Bean & Tomato Salad with Honey Vinaigrette
Submitted by happyzhangbo
Bean and tomato salad tossed with a honey-cider vinaigrette, crisp-tender green beans, cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil. A vegetarian summer side that gets better as it marinates in the fridge.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
30 minREADY
100 minThis is a salad that rewards patience. Marinating the white beans in apple cider vinegar, honey, and minced red onion for at least an hour (overnight is better) means every bean carries flavor all the way through, not just on the surface. The honey softens the vinegar’s edge, and the red onion mellows into something sweeter instead of sharp.
Blanched green beans add snap, halved cherry tomatoes bring juice, and a generous handful of fresh basil ties it all together with summery perfume. If you cook the dried beans yourself, watch them closely. Heirloom varieties can go from chalky to mushy in minutes, so start checking at 20 minutes.
Presentation counts here: fan sliced tomatoes around the rim of a shallow bowl and mound the bean salad in the middle. It looks like something from a cookbook with almost zero effort.
Chef Tips
- Salt the dried beans only when they’re about three-quarters cooked. Salting too early can toughen the skins.
- Shock the blanched green beans in cold water immediately to lock in that bright green color and stop the cooking.
- Canned beans work perfectly well for a weeknight version. Rinse them thoroughly to wash off the starchy liquid.
- The salad holds beautifully for a day or two, but add the basil at the last minute so it doesn’t blacken.
Variations
- Swap white beans for cannellini, chickpeas, or a mix for varied texture.
- Crumble feta or goat cheese over the top just before serving.
- Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the vinaigrette for gentle heat.
Ingredients
Directions
If using canned beans, skip to Step 3.
If using dried beans, rinse and pick over for any stones, then place in a large bowl, cover with 3 inches of cold water and soak at room temperature for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Drain the soaked beans, rinse and transfer to a large saucepan.
Add 6 cups cold water.
Bring to a simmer, partially cover, and simmer gently, stirring once or twice, until tender but not mushy, 20 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the freshness of the dried beans.
(If you’re using heirloom beans, be sure to check them after 20 minutes—they tend to cook more quickly than conventional beans.)
If at any time the liquid level drops below the beans, add 1 cup water.
When the beans are about three-fourths done, season with ½ teaspoon salt.
When the beans are tender, remove from the heat and drain.
Combine the beans (cooked or canned), the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, onion, vinegar, honey, oil and pepper in a large bowl.
Stir, cover and refrigerate to marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Cook green beans in a large pot of boiling water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again.
Pat dry and add to the marinated beans.
Stir in cherry (or grape) tomatoes and basil.
Season with pepper.
To serve, arrange tomato slices around the edge of a serving platter or shallow salad bowl and spoon the bean salad into the center.
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