Italian White Bean Salad

This salad is perfect on its own, atop a green salad or served in a wrap. Extras keep nicely in the refrigerator for 3 days – making this a great weekday lunch or dinner. It’s quick to assemble and adaptable to what you have on hand in the fridge. We prefer the anchovy brand Ortiz over others, and feel their taste is a bit more balanced without being too fishy. If you're not a fan of anchovies, canned tuna could also work. Anchovies are an excellent source of Omega-3 fats. In this recipe the creaminess of the beans keeps the anchovy taste on the mild side, feel free to add more if you love anchovies! This also makes a nice addition to a trio salad lunch. Lastly, any white bean can work such as Great Northern too.

Serves: 3-4

Total time: 10 minutes

Plant-based: omit anchovies and adjust seasonings according to taste with a bit of sea salt.

Ingredients:

1 can (400g) Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

3 Ortiz anchovy fillets in olive oil, chopped

¼ red onion, thinly sliced

5 sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, diced

½ English cucumber, cut into thin pieces, quartered

½ red bell pepper, diced

3 sprigs parsley, chopped

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Juice of ¼ -½ lemon

Optional: pinch of red pepper flakes, 3 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Method:

1. In a medium-size bowl, mix the Cannellini beans through parsley.

2. Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice – mix well. Taste and adjust flavors if necessary.

3. If desired stir in a pinch of red pepper flakes and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts just before serving.

4. Serve room temperature or chilled. Keeps up to 3 days in the refrigerator.