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Easy White Bean Salad (Small Batch)

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5 from 1 rating
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If you're looking for a quick light lunch that doesn't leave you with a week's worth of leftovers, this easy white bean salad is it. Made with a single can of white beans, fresh chopped veggies, and a delightful lemon vinaigrette, it's the perfect small-batch recipe for busy weekdays.

A glass bowl filled with a fresh white bean salad including cherry tomatoes, cucumber, capers, red onion, and chopped parsley, placed on a white napkin with lemon slices and cherry tomatoes nearby.

"Made this for dinner last night. Added baby spinach chopped. It was delish! Wife said this is a keeper!"

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Christopher, One Happy Dish reader

One of my favorite things about this salad is that it makes the perfect amount for just two servings. So you can enjoy a bowl for lunch today and save the second for tomorrow if you're cooking for one. I also opted for a 2-serving salad to minimize waste and unused ingredients afterward (two of my biggest pet peeves.) 😉

Even better, the flavors only get better as the salad sits, making it an excellent make-ahead option for meal prep.

🌿 Ingredients

Top-down view of labeled ingredients in bowls for a white bean salad: cannellini beans, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, parsley, capers, honey, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, olive oil, and salt & pepper.

If you can't find canned cannellini beans, great northern beans are a great substitute and work equally well. The capers are optional, but highly recommended!

See recipe card below for exact quantities.

📝 Instructions

A metal whisk rests in a glass bowl containing a fresh lemon vinaigrette on a white countertop.
Place all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
A glass bowl containing sliced red onions, capers, chopped parsley, grape tomatoes, cannellini beans, and diced cucumber, arranged in separate sections on a white marble countertop.
Prep the beans, veggies and parsley, and mix everything well with the dressing.

🥧 Serving suggestions

You can serve this salad on its own for a light lunch, top with some grilled chicken or fish, or tuck it into a pita for a more robust lunch. One of my favorite add-ons is a simple can of tuna. Just drain and flake it over your salad, and mix to combine. So good!

🍅 Use up the extras

If you have extra parsley or lemon left over, you can use them in any of these other recipes this week:

Or for extra cherry tomatoes and cucumber, this chopped Caprese salad will make great use of them.

🍳 Recipe

A glass bowl filled with a white bean salad made with chopped cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion, capers, and fresh parsley, placed on a white napkin with squeezed lemon slices nearby.

Easy White Bean Salad (Small Batch)

Allison Campbell
5 from 1 rating
This quick and easy white bean salad recipe comes together in just minutes with canned white beans, chopped veggies, and a lemon vinaigrette.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings: 2
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Calories: 161
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

For the dressing:
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup to make vegan
  • sea salt to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the salad:
  • 1 15-oz can cannellini beans or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • ½ small cucumber diced
  • 2 tablespoons red onion thinly sliced
  • 2 springs fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 tablespoon capers optional, but delightful

Equipment

Method
 

  1. Combine the dressing ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Adjust seasonings to your taste.
    2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon honey, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
  2. Wash and drain the beans, prep the veggies and parsley, and combine everything with the capers and dressing in a larger mixing bowl.
    1 15-oz can cannellini beans, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, ½ small cucumber, 2 tablespoons red onion, 2 springs fresh parsley, 1 tablespoon capers
  3. Enjoy immediately, or store in the fridge for later.

Nutrition

Calories: 161kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 1gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gSodium: 150mgPotassium: 251mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 485IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 1mg

Notes

Storage: Keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Add protein: Toss in canned tuna, grilled chicken, or a chopped hard-boiled egg for a heartier lunch.
Vegan: Use maple syrup instead of honey.

Did you make this recipe?

I'd absolutely love for you to leave a review!
Top: A bowl of white bean salad with tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, capers, and parsley. Bottom: A glass bowl with fresh lemon vinaigrette and a whisk. Text reads “Easy White Bean Salad. Lunch Today, Lunch Tomorrow. www.onehappydish.com.”

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Comments

  1. Christopher

    5 stars
    Made this for dinner last night. Added baby spinach chopped. It was delish! Wife said this is a keeper!

    Reply

    • Allison Campbell

      Thanks so much, Christopher! Love the idea of adding spinach; that sounds delicious. So glad it was a hit with both of you. 🙂

      Reply
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