Three bean salad is a side dish screaming for a makeover. This canned bean deli staple has the potential to sing not hum when fresh ingredients are used and the syrupy sweet dressing is toned down to enhance not overwhelm. (I think pancake syrup has less sugar in it.)
I start with fresh green and yellow beans. To that I add an onion, kidney beans and a kinder, gentler dressing. The result is a very fresh, crunchy sweet-sour salad. It keeps well, but likely won’t last long.
Above, freshly picked from my garden, Soleil yellow beans, Fortex green beans and Gold of Bacau romano beans make an exceptional salad. Blanching brings out their color and flavor.
RECIPE: Garden Fresh Three Bean Salad
Ingredients – Salad
- 2 pounds of your favorite beans
- (a mixture of gold and yellow, filet and romano beans)
- 1 large sweet onion
- 1 can of red kidney beans
Ingredients – Dressing
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey (or sugar)
- pinch of kosher or sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- optional twist: add a couple drops of sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds to dressing
Preparation – Salad
- Blanch beans: dip fresh beans in salted boiling water for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove when colors brighten, rinse with cold water to cool down beans
- Chop into bite-size pieces and place in bowl
- Thinly slice a sweet onion into rings, then halve rings
- Add to chopped beans
- Rinse 15 oz. can of kidney beans, drain and add to chopped beans
- Mix all the ingredients, refrigerate
- Make dressing
Preparation – Dressing & Salad
- Add all dressing ingredients to small bowl
- Whisk to combine ingredients
- Drizzle over bean bowl and toss salad
- Cover and refrigerate for an hour
- Toss before serving
You’ll never think of three bean salad the same way again.
Oh and one last thing…Here’s to trying new things and playing with your food.
21 responses so far ↓
1 Pam // Sep 26, 2010 at 10:12 pm
What a beautiful salad! I am inspired and have a bag of beans already picked. It is a gray, dreary day in the NW corner–thank you for making it brighter!
2 Three Bean Salad Recipe: Healthy, Simple, Fresh | CookingPlanet // Sep 27, 2010 at 12:24 am
[...] Healthy Recipes : Three Bean Salad Recipe: Healthy, Simple, Fresh [...]
3 Tweets that mention Three Bean Salad Recipe: Healthy, Simple, Fresh -- Topsy.com // Sep 27, 2010 at 12:44 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mark Hanegan, Tom Conway. Tom Conway said: Fresh from the garden. Here's a healthier, tastier three bean salad recipe: http://bit.ly/a4l9p3 [...]
4 brion // Sep 27, 2010 at 2:47 pm
and nothing got burned
5 Tom // Sep 27, 2010 at 3:03 pm
Touche’ Brion, yep this time I thought I’d stick to a kitchen appliance that only chills…
6 June // Sep 27, 2010 at 3:33 pm
Beautiful beans Tom – I’d kill for some of the Soleil yellow ones and this salad looks super sans the ton and a half of sugar in the regular version.
7 brion // Sep 27, 2010 at 3:46 pm
that knife looks like something out of a hitchcock movie…be careful we don’t want to be calling you Lefty Conway
8 Tom // Sep 27, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Brion, I’ll be careful; so far I have all my fingers. My focus is much better when wielding cutlerly, than when watching a pot.
9 renae // Sep 27, 2010 at 4:55 pm
I’m digging the letters with green beans.
10 Tom // Sep 27, 2010 at 11:35 pm
Renae, you should see what I can do with a peapod.
11 Sandy // Sep 28, 2010 at 2:32 am
Lovely! It is one of those things I think I should like, but I never do when I try the pre-made kind. I’ll have to add this to my list of recipes to try.
12 Sophie // Sep 28, 2010 at 9:14 am
What a beautiful multi coloured bean salad, Tom!! I love your tasty dressing too!
I think I will make this this evening because I still have fresh runner yellow beans & fresh smaller green beans from my father’s garden!!
MMMMM,…Lovely food!
I just added your blog to my favourite blogs on my blog!
13 Tom // Sep 28, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Sophie, thanks for the kind comments and addition to your blogroll. I’m smiling ear to ear–most appreciated!
14 Rich // Oct 29, 2010 at 7:35 am
The three bean salad, done well (as you have shown), is so unbelievably underrated. Yeah, healthy, simple, fresh, sure. But freaking delicious, too! That looks incredible. Seriously, it looks awesome …
15 Lin // Nov 28, 2010 at 2:16 pm
Hey looks great!!
??? Can u use regular vinegar and stevia instead of honey or sugar, or will it destroy end result?? Humm
16 Tom // Nov 28, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Hi Lin, apple cider vinegar would work, but I don’t know much about stevia. Mix a tablespoon of vinegar and pinch or so of stevia to test it out. See how that sample tastes. You may just have something there.
17 Lin // Nov 28, 2010 at 3:22 pm
k thanks have apple cider vinegar never thought of that alternative, and stevia is just a natural herbal sweetener been using it for some time in anything that calls for sugar and for your followers ya just a tiny tiny drop of it in a recipe of 2 T of olive oil and 3 T vinegar. So will try it and let u know hope doesn’t wreck the recipe!!! Thanks Tom
18 Lin // Nov 28, 2010 at 5:06 pm
hey Tom , k tried the recipe with the stevia family loved it. But i did add a bit of oregano, was great salad thank you. Can be used as side dish with family or like me can be a meal thank you!!!
19 michele // Jul 6, 2011 at 1:12 pm
Just made it, is great, used stevia and the sesameseeds, nice addition
20 jan s. // Jul 12, 2011 at 9:49 am
I love the bean font!
21 RecipeLuv | Website development - analyzing your potential audience // Jul 22, 2011 at 6:22 am
[...] always a great place to start! If you’d rather cook instead, here’s a delicious Three Bean Salad Recipe from Tall Clover [...]
Leave a Comment