Thank you for the wonderful recipes on this site. I've made many of them and haven't found a bad one yet!

One question on this recipe: red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar?

Either. We used red wine vinegar, but you could use white. ~Elise

Sounds good! I love combining different herbs for maximum impact!

My mom makes a really interesting variant of this. Throw in some diced tomatoes for a nice flavor. Also, if you have it, throw in a bit of garam masala.... YUM.

Some diced tomatoes would be a great addition. The white bean and cherry tomato salad we have on the site also adds Parmesan and some chopped anchovy fillets - incredibly good. ~Elise

We make several variations of this (it's great with Rancho Gordo's Mayacama beans) and love it during the summer. Beautiful photo!

This is great with tuna packed in oil and chopped ripe black olives either oil cured or brined. A stalk of celery chopped fine is also a welcome addition. I drain the beans and rinse them so the oil and herbs blend. It is also good prepared warm with shrimp. It is based on a Tuscan dish I believe. It is a very versatile concoction.

Oh, I love the idea of adding tuna or shrimp. We always have canned tuna (packed in oil) in the pantry so will have to try that next time. BTW, I asked my mother about rinsing the beans. She said that the water in which the beans are packed has a lot of the bean flavor, so she only drains away the excess, and doesn't rinse. ~Elise

YUM! White beans + herbes de provence = magic on a plate.

I make something very similar - I omit the red onion/lemon juice/vinegar, add a bit of garlic powder, warm it in the microwave and serve on top of green salad. It's one of my ways of coaxing myself to eat salad on frosty winter days.

Definitely add the tuna. I make this with cannellini beans, mashed garlic, oil-packed Italian tuna, chopped tomatoes and either capers, or chopped arugula and chives. Make sure the beans and tuna are well-drained, and squeeze and remove the tomato juice if you are adding tomatoes. I usually make a lemon vinaigrette (complete with mustard, shallot, and herbs), and just dress the ingredients with that.

Great recipe! I make something very similar and it is perfect for those nights when you're crunched for time. You can adapt it a million ways. I sometimes add chopped tomatoes/tuna/chicken and throw it over pasta. I have also added some chicken broth and pureed it into a quick and tasty bean soup.

Quick bean salads have become my go-to lunch. I keep a variety of canned beans in the pantry, and I'll mix them with whatever I have on hand. Leftover smoked chicken or roasted pork, any diced vegetable (tomato, carrot, onion, cucumber, roasted beet, grilled asparagus or sweet potato, red pepper) a little chopped herb (usually cilantro or basil). I like to use hazelnut oil and a blend of sherry and balsamic vinegars. And always LOADS of freshly ground pepper!

I love white bean salads. I make a similar one with roasted red peppers. It's delicious!

Add some diced tomato, possibly some roasted corn, some diced jalapeno, replace the herbs with cilantro and you have what we call cowboy caviar. Might also want to swap the lemon juice for lime. Great with chips. Made a bean salad last week, and you have me hankering for another one this week. Thanks!

Made this tonight for dinner to serve with grilled chicken - so simple, healthy, and tasty. Will add to my "go to" list of recipes! Thanks so much to you and your mother!

This will be perfect to make tomorrow. It sounds and looks delicious. Did you use a white or red wine vinegar? Thanks!

Either one will do. ~Elise

I like to add canned tuna to a White Bean Salad!
Great photo!

I make a similiar salad with chick peas and add sliced black olives, tomatoes and a little feta cheese. I believe this would work with white beans also. Thanks for a new idea.

What a great, easy recipe! It sounds like your mom cooks a lot like I do. When I come up with something that everyone just raves over and I try to duplicate it, I never can. So, if something turns out good, now I write it down immediately before I forget what I did. I finally wrote down my chili recipe once I knew I had perfected it.

I'm glad I found your site. I love all your recipes and the family stories, too. I'll be adding your site to my Favorite Links on our site.

I am not a leafy salad eater. I dunno why it just wont sit well with me to put some spinach/lettuce together and have as a salad. Bean salad has always been my fav. I love this one. I have used white bean along with 2 other types.

My latest fav is corn and bean salad where I have also used Mayacoba bean. Was yum.Will try this one for sure.

Love this dish! For 15 years I was married to a Sicilian woman who was a complete artist in the kitchen. This was one of her best dishes, but if I recall correctly she also added some finely diced mint to help round out the flavors and add a brightness that rocked!

One of her other best recipes was a condiment called Amogio Sauce. We used this with meat, fish, poultry, bread and pasta. I have tried to recreate this dish many times and have always seemed to miss the essence of the dish. Mint seems to be the missing ingredient. Chowbelly's Amogio

There's a very similar recipe in the Joy of Cooking. It uses tarragon and spanish olives and suggests adding tuna to make it a full meal. It's one of my favorite bean salads. Healthy too!

Fantastic! I have made this three times already with different variations - all good. All herbs work well and the addition of the Indian garam masala is particularly good! It is a great workday lunch - easy enough to fix up in the morning and the flavors meld together in the fridge come lunch time. Thanks for the recipe!

I have been looking for a simple recipe like this for a while, and oh it's so good.

I've already had to make a second batch. It's delicious!

Thank you for a nice easy recipe that is very flavorful. I made this the other night, and my 7-year-old foodie gave it two big thumbs up!

I love quick and good. So going to try this. Glad you mom is a genius.

I have made this a couple of times now. Once with garbanzo beans, peas and corn. The next time with garbanzo, black beans and corn. Both times I added onion and garlic and used seasoned rice wine vinegar. I used fresh dill and fresh basil too. Whatever I had fresh on hand. It was absolutely fabulous! There are never any leftovers. It has endless combination possibilities. Thanks!

I will make it again, so nice, so easy.

Love this! Add capers and chopped sundried tomatoes ... bliss!