Three Bean Salad Recipe

This three bean salad recipe is full of flavor and nutrients. Not only is it satisfying for the tastebuds and for your gut, but it’s easy to make. With only a few simple ingredients, you can have a delicious bean salad in minutes.

What is Three Bean Salad Made of?

Three bean salad is exactly what the name implies: a salad made with three types of beans dressed with salad dressing.

For this Three Bean Salad Recipe you’ll need green beans, chickpeas, black beans, and great northern beans. Yes, I use four beans in my 3-bean salad, feel free to choose you favorite 3. I always advise to keep the green beans in for color and texture.

You’ll also need lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, fresh cilantro or parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper. This will be the dressing we assemble to flavor the beans. This will also help keep the three bean salad good for 3-5 days in the fridge!

This recipe calls to use canned beans. Canned foods are gluten-free and if you’re concerned about cross-contact with the canned beans, be sure to rinse your beans thoroughly. This also will help reduce the sodium (if you care about it), and some of the difficult to digest starches that are known to cause gas in some people.

If you prefer, you can also use 2 cups of cooked dried beans as a substitute for the cans of beans. For those who need certified gluten-free beans, Edison Grainery is a great option.

Why is Three Bean Salad Good For You?

So we covered what a three bean salad is, but why is it good for you? This salad contains beans which are a gluten-free source of protein, iron, magnesium, fiber, and folate. Not only that but the vitamin C from the lemon juice increases the iron absorption.

This is important because many conditions, like celiac disease, require these nutrients. For example, anemia with celiac disease caused by folate or iron deficiency is common, foods like 3 beans salads can help support these deficiencies through diet.

That’s not all, a 2021 meta-analysis of the benefits of beans found that including beans into your diet can protect your metabolic, heart, and colon health while reducing inflammation.

So not only are beans nutrient powerhouses, full of vitamins and minerals essential to supporting health in many disease but they also have been found to have protective benefits to your heart, colon, and metabolism.

What do You Eat With Three Bean Salad

Alright, so we’ve talked about the health benefits of beans, what a three bean salad is made of, so now let’s talk how to enjoy this three bean salad recipe.

For me, this is my first-pick when it comes to bringing gluten-free dishes to cook-outs. It’s a refreshing salad that I can assemble easily and affordably that everyone loves. However, you don’t just have to serve this three bean salad as a salad, other creative ways to serve this recipe include:

Serving this bean salad as a three beans salsa. Providing a bowl of corn chips next to the salad for people to scoop the beans out with. Not only is this delicious but it will pack in some extra fiber from the gluten-free whole grains in the corn chips.
Use this salad as a filling for tacos made with 100% corn tortillas. If you’re gluten-free and vegan, this makes a delicious protein-rich option for tacos.
Top Vegan Breakfast Nachos with this bean mixture for a flavor boost! Because a lot of flavor from nachos comes from cheese and seasoned meat, topping your nachos with seasoned beans is a great alternative to boost flavor!
Mix into a leafy green salad to add extra vitamins, minerals, protein and flavor! Not only will this boost the nutrition of a salad but it will also improve how satisfying a salad is. Offering some protein and fiber to keep you full for longer.
Make an extra iron-rich meal but serving this bean salad along side seafood or red meat like ground beef.

Now that we know how to enjoy this delicious salad, let’s dive into make this SUPER easy recipe.

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