Marinated Antipasto Bean Salad
This antipasto inspired bean salad combines all the delicious jarred veggies in one bowl and dresses it in a creamy pepperoncini dressing. Meal prep it for convenient deli like salads you can eat all week long.
Antipasto directly translates to “before a meal” in Italian. And if you’ve ever enjoyed an antipasto platter, you know it includes an assortment of antipasti, small appetizer-style bites, like jarred vegetables, olives, cheese, and/or cured meats.
A lot of those small bits, especially the different jarred vegetables used, work incredibly well paired with beans and marinated in a tasty dressing. That idea turned into this antipasto inspired bean salad. It’s the style of salad where the longer it marinates, the more flavorful it gets.
Why You’ll Love this Antipasto Bean Salad
- Relies primarily on pantry items. Which can be a tool to help you save time in the kitchen, especially if those staples come already chopped in their respective jars.
- A good way to get in fiber. Beans are an incredibly nutritious ingredient that provides fiber, protein, and iron to name a few nutrients. Putting them in this salad may help you get closer to your daily fiber goals.
- Easy to customize. As you’ll see below, there are a lot of different jarred or fresh vegetables you can use to swap in this salad. So make it the way you want it with what is available near you.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
The beauty of this recipe is that it’s just a template that you can use and change up based on what you have available to you and what your preferences are.
- Beans: Use the variety of beans you personally like! I went with chickpeas for more bite and cannellini beans for their creamier texture. Red kidney beans can be a swap for either if you want more variety.
- Pepperoncini: Make sure to keep the brine to use for the dressing! For ease, I like to get the jars that are pre-sliced.
- Roasted Bell Peppers: You can find jarred varieties that are cut into strips already. If you prefer, you can replace with fresh chopped red bell pepper.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: For ease and less chopping, use the julienned variety.
- Mini Cherry Peppers: Alternatively, you can use fresh sliced fresno chilies or the jarred variety. If you are sensitive to spice, I would recommend leaving this out.
- Artichoke Hearts: Get the marinated variety that are already quartered especially if you want to minimize chopping.
- Gherkins: They add a little sweetness to this salad. If you don’t like that, feel free to use your favorite pickles.
- Olives: I prefer castelvetrano olives as they have a buttery taste to them. Kalamata olives are a great alternative.
- Red Onion: White onion or shallots can work too.
- Spices: I used smoked paprika and dried oregano. Can be left out if you prefer to simplify the recipe further.
- Herbs: I recommend using parsley or cilantro for some freshness.
- Vinegar: Instead of white wine vinegar, feel free to use red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or rice vinegar.
- Mustard: Dijon mustard is ideal as it helps with emulsifying the dressing.
How to Make a Plant-Based Antipasto Bean Salad
Marinate the onions: Add the onions, paprika, oregano, lemon juice, oil, and a generous pinch of salt to a bowl. Massage the ingredients into the onions until softened. Set aside for 5 minutes.
Make the bean salad base: To the marinated onions, add the cannellini beans, chickpeas, pepperoncini, cherry peppers, roasted bell pepper, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, gherkins, olives, “feta”, and herbs.
Blend up the dressing: Add the garlic, pepperoncini brine, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, oregano, oil, and a generous pinch of salt to a blender cup and blend until creamy.
Dress and mix: Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Taste and adjust your seasonings, then cover and store in fridge until ready to eat.
Expert Tips
- Change up the ingredients. These were just the jarred veggies I personally was interested in adding, but much like antipasto, the components that are included vary based on family, region, and preference. Feel free to include other jarred veggies or even include fresh!
- For more protein, consider adding this Feta-Style Marinated Tofu in place of cheese.
- If you don’t feel like making the dressing, use your favorite store bought dressing instead.
How long does a bean salad keep in the fridge?
After dressing your beans, transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Since the veggies used are jarred, you don’t have to worry about your veggies getting soggy as the bean salad marinates.
Make It Balanced
You can absolutely enjoy this bean salad by the spoonful without the need of anything else. However, I find that this is infinitely better paired with some good whole grain sourdough bread. Alternatively, this in a high fiber wrap is also really good.
Watch Me Make This Recipe
Recipe videos provide a general idea for recipe preparation. Please read the full recipe instructions and notes for the most accurate recipe results.
More Bean Salads to Enjoy
- Marinated White Balsamic & Date Bean Salad
- Marinated Cilantro Lime Bean Salad
- Creamy Chipotle Bean Salad
- Charred Scallion Ranch Bean Salad
- Marinated Salsa Verde Bean Salad
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.
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Antipasto Bean Salad
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Ingredients
Quick Marinated Onions
- 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dry oregano
- Juice of half a lemon
- Kosher salt
Bean Salad
- 1, 15oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1, 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup pepperoncini, sliced (about 12 whole peppers)
- 4 oz jar of mini cherry peppers, drained
- 1/3 cup roasted red bell pepper strips, drained
- 4 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and julienned
- 10 gherkins, sliced
- 1/4 cup castelvetrano olives, pitted and chopped
- 1/3 cup crumbled “feta” (I used a homemade tofu feta for more protein)
- 1/3 cup parsley or cilantro
Pepperoncini Dressing
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 3 tbsp brine from the jar of pepperoncini
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1–2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp dry oregano
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Marinate the onions: To a large mixing bowl, add the onions, paprika, oregano, lemon juice, oil, and a generous pinch of salt. Use your hands to massage the ingredients into the onions until they are softened. Set aside while you prep your ingredients.
- To simplify this recipe and minimize chopping, opt for jarred vegetables that are already diced or julienned. If not, thinly slice or chop the remaining jarred vegetables as needed.
- Make the bean salad base: To the bowl of marinated onions, add the cannellini beans, chickpeas, pepperoncini, cherry peppers, roasted bell pepper, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, gherkins, olives, “feta”, and herbs.
- Blend up the dressing: To a blender cup or jar, add the garlic, pepperoncini brine, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, oregano, oil, and a generous pinch of salt. Blend (or seal and shake vigorously) until creamy.
- Dress and mix: Pour the dressing over the bean salad then toss to combine. Taste and adjust your seasonings, then cover and store in fridge until ready to eat. Enjoy served with toasted bread!
Notes
Change up the ingredients. These were just the jarred veggies I personally was interested in adding, but much like antipasto, the components that are included vary based on family, region, and preference. Feel free to include other jarred veggies or even include fresh!
For more protein, consider adding this Feta-Style Marinated Tofu in place of cheese.
If you don’t feel like making the dressing, use your favorite store bought dressing instead.
This salad will last 5 days in the fridge.
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