Three Bean Salad with Lemon and Dill
A healthy dose of salt, spice, acid, and herbs stand up to the hearty beans in this Three Bean Salad. This is a three-bean salad at its best.
I recently started a new 9-5 job after a 2.5-year hiatus that consisted of downing lots of coffee and staring at a computer screen for hours on end with my head about to explode. In other words, I was in graduate school. When I announced I was about to re-enter the workforce and start a “real” job, it surprised me how many people commented how much my life will change. That I will, in fact, have to shower and get dressed before noon each day. I found this quite comical because, in the past year, I’m guessing I wasn’t the only one working in my pajamas, whether in graduate school or not. That is the life of working during a pandemic, after all.
After much contemplation, I realized they were onto something, though. As we all start getting back into the office, we are back to the morning grind of shoving whatever leftovers we have in the refrigerator into our bag for lunch as we sprint out the door. On top of this, it is the middle of summer, and cooking in 95+ degree heat is no small feat. This Three Bean Salad with Lemon and Dill is the perfect way to beat the heat and have a crave-worthy lunch, whether you are back in the office or not.
It is light and filling; packed with kidney beans, butter beans, and crisp green beans. The heavy-textured dressing of walnuts, lemon juice, jalapeños, dill, parsley, and olive oil stands up to the hearty beans in the best way possible. It has the perfect combination of spice, salt, acid, herbs, and fat. In other words, this is not your typical 3 bean salad. It’s better.
Possible Substitutions: Use what you have
BUTTER BEANS AND KIDNEY BEANS. Use any combination of chickpeas, black-eyed peas, or cannellini beans instead of or in addition to butter beans or kidney beans.
WALNUTS. Pine nuts or almonds are excellent substitutes for walnuts.
DILL AND PARSLEY. Use any mix of soft herbs that look good, you have on hand, or are in season.
Frequently Asked Questions about Three Bean Salads with Lemon and Dill
Store the salad in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Yes. Store the dressing in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
This dressing is awesome spread over steak and steamed, grilled, or roasted vegetables.
While this salad is an excellent lunch all on it’s own, it is also the perfect addition to any barbecue, dinner party, holiday, or get-together any time of year.
Before you Start: A note on Butter Beans
If you think you don’t like beans, I beg you to try butter beans. They are enormous and have a creamy, potato-like texture that melts in your mouth. They are unlike any other bean and are truly worth seeking out. If you have a hard time finding the canned variety and have the time and patience to cook dried beans, try cooking them from scratch. I love Rancho Gordo’s Royal Corona beans for both their quality and taste.
More Citrus Recipes to Try
- Grilled Carrots with Jalapeño, Lime, and Cotija
- Simple Spinach Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing
- Citrus Pulled Pork Tacos with Garlic-Lime Sauce
Three Bean Salad with Lemon and Dill
A healthy dose of salt, spice, acidity, and herbs stand up to the hearty beans in this Three Bean Salad. This is a 3 bean salad at its best.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 2/3 cup (100g) shelled walnuts
- 1 large bunch parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup (40g) dill leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, about the juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the salad:
- 1/2 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 (15-ounce) can butter beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Toast the walnuts. Heat a large pot over medium heat and toast the walnuts, occasionally stirring, until lightly browned and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Remove the walnuts to a cutting board and let cool. Once cooled, finely chop the walnuts.
- Boil the water. Add water and salt to the large pot you used for toasting the walnuts and bring to a boil.
- Make the dressing. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the parsley, dill, olive oil, walnuts, garlic, jalapeños, lemon juice, and salt. Adjust salt and lemon juice to taste. Set the dressing aside.
- Blanch the green beans. Once the water is boiling, place the green beans in the water. Cook for 1.5- 2 minutes, or until the green beans are bright green, tender, and crisp. Once cooked, drain the green beans, pat dry, and place them into a large serving bowl.
- Make the salad. Add the canned beans, salt, and dressing to the green beans. Gently toss to coat. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
Notes
COOKING FOR 1 or 2? Use a 15-ounce can of mixed beans (4 bean varieties in this salad works great too!) and halve the recipe.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 274 calories
- Sugar: 1.9g
- Sodium: 121mg
- Fat: 19.4g
- Saturated Fat: 2.8g
- Carbohydrates: 21.4g
- Fiber: 6.4g
- Protein: 7.5g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: mixed bean salad, 3 bean salad, three bean salad recipe
I love this recipe! So crisp, fresh, and nutritious too. So tasty, and not your typical 3-bean salad. Thanks so much!
I’m so happy to hear you like it! 🙂