Description
Creamy white beans with pickled peppers, tomatoes, olives, and a garlic-lemon dressing.
Servings: 6 side portions
Prep: 15 minutes
Chill: 20–30 minutes, optional
Total: 35–45 minutes with chilling
Ingredients
Scale
Salad
- 2 cans cannellini or Great Northern beans, 15 ounces each, drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup sliced drained pepperoncini
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- ¼ small red onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup sliced drained Kalamata olives
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta, optional
Dressing
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Up to 3 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 small garlic cloves, minced, or less for a milder result
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Up to ¼ teaspoon fine salt, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Rinse beans gently and drain thoroughly. Drain peppers and olives, halve tomatoes, and dice onion.
- Whisk oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, oregano, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and optional flakes. Hold back most salt and the remaining lemon initially.
- Combine beans, vegetables, olives, and parsley. Add about three-quarters of the dressing and fold gently. Add the remainder as needed.
- Fold in optional feta. Cover and refrigerate 20–30 minutes.
- Stir gently, taste, and add remaining lemon or salt only if needed. Optional pepperoncini brine can replace a little of the reserved acidity rather than being added automatically.
- Serve chilled or let the serving portion stand briefly to take off the strongest refrigerator chill.
Storage: Refrigerate covered at 40°F or below up to 3–4 days. Best texture is generally within 1–2 days. Do not freeze for the intended fresh texture.
Estimated nutrition: About 200–250 calories per serving without feta; feta adds roughly 20–30 calories per serving. Brands and portions vary.
Texture note: Drain well and fold gently to keep the beans intact. Taste before adding salt or extra brine.