Bean salads are budget friendly and high protein. They’ve taken on many styles through the years: vinegar-based marinades, sometimes sweetened, cowboy caviar for getting scooped up by chips, three bean or seven bean, green bean, and now…drum roll please…this yummy chimichurri bean salad with a little different twist.
This green chimichurri sauce is inspired by Argentinian chimichurri made with herbs and spices, oil, and vinegar. I like making a bulk batch of the spices, and then I just add a tablespoon or so to cilantro, oil, and vinegar for a quick sauce. Pour it over a couple cans of beans plus produce to provide a pop of flavor and color, or multiply the recipe to serve a crowd. It’s best with several bean flavors, so I like making it for company. Add some grilled steak or chicken on top of it to elevate it for a very simple one-dish meal.
Prepare the bean salad with the first recipe, which shows smaller quantities of the spice mix. Or, use the second recipe below to make a bulk jar of the spice mix for use in about 6 preparations of this recipe.
Chimichurri Bean Salad
Ingredients
Bean Combination - choose any or all:
- 1/2 can black beans
- 1/2 can kidney beans
- 1/2 can great northern beans
- 1/2 can garbanzo beans
- 8 oz frozen edamame steamed, cooled, and removed from pods
Salad Ingredients
- 1/4 c red onion diced small
- 1/2 c bell peppers any color, diced
- 1 c grape tomatoes halved
- 1/2 c frozen corn
Chimichurri Spice Mix
- 1 t dried basil
- 1 t dried oregano
- 1 t dried thyme
- 1 t garlic powder
- 1/4 t cayenne pepper
- 1/2 t salt
Finish Chimichurri Sauce
- 1/4 c cilantro leaves
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 T red wine vinegar
- 1 T lime juice
- 2 T honey
Optional Protein
- 2 seasoned, grilled boneless chicken thighs
- 1 seasoned, grilled sirloin steak cut into strips
Instructions
- Choose your preferred beans. For a small batch, use partial cans and then utilize the remaining beans for chili soup, a side dish, or to top a green salad. Feel free to select just two types of beans and use the full can of each.
- Drain beans and place into a large bowl.
- Add salad ingredients: onion, peppers, tomatoes, and corn
- Combine spices in quantities above (or 1 1/2 Tablespoons bulk Chimichurri Spice Mix - recipe below) with ingredients in the Finish Sauce list and whisk to thoroughly combine and make a thick sauce.
- Add to beans and vegetables, stir to coat with sauce, and refrigerate until ready to eat.
- Top with either warm or cooled grilled meat, if desired.
Chimichurri Spice Mix
Ingredients
- 2 T dried basil
- 2 T dried oregano
- 2 T dried thyme
- 2 T garlic powder
- 1 T salt
- 1 t cayenne pepper
Instructions
- In a four-ounce jar, combine all dry spice ingredients and label as Chimichurri Spice Mix for ease in preparing Chimichurri Bean Salad. When preparing salad, use 1 1/2 Tablespoons of this mix in the recipe. Multiply accordingly if making a double or triple batch using more cans of beans for variety.
Here’s a label to print for your jar lid:
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