Bean Salad Recipes: Borlotti, Pinto, Cannellini Beans and More
There's A Lot More to Beans than Baked Beans!
It is unfortunate that, for some people, thinking of beans will automatically mean baked beans in tomato sauce, or perhaps green beans that are served for dinner, grossly overcooked and stringy. This is a great pity as there are dozens of different types of beans to which most people have fairly ready access and which can be incorporated in bean salad recipes and a wide variety of different dishes.
The bean salad recipes featured on this page have been prepared from just six of the different types of beans which are commonly available in supermarkets. It will hopefully be seen that even this fairly small representative sample of beans can be used to prepare an extremely wide and tasty range of salad dishes. This means that there really should be few limits to the wonderful array of meals and side salads which can be prepared from that most versatile of ingredients: beans.
Mexican Style Three Bean Salad Recipe
This three bean salad recipe, while not authentically Mexican, is designed with Mexican food and cooking styles in mind. A little chilli infused olive oil could also be added if desired.
Ingredients per Portion
2 tbsp red kidney beans
2 tbsp blackeye beans
2 tbsp cannellini beans
1 tbsp coarsely chopped coriander/cilantro
1 large garlic clove
1 tsp hot chilli powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Drain and wash the beans in a colander under running cold water. Tip them in to a large mixing bowl and add the coriander/cilantro and chilli powder. Peel the garlic clove and grate it in to the bowl with a small hand grater. Season with salt and pepper and stir very well to combine. If preparing in advance, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until required.
The pictures show just some ideas for serving this delicious three bean salad. Serve it with grated/shredded cheese and tortilla chips. Include it in a tortilla wrap along with some lettuce. You may even wish to serve this as a side salad to a more substantial meal.
Indian Spiced Cannellini Bean Salad
Indian spiced onions are fairly well known, particularly to anyone with a fondness for Indian food. This recipe simply uses beans instead of onions in the spicy sauce. An Indian bean recipe would be more authentic were it to contain red kidney beans, or perhaps chickpeas. In this instance, cannellini beans have been used simply as a further variant on the traditional.
Ingredients per Portion
2 tbsp cannellini beans
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground fenugreek
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp freshly chopped mint
Generous pinch of salt
Method
It is important to mix the spices and wet ingredients in to a smooth paste prior to adding the beans. This involves simply adding all the ingredients bar the beans to a large mixing bowl and stirring to combine. The beans should be added and stirred through before the bowl is covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for at least a couple of hours for the flavours to infuse.
Note that this is a fairly spicy recipe and the quantity of the chilli powder can be reduced if desired.
Italian Style Borlotti Bean Salad Recipe
Borlotti beans are widely used in Italian and other Mediterranean cuisines. This is a simple way of incorporating them whole in a delcious salad.
Ingredients
2 tbsp borlotti beans
¼ small red onion (finely sliced)
½ medium tomato (seeded and finely diced)
2 tsp roughly chopped parsley
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove (finely chopped or grated)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Add the olive oil, garlic and parsley to a bowl and mix well. Add the remaining ingredients, stir and serve, ideally with or on some freshly prepared bruschetta.
Borlotti Bean and Buffalo Mozzarella Salad Recipe
This salad is simply a slight variation of the one above, incorporating buffalo mozzarella cheese.
Ingredients
2 tbsp borlotti beans
¼ small red onion (finely sliced)
½ medium tomato (seeded and finely diced)
2 tsp roughly chopped basil
2oz soft buffalo mozzarella
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
The salad is prepared by mixing the borlotti beans, onion, tomato, olive oil and seasoning. The mozzarella is diced and the basil torn, before both are scattered over the top.
Mediterranean Style Three Bean Salad Recipe
Bargain Bean Salad Recipes on Amazon
Three bean salads are very popular and this one is based on the simple principals of Mediterranean cuisine.
Ingredients per Serving
1 tbsp pinto beans
1 tbsp cannellini beans
1 tbsp blackeye beans
1 tbsp roughly chopped coriander/cilantro
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Add the olive oil, herb and grated garlic clove to a bowl. Stir well before adding the beans and seasoning. This bean salad makes an excellent antipasto, or alternatively and as in the image above, it is served with a toasted bread roll as a light lunch.
Celery, Raisin and Garlic Two Bean Salad Recipe
Borlotti and cannellini beans may have bean the obvious choice for this salad but red kidney and haricot beans have been used in this instance for a bit of variety. These quantities serve one as a starter or appetizer, or two as part of a larger meal.
Ingredients
1 tbsp red kidney beans
1 tbsp haricot beans
Narrow half of one celery stick
1 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp roughly chopped coriander/cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Put the extra virgin olive oil in to a small saucepan. Grate the garlic in to the pan and add the celery and raisins. Heat gently for a couple of minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon.
Add the beans to a bowl with the chopped herb. Pour in the heated celery, raisins and oil. Stir well and serve immediately.
This recipe is an excellent one with which to experiment with different types of beans until you discover your own particular preference.
A Brief Guide to the Beans Used in these Bean Salad Recipes
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Bean Type
| Other Common Names
| Popular Uses
|
|---|---|---|
Blackeye beans
| Blackeyed peas, lobiya, chawli
| Salads, curries, stir fries, soups
|
Borlotti beans
| -
| Salads, casseroles
|
Cannellini beans
| -
| Soups, salads, casseroles, stews
|
Haricot beans
| Navy beans, pea beans
| Baked beans, salads, soups, casseroles, purees
|
Pinto beans
| Mottled beans
| Refried beans, burritos, soups, salsas
|
Red kidney beans
| Red beans, kidney beans rajma,
| Red beans and rice, chilli con carne, numerous dishes in Indian cuisine
|
What is your favourite type of bean?
Separating Facts from Fiction: Intestinal Gas, Excessive Flatulence - and Beans
It is a fairly widely held belief that beans can be responsible for a particular bodily function which - although harmless to our health - can have a very significant, adverse effect on our professional and social lives. The bad news is that this is actually a scientific fact and, for this reason, it may be a good idea not to sample all of the recipes on this page on the same day. The author regrettably could not accept responsibility for any embarrassment which may consequently occur.
So why do beans have this most unfortunate of effects? The reason is nothing so simple and straightforward as air being trapped in the structure of the beans. Briefly, many types of beans contain particular sugar molecules which are too long to be absorbed by the lining of the smaller intestine and therefore pass to the larger intestine. They are then hungrily consumed by the bacteria which dwell in the larger intestine and a by product of this process is gas. Required to escape the body in some fashion, this gas takes the shortest possible route to the wider world...
Summary and Feedback
Thank you for visiting this page and taking some time to read through it. I hope that it has proven informative and useful for you and that you are going to try some of the recipes for yourself. Any comments or feedback which you have may be left in the space immediately below.
