Mixed Bean Salad
Mixed Bean Salad is a delicious and colorful side dish that combines the freshness, flavors and textures found in various canned beans along with crisp, diced sweet onions and peppers. But it's the sweetened balsamic vinegar sauce that just might steal the show! Serve alongside Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel or Crusted Chicken Romano for a delicious meal.
Servings: 8 as a side dish
Calories: 288kcal
Ingredients
Balsamic Sauce Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup sugar
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
Salad Ingredients
- 2 cans green beans
- 1 can lima beans
- 1 can garbanzo beans
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can kidney beans
- 1 can great northern beans or any white bean
- 1 sweet onion about one cup, sliced and diced
- 1 small yellow pepper about ½ cup, seeded and diced
- 1 small red pepper about ½ cup seeded and diced
Instructions
Make the Balsamic Sauce
- In a medium-sized saucepan on the stove, bring sauce ingredients to a boil. Whisk to combine the ingredients then remove from the heat. Pour the sauce into a glass bowl or measuring cup and refrigerate until completely cool.
Prep and Combine Salad Ingredients
- While the sauce ingredients are cooling, use a colander or large strainer to drain all of the beans and rinse them lightly with cool water. Shake the strainer to remove any excess water.
- Place the rinsed beans in a large bowl and set aside.
- Dice the onion, yellow pepper and red pepper and add to the beans. Stir to combine.
- Once the balsamic sauce has cooled pour it over the beans, onions and peppers in the large bowl and stir until all the ingredients are coated with the sauce.
Refrigerate and Serve
- Cover and place in the refrigerator. For the best flavor, chill the salad for 5-6 hours or serve it the next day, but it can also be served right away.
Notes
Use seven, 15-ounce cans of beans, in any variety. Mix and match or double up on the variety of beans that your family enjoys the most. You can easily adapt this to create a classic five-bean or even three-bean salad. This salad is a great option to serve with pizza, try my Garlic Parmesan Pizza Sauce for a winning, and tasty pizza topping.
Nutrition
Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 595mg | Potassium: 127mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 41IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
