Mediterranean White Bean & Fennel Salad with Lemon-Herb Dressing
A fresh Mediterranean salad of creamy white beans, crisp fennel, and tomatoes in a bright lemon-herb dressing.
Fennel's light licorice crunch is a wonderful contrast to creamy white beans in this no-cook salad, tossed with cherry tomatoes, fresh dill, and parsley, and finished with a simple lemon and olive oil dressing. It comes together in fifteen minutes and only gets better as it sits.
White beans are one of the most quietly heart-healthy ingredients around—high in fiber and plant protein with essentially no saturated fat—and this salad lets them shine without drowning them in dressing. Fennel and tomatoes both add potassium, and the dressing relies on lemon juice and fresh herbs rather than salt for its brightness, which keeps sodium naturally low. Olive oil, used generously but not excessively, provides the kind of monounsaturated fat that fits well within a Mediterranean or DASH-style pattern.
Let it rest for ten minutes before serving so the beans and fennel have a chance to soak up the dressing.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked cannellini beans — or low-sodium canned, rinsed
- 1 fennel bulb — thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes — halved
- 0.5 red onion — thinly sliced
- 0.25 cup fresh parsley — chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh dill — chopped
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic — minced
- 0.25 tsp black pepper — to taste
These ingredients are standard at most major European supermarkets.
Instructions
- 1In a large bowl, combine white beans, fennel, cherry tomatoes, red onion, parsley, and dill.
- 2In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and black pepper.
- 3Pour dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine.
- 4Let the salad sit 10 minutes at room temperature to allow flavors to meld before serving.