Spring is finally here so it’s Tasty Four Bean Salad!

Hi everyone!! Spring is finally here and that means it’s the start of “Tasty Four Bean Salad Season” in my house! The recipe I’m sharing is one that is served on repeat all through the spring and summer months in my house and my husband, in particular, would eat this salad every single day if I made it. He sees it as a way for me to profess love for him every week: by making his favorite bean salad. Hey, I adore him, so I gladly oblige!

This tasty salad is a healthy alternative to all the simple carbs we ingest around here (hello, white rice!), is quite filling (beans are complex carbs, yay!) and tastes absolutely delicious. My recipe is simple, requires no actual cooking, and is cost-effective as well – so it’s an overall winning alternative for every-day meals feeding a crowd. If you’re a fan of meal-prepping, this recipe is perfect for that! It will easily hold in the fridge for a full week and tastes even better as the days go by. The beans soak up all the dressing’s goodness as the days go by and oh boy, it turns out to be a great treat! No one, and I mean NO ONE feels deprived after they’ve had it.

Oh, the recipe is easy to modify if you’re on a diet. For instance, if you’re avoiding all sugars, you can remove the balsamic vinegar and the tablespoon of sugar and you wouldn’t really be missing out on a truly great bean salad. Likewise, if you’re in a vegan diet, you can switch and use a plant-based sweetener that fits your lifestyle.

You should know this is also the one recipe I’ve shared the most with my family and friends. It’s based on a Goya recipe I came across in a magazine a few years ago. I’ve adapted it and – through trial and error – modified it to our liking. My resulting recipe – in my humble opinion, – is a lot more solid than the original. Pretty much EVERYONE requests to have the recipe after they’ve tasted it for the first time. So now I’m sharing it with you, officially memorializing it on the internet, and hoping you enjoy it as much as others have!

PS. Yes, I use Goya beans as well as their adobo, but you can use your preferred brand. Also, don’t feel limited by the beans listed on the recipe. You can use your preferred mix of beans, use more than 4 types, or whichever ones you have in your pantry at the moment. I have and see absolutely no reason to avoid doing so – except for maybe aesthetic reasons (this color combination is so pretty!).

Tasty Four Bean Salad

For the salad:

• 1 can red kidney beans, strained
• 1 can black beans, strained
• 1 can cannellini beans, strained
• 1 can garbanzo beans, strained
• 2/3 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/2 medium tomato, chopped
• 2 tsp. fresh garlic, minced (more if you’re a garlic lover)
• 2 tsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 culantro leaves, finely chopped

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• Adobo Goya with pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Pour the four cans of beans into a large bowl. Wash well and strain through a colander (do not skip this step).
2. Return beans to the bowl and add the rest of the salad ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk all the dressing ingredients for a minute or until everything is fully incorporated.
4. Pour the resulting dressing over salad and carefully toss with a fork until fully coated.

You can serve chilled or at room temperature right after you’ve made it. However, as I explained above, it tastes even better as the days go by. The beans soak up all the dressing’s goodness as the days go by and oh boy, it turns out to be a great treat!  Salad will easily hold in the fridge for a full week. Enjoy!