These marinated white beans are my new favorite fridge staple. They’re easy to make with simple ingredients, their flavor is off-the-charts, and their versatility is unmatched to create light and healthy meals throughout the week.
Why I Make These Marinated White Beans Often
If ever there was an ingredient that could add pizazz to virtually anything, it’s these marinated white beans. And I for one have become obsessed with them! They have the best Mediterranean flavor profile that’s fresh and vibrant, and they couldn’t be easier to make. Not to mention, white beans are rich in protein, and I’m all for high-protein, high-fiber meals! But here’s a few other tidbits on why I make these often:
- They can be added to all kinds of meals. Although you can enjoy these marinated beans alone (they’re that good), they’re great topped onto salads and toast, served as a fresh side dish, or added to any meal where you want a touch of bright, fresh flavor, with a little texture.
- It’s a budget-friendly recipe. White beans are one of the best budget-friendly ingredients to keep stored in your pantry and are a great blank canvas to add flavor. You can turn them into a white bean dip, a white bean chicken chili, and now these marinated white beans!
Marinated White Beans Ingredients
- White Beans: I’m using navy beans for this recipe. I feel they hold their shape better and are a smaller size, compared to other white beans (which I prefer when adding to other recipes). But you could also use cannellini, great northern, or butter beans.
- Vegetables: The roasted red peppers add a sweet and smoky flavor while the shallots add a fresh crunch.
- Fresh Herbs: Have fun with the herbs! I’m incorporating a mix of parsley and basil, but other options are cilantro, dill, tarragon, or mint.
- Aromatics and Seasonings: Fresh garlic, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper tie all the flavors together.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make Marinated White Beans
Mix it all together. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the white beans, herbs, red peppers, shallot, garlic, oil, lemon juice, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper.
Marinate and store. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to give the beans enough time to meld with the other ingredients. The flavor becomes even better if you let them sit overnight, and then enjoy the next day. Just remember to give the beans a good toss before eating. In a container, these beans will stay fresh in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Ways To Serve
- Enjoy them on toast: Add spoonfuls onto toast for a light, vegetarian, protein-filled breakfast.
- Pile them onto salads: This is probably one of my favorite ways to enjoy these beans. I love to toss them with simple leafy green salads like this kale salad, tuna cucumber mozzarella salad, or wild rice arugula salad.
- Serve as a refreshing side dish: This works as a fresh side with grilled skirt steak, greek chicken souvlaki, or grilled shrimp.
- Make it a part of a charcuterie board: If you’re serving crostinis on your charcuterie board, these white beans are perfect for adding a small spoonful on top.
More Recipes with Beans
- Baked Beans: This one always gets rave reviews.
- Best Ever Chili: The perfect recipe for soup season.
- Black Bean Soup: Black beans turned into a warm, creamy delight.
- Taco Soup: The best taco flavors in soup form.
If you make this marinated white beans recipe, I’d love to know how it turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more food inspiration (and exclusive content), join my free newsletter.
Description
Video
Equipment
- Weck ¾ Liter Jars My favorite glass storage jars!
Ingredients
- 2 (15-ounce cans) white beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup chopped fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, basil, dill, tarragon, mint, etc)
- 2 roasted red peppers, finely diced
- ⅓ cup finely diced shallot
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 3 tablespoons juice and 1 teaspoon zest)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Mix together. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the white beans, herbs, red peppers, shallot, garlic, oil, lemon juice, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper.
- Marinate. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight. Stir again before serving or store in a sealed container in the fridge.
Lisa’s Tips
- Storage tip: These beans will stay fresh in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- What to make with leftover roasted red peppers from your jar? Try my roasted red pepper hummus, roasted red pepper tahini sauce or roasted red pepper and chickpea salad.
Nutrition
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Question: Is the nutritional information for the entire batch or per serving (4 servings)?
Hi Belinda – it’s per serving.
This was the best bean salad I’ve ever tasted. Took this to our Family Thanksgiving for 22 ppl & came home with an empty bowl. My daughter couldn’t get enough & can’t wait for me to make this again.
My you & your family have a blessed Christmas 🎄
Vicki
I’m so thrilled to hear that! Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas as well, Vicki!
This salad is amazing! I “made the mistake” of making this recipe for a family gathering once and now it’s the only thing I’m allowed to bring. We love to eat it right out of the bowl, on crackers, on top of grilled meat, with lasagna, but most of all on top of a toasted piece of homemade sourdough bread! Trust me, you’re family will love it and you will too!
Haha! I’m so glad the whole family loved this one, Janie!
These look fantastic!!!
I live alone and often make a large batch of beans, then can them for future consumption. Can these beans be canned as well?
Can you use dried herbs in place of fresh?
Hi Carol – dried herbs are best used in recipes that are cooked, so I do recommend fresh herbs for this recipe.
I’m wondering if you’ve ever added tuna fish to this.
Hi Terri – yes! Check out my Tuscan tuna salad, which is a bit of a blend of this flavor with tuna. It’s delicious!
I am always looking to add more fiber to my diet to manage a GI condition, so I am really excited to try this recipe after hearing all of the wonderful comments.
Hi Michele – it’s a great fiber-forward recipe. I hope you love it!
So, what exactly are white beans? Canellini? Navy Beans? Does it matter?
Just checking to be sure – and Thanks!
Hi Sally – you can use any white beans in this recipe. I provide a note on the different white beans in the post above. Enjoy!
reading through the most recent ‘C’ since thought i’d already thanked you. I did not! and never thought to eat this on toast neither & I may not. However I couldn’t get enough, so refreshing, been eating out of the fridge daily. This is wonderful and I Thank You – need to make more today…
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Brenda!
Delicious! I grilled a portion of salmon and ate these as part of my main meal!
Sounds amazing! Glad you loved this combination, Donna.
Is the nutrition information for 1 serving???
Hi there – Yes! The nutritional information will always be per serving.
Hi Asim – You can click the share arrow button in the recipe card to share to another social platform!
I love this salad. Pretty much a perfect side dish to everything! I can’t eat bell peppers, though, so have been omitting them altogether, but wonder if there would be a good substitute
Thrilled you loved this marinated white beans, Mary!
Is it 1/2 cup of each of the herbs or just one of the preferred with the marinated white beans?
Hi Julie – You’ll need a 1/2 cup total using any of those herbs!
These were easy and delicious!
Glad you loved these white beans, Kathy!
Marinated white bean salad: Easy, simple, and delicious; I keep this on hand throughout the week for easy grab and go!
Glad this has become a staple for you, Cindy!
Great dish! I added some edamame for extra protein. Leftovers will be served with arugula and wild rice 😍
Love the addition of edamame, Annie!
I just made this tonight for my lunch tomorrow with some grilled chicken. I sampled a little even though the flavors aren’t totally melded together yet. To say I’m excited for my lunch tomorrow is an understatement! So far it’s delicious 🤤😋
These beans will taste amazing with grilled chicken! Enjoy, Anne.
What makes it so high in sodium? I’m struggling with a low sodium diet.
The sodium comes from the salt, and likely the canned white beans (the nutrition info is calculated automatically based on ingredients). So if you boil beans from scratch and omit the salt, you could lessen that.
I too, need to watch my sodium. I don’t buy canned beans (sodium too high in canned products). Dried beans are my choice. I wash and soak them. Much healthier. I will be making this recipe this weekend.
Delicious! I grilled a portion of salmon and ate these as part of my main meal! I used no salt added beans and low sodium roasted peppers and no salt. There was enough natural flavour from the fresh herbs and garlic.
Bean salad recipe please
Hi Barbara – You can find the full recipe listed in the recipe card!
This is my fourth time making the Italian bean recipe! Just me at home, but I absolutely love this recipe. On my toast in the morning with my cup of coffee. It’s good for you and it’s something different. I ❤️ them.
Yay, happy to hear you keep coming back to this recipe again and again. It’s always one I have in regular rotation as well. Enjoy!
Thank you for this recipe! Made two batches of this for an ‘international’ pot luck yesterday and there were people lining up for seconds! I used parsley, basil and a small amount of oregano and made it the day before. I’m thinking I’ll try cilantro, oregano and a touch of cumin next time just for me, but will keep this recipe as a perfect standby for get-togethers.
Yay, love to hear it was such a success! Thanks, Pamela!
Ridiculously delicious on toast for lunch! Thank you for such a great recipe! Off topic, but where did you get the striped napkin in the pic?
Such a great toast topper! Glad you’re loving these marinated beans, Tracy. As for the napkin, I actually will have to ask my photographer!
Are the nutrition facts based on the whole salad or per cup?
Hi Nicole — The nutritional information will always be per serving.