Salads and fresh tomatoes scream SUMMER to me. I love to cook, but, when it’s 95 degrees outside, I love not having to cook! That’s why this White Bean and Red Tomato Salad is worth a try. It’s the star of a simple, fast, protein-packed lunch or just darling as a colorful side dish.

This is also the perfect recipe for using those dried beans you have stashed in the freezer. Just pull out a cup of them, and defrost the beans in some cold water for a few minutes. The beans will defrost quickly, but still be cool and refreshing. Just what you want on a hot day!

Great Northern beans, with their subtle taste and creamy texture, are lovely here because they let the garden-fresh flavor of the tomato shine. Feel free to substitute any other beans though. I’m sure garbanzo and others would work well too!

White Bean & Tomato Salad
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White Bean and Red Tomato Salad

With no cooking, this quick and easy salad makes for a satisfying lunch, or a simple side dish in the Summer-time.

No fancy equipment here. Just get out a bowl, spoon, and sharp knife and you'll be eating in no time.

Course Salad
Cuisine Simple
Keyword beans, herbs, tomatoes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1 serving (or 2 servings as a side dish)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup frozen Great Northern beans, defrosted drained canned beans can also be used
  • 1 medium tomato, chopped farmers market fresh or heirloom varieties if you can find them
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

  1. Put all ingredients in a bowl and gently mix until Italian seasoning is evenly distributed.

  2. Taste, adjust seasoning and eat!

I can imagine how yummy this would taste with some fresh basil too. After all, basil and tomatoes go oh so nicely together. The heirloom tomato here was the start of the dish and when you have fresh, in season tomatoes, you really can’t go wrong.

Happy eating!
Sandy

Welcome to 5 Ingredient Friday! Here you'll find a recipe with 5 ingredients or less (shhh... water, oil, salt, pepper don't count). Recipes don't need a lot of ingredients to be yummy. Fewer ingredients means simpler prep. It also means you'll have them memorized in no time. 5 Ingredient recipes are the backbone of my everyday cooking. I hope you find a place for this recipe in your kitchen.