Bean-medley salad and lemon-tahini dressing

Serve this triple-bean salad with a creamy lemon-tahini dressing for a quick weeknight meal or for easy entertaining.

Bean salads are my go-to for any number of kitchen scenarios. Because they come together in minutes, they are ideal for quick lunches or weeknight dinners — and because they’re crowd-pleasers, they are perfect party fare. Add in endless adaptability in the form of dressings, herbs and other add-ins, and you also have a dish that’s anything but boring.

This salad of green beans, kidney beans and chickpeas combines a variety of textures and hues — crisp to creamy, purple to green. The beans’ earthiness is complemented with fresh parsley and a nutty yet bright lemon-tahini dressing.

Dressings that use tahini rather than oil are good fits for bean salads not only because of their creamy texture and roasted flavor but because they are nutritionally advantageous. In this salad, beans and seeds combine to make a complete protein.

Bean-medley salad and lemon-tahini dressing

Serves 4–6

This colorful and hearty salad makes a satisfying yet light meal or side dish. For a vegan variation, replace the honey with maple syrup.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1-1/2 cups cooked kidney beans (or 1 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
• 1-1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
• 1/2 cup loosely packed parsley, roughly chopped
• 1-1/2 lemons, juiced
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 cup tahini
• Big pinch salt

Directions:

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add 1 cup of ice and 1 cup of water to a medium bowl. Boil the green beans until they are bright green and crisp-tender, for 2 to 5 minutes. Strain the green beans and immediately add to the ice water bath. Once the beans are completely cooled, strain out the water and pull out any remaining ice.
2. Add the lemon juice, honey, tahini and salt to a small bowl and stir until smooth. Add the strained green beans, kidney beans, chickpeas and parsley to a large bowl. Pour over the lemon-tahini dressing and toss to evenly distribute. Serve cold or at room temperature.

More bean salad recipes

Tuna and cannellini bean salad
Tonight’s dinner: Indian garbanzo bean salad recipe
Barley salad with chickpeas, fava beans and peas