Mixed Bean Salad
A grew up with this mixed bean salad recipe. For me it means summer and BBQs, it means eating leftover bean salad straight from the fridge the next day for lunch.
Why This Recipe Works
- Ecconomical, a very cheap recipe.
- Loaded with plant based goodness.
- Sweet and tangy, the pineapple makes it so delcious.
- Freezable, keep it in your freezer so it's always on hand.
Ingredients you will need
To make my mixed bean salad you will need a selection of dried beans. Haricot beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, blue peas, pinto beans etc. For the pickling liquid, you will need white vinegar, sugar, ground ginger, and salt. I also add capsicum, onion, celery, green beans, and crushed pineapple.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutes
This recipe and ingredient list were taken from the handwritten bean salad recipe kept in my mum's recipe folder. The original is below.
- Mixed dried beans and peas: You will need 3 cups or 600g of dried beans, you can choose the combination you like: Kidney beans, Lima beans, Pinto beans, Cranberry beans, Brown beans, Chickpeas, Haricot beans/Navy, Soy beans are all fine.
Step by step instructions
Below are illustrated step-by-step instructions to make my mixed bean salad recipe, if you prefer just the written instructions then head straight to the printable recipe card below.
Step one: Place all the dried beans in a large bowl, cover with water and soak overnight
Step two: Drain and rinse the beans
Step three: In a large saucepan of freshwater simmer the beans for 1 hour.
Step four: Slice the green beans and add to the hot saucepan of beans, Cook for 2 minutes. Let the cooked beans cool in the cooking water, strain, and transfer into a large basin
Step five: Pickling liquid: Heat the vinegar, sugar, salt, and water in a small saucepan. Simmer until all the sugar has dissolved and the pickling liquid is clear. Cool.
Step six: Add the pickling liquid to the cooked and cooled beans.
Step seven: Thinly slice the capsicum and celery. Finely dice the onion. Cut the cauliflower so you have very small 'buds'. Add the vegetables plus the tinned pineapple and ground ginger. Stir well.
Chill in the fridge as this mixed bean salad is best enjoyed cold!
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Top Tips
Here is how you can make this mixed bean salad perfectly every time!
- I know that 2 cups of sugar can seem like a lot, just remember this makes a huge amount of bean salad, the sugar in the pickling liquid really does make the bean salad delicious! I tried reducing it, but the recipe was just not as nice.
- If you don't like crunchy cauliflower you can add it to the beans for the last few minutes of cooking time if you prefer (at the same time as the sliced green beans)
- Chopping the cauliflower into tiny 'buds' can take a while, you can blitz the cauliflower into rough cauliflower rice if you refer.
- Mixed bean salad is the perfect side dish to grilled meats, ham steaks, left over chicken or Christmas ham.
FAQs
Bean salad will last up to 5 days if stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Yes, bean salad freezes well. Freeze bean salad for up to four months, defrost in the fridge.
Other salad recipes you might like
Mixed Bean Salad
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Ingredients
- ½ cup haricot beans 100g
- ½ cup lima beans 100g
- ½ cup red kidney beans 100g
- ½ cup chickpeas 100g
- ½ cup blue peas 100g
- ½ cup pinto beans 100g
- 200 g green beans
- 1 ½ cup white vinegar
- 2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ cup water
- 1 large onion
- 200 g cauliflower
- 185 g crushed pineapple
- 150 g celery
- 1 large green capsicum
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- Place all the dried beans in a large bowl, cover with water and soak over night
- Drain and rinse the beans
- In a large saucepan of fresh water simmer the beans for 1 hour.
- Slice the green beans and add to the hot saucepan of beans.
- Let the cooked beans cool in the cooking water, strain and transfer into a large basin.
- Pickling liquid: Heat the vinegar, sugar, salt, and water in a small saucepan. Simmer until all the sugar has dissolved and the pickling liquid is clear. Cool.
- Add the pickling liquid to the cooked and cooled beans
- Thinly slice the capsicum and add to the beans
- Prep your cauliflower, you want very small 'buds' of cauliflower. If this is too time consuming you can use cauliflower rice. Add to the beans.
- Finely dice the onion, add to the beans.
- Finely slice the celery, add to the beans.
- Add the crushed pinepple to the beans.
- Finally add the ground ginger to the bean and stir to combine.
- Chill in the fridge before serving.
Notes
- Mixed dried beans and peas: You will need 3 cups or 600g of dried beans, you can choose the combination you like: Kidney beans, Lima beans, Pinto beans, Cranberry beans, Brown beans, Chickpeas, Haricot beans/Navy Beans, Soybeans are all fine.
- I know that 2 cups of sugar can seem like a lot, just remember this makes a huge amount of bean salad, the sugar in the pickling liquid really does make the bean salad delicious! I tried reducing it, but the recipe was just not as nice.
- If you don't like crunchy cauliflower you can add it to the beans for the last few minutes of cooking time if you prefer (at the same time as the sliced green beans)
- Chopping the cauliflower into tiny 'buds' can take a while, you can blitz the cauliflower into rough cauliflower rice if you prefer.
- Mixed bean salad is the perfect side dish to grilled meats, ham steaks, or leftover Christmas ham.
- Bean salad will last up to 5 days if stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
- This bean salad freezes well. Freeze bean salad for up to four months, defrost in the fridge.
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