White Bean Tabbouleh Salad is all the herby freshness of Tabbouleh, with the bulgur switched for white beans to make a more substantial salad.Β Itβs a fresh, lemony, herby bean salad thatβs totally delicious and good for you.
An excellent starch + veg side dish, or light meal for warm days. Plus itβs alot more interesting than the run-of-the-mill bean salads around!
White Bean Tabbouleh Salad
I donβt know if you have people in your life like me who donβt exactly jump up and down at the mention of a bean salad.
But throw the word βTabboulehβ in there, and suddenly, it sounds a whole lot more interesting. Visions of lots of fresh parsley, hint of mint, dotted with tomato and cucumber, and that distinct lemony freshness.
Donβt worry. I didnβt just throw the word βTabboulehβ into the name. I actually threw all the flavours of Tabbouleh in there too!!
Ingredients in white bean salad
The ingredients in this bean salad are literally everything that you find in Tabbouleh, except Iβve switched the bulgur for white beans:
Parsley β the key ingredient in this dish, the reason why tabbouleh is the first thing most people think of when the parsley is growing wild in the garden!
Mint β an essential part of a truly great fresh Tabbouleh! Itβs a subtle background flavour, some people canβt actually pick that itβs in the salad. But without it, youβre missing a hint of freshness;
Tomatoes and cucumber βΒ though in real Tabbouleh, these are a secondary ingredient, here in this bean salad version, I scale the quantities up to increase the fresh / juicy factor;
Beans βΒ Iβve used cannellini beans here, simply because itβs the canned beans I always, always have in the pantry. But any beans will work a treat here β white or any other colour, fresh or cooked dried! (Notes in the recipe for cooking dried beans)
Remember that beans are good for you??
One of the most underrated foods in the world! Said to be the worldβs best source of plant based protein, beans provideΒ dietary fibre, Vitamin B, and other important vitamins and minerals. Research shows that they can help to reduce blood sugar andΒ improve cholesterol levels. Plus, itβs a low glycemic foodΒ (βGIβ) which means it will keep you full for longer.
We should all eat more beans!!
Lemon Dressing for White Bean Tabbouleh Salad
And hereβs what goes in my go-to Lemon Dressing which has made an appearance in many main course and side salad recipes Iβve shared over the years, including the recentΒ Brown Rice Salad:
Ordinarily, Tabbouleh is soaked in lemon juice then a touch of olive oil is later added to take the sharp edge off the lemon.
But for this recipe, Iβm making a proper Lemon Dressing for this recipe because I want the dressing to be thicker so itΒ clings to the white beans. In order to achieve this, the Dressing needs to be properly thickened by shaking it vigorously in a jar, plus I also addΒ a touch of Dijon Mustard which thickens it even more.
How to make White Bean Tabbouleh Salad
Shake up the Dressing in a jar, lots of chopping and toss, toss, toss!
What to serve with Tabbouleh White Bean Salad
This would be a great side dish OR stuffed into wraps for Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes that traditionally include or are perfectly paired with Tabbouleh, such as Greek Chicken Gyros. Here are some more suggestions:
But thereβs no need to stop there! While this Bean Salad will go with any protein, I think the freshness makes it ideal to pair with white meats (chicken, turkey, lean pork) or any seafood. Try it with a grilled marinated chicken breastΒ or a piece of Grilled Salmon. Garlic Prawns orΒ CRISPY Grilled Prawns or some Lemon Garlic Marinated Pork Chops.
For a quick meal, gently fold through some chunks of tuna (preferably in oil, not spring water), top with slices of the juiciest ever Poached Chicken BreastΒ or hard boiled egg (quartered or sliced).
Also, it makes a great stuffing for a wrap β youβll see me in the video smearing a piece of flatbread with hummus, piling on this Bean Salad then rolling it up. YUM! β Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Tabbouleh White Bean Salad
Ingredients
Salad:
- 800g / 24 oz (2 cans) white beans (like cannellini, navy/haricot, butter beans) , drained (Note 1 & 3)
- 4 tomatoes , cut into 1.25cm / 1/2" pieces
- 3 cucumbers (or 1 1/2 long English/Telegraph cucumbers), cut into 1.25cm / 1/2" pieces
- 1/2 red onion , finely chopped
- 1 cup parsley , roughly chopped (1 large bunch)
- 1/3 cup mint , roughly chopped
Lemon Dressing:
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove , small, minced using garlic press
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard (Note 2)
- 1/2 tsp salt , kosher/cooking salt (1/4 tsp table salt)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Place Dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well to combine.
- Place Salad ingredients in a big bowl. Drizzle over most of the Dressing, toss well.
- Transfer to serving bowl. Serve!
Recipe Notes:
- 1 can = 1 3/4 cups beans once drained
- Recipe calls for 2 cans = 3 1/2 cups beans
- 1 cup dried beans = 2 3/4 cups cooked
- So you will need approx 1 1/4 cups dried beans (1.25 x 2.75 = ~3.5 cups cooked beans)
Nutrition Information:
More mean bean recipes
Life of Dozer
Donβt think for a second that heβs taking a pause in his hectic schedule to stop and smell the roses. Nope. I just made a subtle gesture that indicated there might be something tasty in that vicinity, and he shoved his nose right in there to check.
He came up empty. π
Another great recipe but you said there would be notes for cooking dried beans?
Sorry Lyn, Iβll update this now! N x
Thanks for the quick response, meant I could use some dried beans I had in pantry. Soaked overnight and eaten for lunch today. Was delicious and well suited to a 27 degree day in Melbourne.
Thank you very much!
I will make this recipe tomorrow.
Youβre so welcome, I hope you love it! N x
Congratulations Kate Massieπ and Jasmine π !!!!!! Thank you Nagi, this recipe is perfect for todayβs 100 degree weather!!
Love to know what you think once you try it Jenine! N x
This salad looks delicious! Question, how do I save my favorite recipes?
Nicole if you click on the love heart on the right hand side of the screen you will see it will go a solid colour instead of an outline. Its now saved to your recipes. π
Thank you Tracie! Nagi has so many fabulous recipes I want to save to my favorites. I have never tried a recipe I didnβt like!
Thanks for another great recipe.
Youβre so welcome Linda! N x
This reminded me this morning that since the late 90βs I bought recipe books and did Not go by their βNameβ ..but Looked at the Ingredients in a recipe to see if I would like to try, thus my interest to try a new recipe that was not in my area of knowledge Back then availability of products were limited β¦but sparked ideasβ¦..which is why you βsparkβ me at present time. Thank You so much . This Old Dog appreciates you rejuanating me
I love hearing this Nicki!! N x
This is another winner, bursting with flavour & so simple.
Thankyou Nagi
Youβre so welcome Judy!! π N x
LOL β you drive me crazy with all your scrumpdillyishious recipes. Then I fall down the rabbit hole reading all the other recipes you post to go along with. Please send Dozer to fetch me back!
π I do this so often online β I get stuck looking at recipes then hours go by!!
Haha! Thatβs exactly what happens to me Gwen. I get distracted by recipe after recipe and soon Iβm down that rabbit hole drooling as much as Dozer! We love you Nagi !!!! PS Iβm impressed you can spell scrumpdillyishious Gwen.
I canβt wait to try this when it gets a bit warmer ie. this weekend! Iβll be adding a leaf or two of finely diced kale marinated with a little olive oil and salt. I find this is a quick and easy way to boost my veg intake without really feeling like Iβm eating more veg.
Yes 100% Chris, I love this idea!!! N x
Looks delicious. Will try it this weekend!
Enjoy Marie, Iβd love to know what you think once you try it, keep me updated π N x
Nagi, this recipe looks delicious and your flowers are absolutely, beautiful. I can see why Dozer is enamoured!
Thanks so much Nicolette, and donβt be fooled β heβs just looking for food π N x