This recipe was inspired by one of our many veggie-based cookbooks that we have been flipping through as our garden and spring CSA harvests have been coming in.  I’ve been loving discovering new inspiration for veggies, and bringing in new recipes to our rotation always keeps things fun. 

For our three beans, I used canned kidney and garbanzo beans, along with freshly prepared fava beans from our garden.  I picked these three beans mostly for the aesthetic value, and the varied textures that I got between the creamy kidney beans, fresh fava beans, and garbanzo beans that have a little bit of bite.  You can use any of your favorite beans here, or only use two or one types of bean.  Cook a big batch from dry, or make your life easier by using canned.  It will all work, and it will all result in a delightful, hearty, plant-based main dish.  The beans are paired with a simple Dijon vinaigrette, and additional parsley and scallions give the beans a nice, fresh flavor that is definitely welcome.

This salad is loaded with plant-based protein, and we ate it as the main dish for our dinner last night.  I used the leftovers as a salad topper for my lunch today, and still have even more for future lunches.  This recipe definitely makes a good amount (enough for a family of 4, or great for meal prep option for lunches).   

Recipe down below, photo up top!

Three Bean Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• 1 ½ cups fresh fava beans, blanched and dried
  • Sub for prepared edamame
• ½ cup of chopped parsley
• 4 scallions, sliced thinly
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt

Method:

1. Drain canned beans in a colander and rinse thoroughly with running water in the sink.  Shake to remove as much water as possible, transfer to a large bowl.
2. Add your prepared fava beans (if starting from fresh beans, shuck and blanch in boiling water for about 5-7 minutes until fully tender) to the bowl of canned beans.
3. Roughly chop the parsley, and thinly slice the scallions starting at the end with the scallion whites and including most of the greens.  Transfer chopped parsley and scallions into the bowl with the beans.
4. In a separate bowl, add the Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt.  Use a small whisk to fully incorporate the ingredients together into a smooth vinaigrette.  Once thoroughly mixed, add all of the vinaigrette to the beans.
5. Stir to combine all of the ingredients together, until everything is evenly coated in the vinaigrette. 
6. Serve and enjoy!