Super-Quick 2 Bean Salad (with lots of options)

When your meal needs a protein boost, beans come to the rescue. This super-easy 2 bean salad can be made in 10 minutes or less. Though the photos show this as a chickpea and black bean salad recipe, you can use whatever two-bean combo that may be in your pantry, and vary it every time you make it.

Sometimes, I make a pasta dish or a vegetable-centric main dish (for example, featuring potatoes or sweet potatoes), and then realize that the meal can use a protein boost.

Bonus — this simple dish gives you the plant-powered goodness and protein of seeds as well. It makes a great portable lunch packed into a container for work or school.

A hint of green: The green in this salad can be supplied by a small amount of fresh herbs, sprouts, or watercress. I’m always looking for ways to use watercress, one of the most nutrient-packed greens on the planet, and this salad is a good place to do so.

Beans that can be used in this salad

Use any two of the following:

• Black beans
• Black-eyed peas
• Cannellini or Great Northern beans
• Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• Navy beans
• Pink beans
• Red or kidney beans

… or any of your other favorites that may be less common than the varieties listed above.

Recipe is adapted from 5-Ingredient Vegan by Nava Atlas.

Explore more …

• Tasty, Easy Bean Salad Recipes
• Easy and tasty chickpea recipes
• Classic Three Bean Salad
• Festive 5 Bean Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
• Black Bean and Mango Salad with Avocado

Continue to Content

Yield: 4 to 6

Super-Quick 2 Bean Salad

Print

When your plant-based meal needs a protein boost, this quick 2 bean salad comes together in 10 minutes or less.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• Two 15-ounce cans beans (two varieties; see Note), drained and rinsed

• 1/3 cup bottled vinaigrette dressing, preferably balsamic (see note), or as desired

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, parsley, or watercress leaves

• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

• 1/4 cup toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds, or a combination

• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a serving bowl and stir together.
2. If time allows, let stand for 15 minutes or more before serving to develop flavor.

Notes

Here are some variations:

In choosing two different varieties of beans, just know that most varieties go well together. I like combining:

• Chickpeas and pink or black beans
• Cannellini (large white beans) and small red beans
• Pinto beans and black-eyed peas

If you don’t happen to have balsamic vinaigrette on hand, use extra virgin olive oil and balsamic or red wine vinegar.

If you want to convert it into the classic three-bean salad, by all means — just add about 2 cups of green beans, fresh (trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths) or frozen. Steam until tender-crisp in both cases, and increase the amount of vinaigrette.

If you’d like, serve the salad over mixed baby greens or add some cherry or grape tomatoes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 217Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 670mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 8gSugar: 13gProtein: 9g

Nutrition data is always an estimate depending on program used to calculate and exact products used.

See more plant-rich salads & sides.