Cannellini Bean Salad with Tomato Olive Vinaigrette
An easy bean salad with creamy cannellini beans, fresh basil, veggies and a bright and tangy tomato olive vinaigrette. All you need is 15 minutes to make vegetarian cannellini salad. It makes a great addition to your picnic table, backyard bbq or simple dinner meal.
Mix together the garlic, onion, red wine and balsamic vinegars in a bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Then add olive oil slowly while whisking gently. Add the tomatoes and olives and stir together. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble the salad
In a large bowl, combine the beans, cucumber, basil and arugula.
Add the dressing and mix together well.
Serve up garnished with basil leaves.
Notes
Tips for Best Results:Using fresh basil is essential to the flavors in this salad. Dried basil simply doesn't deliver the same quality of flavor.Make the dressing up to 24 hours ahead. It will actually take better if it sits for some time before mixing it with the salad, but since it is made with fresh tomatoes you don't want to make it too far in advance.Mix the salad with the dressing no more than 1 hour before serving. It's ok for it to sit for a little while which allows the ingredients to soak up some flavor, but not too much time which may turn the vegetables into a soggy mess.Transport the dressing separately if taking this dish on the go for a bbq, picnic or party. Then add it before serving and mix it up.If you use canned cannellini beans to make this salad recipe, be sure to drain the juice off, rinse them and let them fully drain before adding the other ingredients and the dressing. If you use cook dried beans, be sure to let the cool fully before mixing the salad together. For best results, I'd recommend cooking them at least the night before.