This Spanish bean salad is a great tapas or buffet recipe. It's delicious on its own as a main meal but also great as a side dish and so speedy to prepare too! It's also vegan and gluten-free.
I am going on holiday to Spain soon and my thoughts have already turned to thinking about all the delicious food I'm going to eat once we're there. Don't you just love Spanish food too?
I know I'll be able to eat hearty bean dishes, light salads, freshly cooked fish as well as chicken and chorizo dishes quite happily for just over a week.
And as I'm thinking about all that gorgeous Spanish food, I'm also wanting to make Spanish dishes in my own kitchen in preparation.
I've got quite a lot of Spanish inspired recipes here on Searching for Spice. However, this easy bean salad, along with my spicy gazpacho, is one of my only vegan and vegetarian Spanish recipes.
I have to admit, I have a tendency to add chorizo to lots of my Spanish recipes for that lovely warm smoked paprika flavour. And if you feel that way too, you'll find loads of chorizo recipes on Searching for Spice including these wonderful huevos rotos, this chorizo and butter bean stew and this Spanish rice stuffed marrow.
But, back to this Spanish bean salad recipe!
What ingredients do you need for Spanish bean salad?
Do check out the full recipe card further down the post but basically, to make this red pepper and cannellini bean salad you'll need:
- Cannellini beans - I use a tin of cannellini beans but you can also use dried beans, you'll just need to soak and cook them first.
- Red peppers in oil - I use peppers from a jar but if you want you can roast your own peppers before making this.
- Onions - I usually use spring onions for this but red onions also work really well.
- Capers - These add a lovely flavour to this salad. I keep a jar in the fridge and just use a spoonful at a time as they keep well for a while.
- Vinegar - You can use white wine or sherry vinegar. Or if you don't have those then even red wine vinegar or cider vinegar will work.
- Extra virgin olive oil - Use a good quality olive oil for this
- Seasoning - Just a little salt and black pepper
How do you make this Spanish bean salad?
I don't think you even need any instructions. Just make sure to taste it and add extra seasoning, oil or vinegar to make it really sing!
The great thing about this Spanish cannellini bean salad is that you can prepare it in a matter of minutes. It's one of the easiest recipes there is! It really is just a matter of assembling the ingredients.
If you are making it with canned beans and peppers it is just a matter of mixing everything together. The only fresh ingredient is the spring onions but if you don't have spring onions you could use a little diced red or white onion. All the other ingredients are straight out of cans, jars and bottles.
That doesn't mean it's not a tasty salad. Oh no! It's full of flavour. The capers and onions along with the vinegar in the dressing make sure that this is a salad you will want to eat more of! It's just a really convenient store cupboard recipe for when you've almost run out of fresh ingredients.
Substitions and adaptations
If you find capers and onion quite strong then just add a little less of each. You could easily adapt the rest of the salad too. Why not add olives, diced fresh tomatoes or sundried tomatoes to mix it up a bit? You could even add some diced chilli pepper.
I love cannellini beans in this salad but it also works with kidney beans or black beans. Use whatever you have in the cupboad. After all, that's the whole point of a store cupboard recipe: Use what you have to hand!
How to serve this Spanish Bean salad
This vegan bean salad makes a great side dish or a main meal. I am happy to eat it by itself for a light lunch but have also eaten it with leftover couscous flavoured with ras el hanout.
It would be lovely with freshly baked crusty bread too to mop up the vinegary dressing. Why not make this garlic and herb butter quick bread to go with it?
How long can you store it in the fridge?
I love recipes that I can put back in the fridge and eaten the next day too. This Spanish bean salad is perfect for that. The flavours soak into the beans and it's possibly even better the next day.
It keeps well in the fridge for up to three days.
Recipe
Spanish Bean and Pepper Salad
Ingredients
- 400 g tin cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 2 skinned red peppers in oil cut into long strips
- 2 spring onions sliced
- 1 tablespoon capers rinsed
- 2 tablespoon white wine or sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch Salt to taste
- Pinch Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix gently together.
- Serve as a tapas, side dish or even as a main meal.
Notes
Nutrition
By the way, if you like salad recipes then do check out my main meal salads recipe collection! You might also like my Caribbean mixed bean salad.
Pin for later
Places I'm sharing this spanish bean salad
Cook Blog Share at Easy Peasy Foodie.
Keep in touch
Do let me know if you make this Spanish bean salad or any of my other recipes. I love to get feedback from readers.
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Hope
This looks like a delicious salad, and so quick and easy to prepare. I bet the capers give this salad a great flavour! I'm with you on chorizo it can get tempting to add it to pretty much anything!
Corina
Thanks Hope! I'm definitely going to be making this again soon.
Derek | Dad With A Pan
This is great to serve up during the summer! Definitely something I"ll have on my summer party list of things to make!
Corina
Thanks! I hope your guests enjoy it. It's always good to have some tasty easy recipes on hand when you've got visitors. As much as I love cooking for my family I hate having to spend all my time cooking and preparing food if I've got guests.
Lynne Curry
This is just the type of meatless meal I'd like to eat most of the time. Simple ingredients, exceptional flavors. And we're planning to take our family to Spain in 2018, so keep those inspired ecipes coming!
Corina
Thanks you! I am already planning to remake this as it's so easy and I'm sure you'll love Spain. We do and the food is great too!
Margot
What a beautiful recipe and versatile, too. Just the other day I was talking to my husband about starting to make more bean salads... And this is just perfect, I love all the flavours!
Corina
Thanks Margot! I use beans a lot in winter in soups and I think after this salad I'm going to be using them more all year round as well!
Sarah
I love bean salads! This one sounds really interesting!
Corina
Thanks Sarah!
Nicole
Much as I love meat, sometimes I just don't feel like it. This is beautiful - that the pop of red! and I love all those ingredients, especially capers -yum!
Corina
I'm so pleased you like it and I find bean salads are quite substantial and 'meaty' anyway, although like you I do love meat as well!
Eb Gargano / easypeasyfoodie.com
Love this idea, Corina...so up my street! I'm such a big fan of Spanish food and I love a quick and easy assembly job salad!! You are right, I'm struggling to think of any veggie Spanish dishes...and I don't think I have any on the blog...you will have to report back when you come back from your holiday (of which I am super jealous by the way!!) Thanks for linking your delicious salad up to #CookBlogShare 🙂 Eb x
Corina
I will definitely be reporting back and will probably try to recreate a few of my favourite holiday dishes afterwards too! x
Marie-Pierre Breton
I'm an expat living in beautiful Spain and I say this is SPOT ON Spanish flavors! Especially the Sherry Vinegar is a must if you want a Spanish flair to anything! Great dish!
Corina
I'm so pleased you like it Marie-Pierre! I might have to buy some nice sherry vinegar while I'm on holiday!
Jacqui bellefontaine
That looks delicious I want to eat it now. Its so my kind of dish too easy and quick, I can be quite lazy in the kitchen at times.
Feeling slightly jealous of your Spanish holiday. Last year we did a road tip driving down to the south of spain and back. It was quite a few years since I last went to Spain and I was blown away by the Spanish food ( in my opinion it beat the French food we had on the tip hands down).
Corina
It sounds like that would have been an amazing holiday Jacqui! I'd love to visit more places but as the children are young we'll just be spending time on the beach and in the pool, although we will get to eat nice food too!
Danielle Cushing
Cannelini beans are my favorite beans! And capers add instant flavor to anything!
Corina
They do! I don't use capers enough but I really should as I really enjoyed them in this. I have a feeling they'll be popping up in a few more recipes over the summer.
jenny paulin
this looks perfect for summer meals alongside a BBQ , and it looks so tasty too x
Corina
Thanks Jenny! Now you've mentioned it I am so looking forward to the weather being good enough for us to have our first bbq x
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
With grilling season finally here (almost) salads will be flying out of the kitchen. This looks like a nice hearty salad. Leftovers would be great for lunch too.
Corina
Yes, the leftovers were great for lunch! It's always good to have some leftovers and salads are usually great for that. Today I'll be eating a leftover quinoa salad for lunch.
Nicole
Wow! This looks delicious! I love a white bean salad. This reminds me of afternoon tapas in Spain with a nice glass of wine. I can't wait to try it.
Corina
Oh Nicole! I am so much looking forward to that when we're in Spain.
Mandy
This looks absolutely delicious! I would be delighted to find this on a menu in Spain. It is tricky to eat vegetarian in Spain but not impossible, especially if you have access to a kitchen. The fresh produce is amazing - especially the vegetables and pulses are readily available too. Eating out can be tricky - I've had many a lunch of tortilla, chips and salad!!
Corina
We'll be staying in an apartment so will be able to do a little cooking while we're there. I especially love the tomatoes and last time we went there were some great cherries and strawberries too!
Fred Nonterah
I really love your combination Corina, because I can't get full on a salad without some kind of meat in there. But beans will do the trick for me, especially good for an after 8 pm meal. Thanks for sharing!
Corina
Fred, I have to agree that if a salad doesn't have anything substantial in then I still feel hungry afterwards too. I find beans or grains usually work for me but I do love meat salads too.
Jo @ Jo's Kitchen Larder
I am so with you regarding chorizo! It is a staple in my kitchen and I use it all the time. Really like your bean salad. Love the fact that it uses mainly store cupboard ingredients yet looks so beautiful and vibrant! Enjoy your Spanish holidays! 🙂 x
Corina
Thanks Jo! x
Monika Dabrowski
This is a lovely recipe, so summery, puts me in mind of a summer bbq party! Thanks for sharing with #CookBlogShare:)
Corina
Thanks Monika! It would be great as a bbq side dish.
jacquee | i sugar coat it!
Love Spanish food! The colours and flavours in this dish are so deliciously vibrant!! You'll most certainly enjoy Spain!
Corina
Thanks Jacquee! I'm really looking forward to all the food when we're there!
Tara
Such a beautiful tapas dish! The flavors sound incredible. Have fun in Spain! I can't wait to go someday.
Corina
Thanks Tara! We are all so exited about our holiday - my daughter keeps asking how many days it is till we go every day now!