White Bean and Zucchini Salad

This summer White Bean and Zucchini Salad is loaded with marinated artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh lemon. Quick to make and a good way to use up your summer produce.

Bean salad tossed together with vegetables on a white bowl with a spoon tucked to the side.

More Ways to Enjoy Beans this Summer

I’ve grown up a bean lover because my mom made beans for me regularly. I mean, I don’t know many Dominicans that don’t enjoy a good habichuelas guisadas, it’s a staple. So I totally understand that this experience isn’t really the norm for many growing up unless you are in a household with other bean lovers.

If you need a gateway bean dish to get you hyped up about your next meal, how about this White Bean and Zucchini Salad. Pan seared zucchini matched with cannellini beans, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and an herby delicious vinaigrette.

Why You’ll Love This Bean Salad

  • This will make you fall in love with beans. Between the marinated artichoke hearts and the nice salty perk of the sun-dried tomatoes, this salad is loaded with flavor.
  • Completely vegan, gluten-free, nut-free and sugar-free. It’s an excellent combo for just about everyone.
  • Filling and satisfying. It’s one thing to have a meal that fills you up, but to also have it satisfy you is a bonus. That satisfaction comes from the balance of protein, carbs, fiber and healthy fats in this dish.
  • Tastes like summer. Lemony flavors, fresh herbs, warm sweet corn and locally grown zucchini are the winning combination during these summer months.

Key Ingredients

  • Cannellini Beans: A great option for plant based protein and using canned beans to make this recipe quick.
  • Zucchini: Fresh zucchini that is pan fried or grilled.
  • Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Adds a lovely salty component to our salad. For this recipe I used ones that were not packed in oil, but feel free to use that if that is what you have.
  • Marinated Artichokes: We are using the marinating liquid for the dressing and chopping the artichokes for the salad.
  • Herbs: A combo of fresh herbs including mint and rosemary, but feel free to sub in your favorite herbs here.
  • Lemon: Both the juice and zest.
  • Garlic: To really make the flavors pop.

How to Make this White Bean Zucchini Salad

Start by cooking your zucchini and corn in a grill pan or regular pan until you’ve seared both sides, then set aside to cool and remove the corn from the cob.

To a bowl add in your white beans, zucchini, corn, diced marinated artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and cannellini beans. In a separate bowl or jar, add your dressing ingredients and give it a good mix before pouring it over your salad ingredients.

Give your bean salad a good toss to combine everything and adjust salt and pepper to taste then serve.

Tips for the Perfect Bean Salad

  • For optimal flavor of any salad, I recommend trying to opt for seasonal and fresh herbs and produce as much as possible. When your produce is in season they tend to be more flavorful.
  • Make sure to dice your veggies into bite size pieces. Not only will the salad be easier to eat, but it will allow more of the different flavors and textures in this salad to mingle together.
  • To help prevent your zucchini from getting soggy, cut into bigger chunks and avoid over stirring/turning your veggies to allow them to fully cook and sear on both sides.
  • Leave your cooked veggies spread out in the pan you cook it in to cool down. This will also prevent your veggies from getting soggy as piling them on top of each other while warm will cause them to steam if they are hot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are white beans nutritious?

There are different varieties of white beans, but probably the most common are cannellini beans, also known as white kidney beans. They are a great source of iron and fiber and also have potassium, folate, zinc and calcium. These are all nutrients I highly recommend vegans and vegetarians to include regularly as these are all nutrients that help to maintain good iron status, bone health and heart health.

Can I use white beans cooked from scratch?

Absolutely! Make sure to soak and then cook until perfectly tender before using in this dish.

How can I reduce the sodium in this dish?

You can choose canned beans that are free of added sodium or make sure to rinse your beans very well before adding to this dish. Rinsing your beans helps to remove a significant amount of sodium from the beans (about ~45% when done well to be precise). Another thing to note is that the amount of sodium you intake is more important to view from a big picture perspective. If you are mindful of not overconsuming processed foods and cooking more at home you are likely to not exceed your intake of sodium naturally.

What to Serve Your White Bean Zucchini Salad With

I love this salad on it’s own, but it would also go lovely tossed together with some freshly cooked pasta or even on top of some extra greens like spinach or even some massaged kale. Recently, when I’ve made this salad, I’ve been loving it with some rice, but you guys know by now I’m rice biased. I think rice goes good with everything.

More Bean Salads to Try

Close up view of a spoon coming up from the salad bowl.
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Bowl of bean salad overtop of some salad greens.

White Bean and Zucchini Salad

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  • Author: Catherine Perez
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Marinating Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 3 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This summer White Bean and Zucchini Salad is loaded with marinated artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh lemon. Quick to make and a good way to use up your summer produce.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large zucchini, cut into half moon shapes
  • 1 large ear of corn, kernels removed or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
  • 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
  • 1/3 cup marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
  • 1, 15 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • Pinch of salt and pepper

Dressing

  • 2 tbsp of the artichoke hearts marinade from the jar
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
  • 56 mint leaves or fresh basil, ripped into small pieces by hand
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced
  • 1 tsp maple syrup (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a large pan over medium heat, heat up your olive oil. Add your corn to one side of the pan and your zucchini to another side of the pan with a pinch of salt and sear on both sides until cooked, about 5 to 8 minutes. 
  2. Remove pan from heat and prep your remaining salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl and top with the cooked corn and zucchini. 
  3. In a separate small bowl or jar, combine your dressing ingredients and whisk until fully combined then pour it over your bean salad. 
  4. Carefully toss your beans with the dressing until fully coated and place in the fridge to marinade for about 30 minutes before serving. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

Notes

For optimal flavor of any salad, I recommend trying to opt for seasonal and fresh herbs and produce as much as possible as it impacts the final flavor of the salad.

Make sure to dice your veggies into bite size pieces. 

To help prevent your zucchini from getting soggy, cut into bigger chunks and avoid over stirring/turning your veggies to allow them to fully cook and sear on both sides.

Leave your cooked veggies spread out in the pan you cook it in to cool down. 

If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.

 Catherine

This post contains affiliate links which means I will make a small commission if you purchase from those links. I only recommend and share products that I know, trust and personally use myself!

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