
- Add 2 tablespoons of pesto to the olive oil dressing.
- Add ½ cup crumbled feta or other hearty cheese like goat cheese for a creamy finish right before serving.
- Toss in 1-2 cups baby arugula or spinach leaves right before serving.
