23 Bean Salads for Meal Prep, Work Lunches and More

Whether you have the grace of fresh. Shell beans (lucky you), a pile of wax beans, or some canned cannellini in the back of your pantry, a bean salad is a great way to use them up. This simple preparation not only adds color and texture to the plate, but it also packs plenty of plant-based protein. And since most bean salads can be made in advance—in fact, they usually get better with time—they make great Food preparation Option: Mix up a large batch at the beginning of the week and set aside as much as you want to eat each day.

The recipes below include ideas for many different types of beans, so take your pick, but remember, you don’t. Really Making a great bean salad requires a recipe. Step 1: Create one Simple vinaigrette Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice or red wine vinegar, and a dollop of Dijon mustard. Step Two: Take out a can of beans — garbanzo beans, pinto beans, cannellini beans, whatever beans you have — and rinse them thoroughly, then don’t forget to dry them. Step Three: Add fresh herbs and chopped vegetables (bell peppers, artichokes, cucumbers; anything in the crisper drawer is fair game). Step 4: Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. And that’s it!

Use more. Our Favorite Bean Recipes To use the rest of your storage.