📖 Substitutions & Variations for Your Bean Salad

The beauty of this Mixed Bean Salad lies in its incredible versatility. The sweetened balsamic vinegar sauce acts as a fantastic, tangy coating, harmonizing beautifully with almost any combination of ingredients you choose to add. Feel free to get creative and adapt the recipe to suit your preferences or what you have on hand.

Bean Combinations:

You can easily adjust the amount and variety of beans to craft your perfect custom salad:

• Classic Three Bean Salad: Combine two cans of cut green beans with two cans of kidney beans and two cans of garbanzo beans for a timeless trio.
• Hearty Five Bean Salad: Start with two cans of cut green beans and then choose four other varieties from the recipe (e.g., black, white, garbanzo, kidney) to create a more diverse mix.
• Seven Bean Extravaganza (as in this recipe): Our recipe calls for seven cans in total, ensuring a rich variety of flavors and textures. The combination includes green beans, lima beans, garbanzo beans, black beans, kidney beans, and great northern beans.

Pro Tip: Don’t be afraid to use seven cans of beans in any variety you enjoy! Mix and match or double up on your family’s favorite bean types to customize this salad exactly how you like it. The more variety, the richer the experience!

Dressing & Flavor Enhancements:

• Vinegar Options: While balsamic vinegar truly offers a unique depth of sweetness and distinctive flavor that is hard to replicate, this bean salad can also be made successfully with other vinegars. Both apple cider vinegar and red wine vinegar are delicious alternatives, offering a brighter, tangier profile.
• Sweetener Alternatives: If you prefer, you can substitute the granulated sugar with honey or maple syrup for a different kind of sweetness, adjusting to taste.
• Add Fresh Herbs: Freshly chopped parsley, cilantro, or dill can add another layer of brightness and aroma to the salad. Stir them in just before serving.
• Garlic & Onion Powder: For an extra depth of savory flavor, a small pinch of garlic powder or onion powder can be added to the balsamic dressing while it simmers.

Vegetable Mix-ins:

• Onion Varieties: While sweet onions provide a delicate, crunchy bite, red, yellow, or white onions will also work. Keep in mind that these varieties have a slightly stronger flavor, so you might want to use a bit less, or soak them in ice water for 10-15 minutes to reduce their pungency before dicing.
• More Bell Peppers: Feel free to experiment with green or orange bell peppers for even more color and slightly different flavor notes.
• Additional Vegetables: Diced cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, or thinly sliced carrots can be fantastic additions, adding more crunch, color, and nutrients. Ensure all additions are firm and can hold up to chilling in the dressing.
• Spice it Up: For a touch of heat, a tiny pinch of red pepper flakes can be added to the dressing.

🥗 How to Make This Easy Mixed Bean Salad

Creating this Mixed Bean Salad is a straightforward process that yields incredibly delicious results. Follow these simple steps for a perfect batch every time:

Step 1: Prepare the Balsamic Vinaigrette. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the balsamic vinegar, sugar, vegetable oil, celery seed, pepper, and salt. Place the saucepan on the stove over medium heat and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Whisk continuously to ensure the sugar fully dissolves and all ingredients are well combined. Once it reaches a boil and becomes slightly foamy on top, turn off the heat and remove the saucepan immediately from the burner. (Photo #1 for ingredients, Photo #5 below for bubbling sauce)

Step 2: Drain and Rinse the Beans. Open all the cans of beans and pour them into a large colander or fine-mesh strainer set over your sink. Rinse the beans thoroughly with cool running water. This step is crucial for removing excess sodium and any starchy liquid, ensuring a cleaner, fresher taste for your salad. Gently shake the colander to drain off all the excess liquid. (Photo #2)

Step 3: Combine Beans and Vegetables. Transfer the thoroughly drained beans into a large mixing bowl. Finely chop your sweet onion and both red and yellow bell peppers. Add these vibrant, crisp vegetables directly to the bowl with the beans. (Photo #3)

Step 4: Gently Mix Ingredients. Using a large spoon or spatula, gently stir the beans, chopped onion, and peppers together until they are evenly distributed. Set this bowl aside while your dressing cools. (Photo #4)

Step 5: Cool the Balsamic Sauce. After removing the saucepan from the heat, carefully pour the hot vinegar sauce into a glass measuring cup or any other heat-safe bowl. This step helps to cool the sauce more quickly and prevents it from “cooking” your fresh vegetables. (Photo #5 – showing bubbling sauce in pan)

Step 6: Chill the Dressing. Place the container with the sauce into the refrigerator until it is completely cooled. It doesn’t need to be ice cold, but ensuring it’s chilled is vital. Pouring hot dressing over the beans and vegetables would compromise their crispness and texture. (Photo #6)

Step 7: Dress the Salad. Once the balsamic vinegar sauce is thoroughly chilled, pour it evenly over the mixed beans, onions, and peppers in the large bowl. (Photo #7)

Step 8: Combine and Chill for Best Flavor. Stir gently but thoroughly to blend the sauce, ensuring all the beans, peppers, and onions are beautifully coated. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator. For the absolute best flavor and texture, allow the salad to chill for at least 5 hours, or ideally, overnight. This chilling period is crucial as it allows the flavors to deepen and meld, and helps the beans and vegetables absorb the vibrant dressing, enhancing their crispness and freshness. (Photo #8)

While you can certainly use fresh green beans for this salad, they must be properly prepared first. They should be cooked or steamed until tender-crisp, then diced into 1-2 inch pieces before combining them with the other salad ingredients. Raw, uncooked green beans will have a significantly different, tough texture and won’t absorb the balsamic sauce as effectively. For ease and convenience, canned cut green beans are definitely the easiest and most recommended option in this recipe.

No, you do not need to cook canned green beans. Canned green beans, along with all the other canned beans used in this recipe, are already fully cooked and processed to be ready for consumption directly from the can. Simply drain them well and rinse them with cool water before adding them to your salad mixture.

When stored in a covered bowl or any other airtight container in the refrigerator, this Mixed Bean Salad can be enjoyed for up to 5 days. For the best taste and texture, always give the salad a good stir each time before serving. This helps to redistribute the delicious balsamic vinegar sauce and ensures every bite is flavorful.

Yes, you absolutely can! The recipe calls for 1 ¼ cup of sugar to create a perfectly balanced sweet and tangy dressing. However, if you prefer a less sweet salad, you can start with 1 cup of sugar and taste the dressing once it’s cooled. You can always add a little more if desired. Keep in mind that the sugar is essential for balancing the acidity of the balsamic vinegar.

Yes, this Mixed Bean Salad is naturally both vegan and vegetarian! It contains no animal products, making it a wonderful, plant-based side dish that everyone can enjoy. It’s packed with plant-based protein and fiber from the variety of beans.

🍽 What to Serve with Mixed Bean Salad

This versatile and flavorful Mixed Bean Salad pairs beautifully with an extensive array of dishes, offering a refreshing contrast to various flavors and textures. Here are some delicious serving suggestions:

• Grilled Meats & BBQ Fare: The light, tangy, and refreshing profile of this salad provides an excellent counterpoint to the smoky and savory flavors of almost anything hot off the grill. Think grilled chicken breasts, marinated pork chops, juicy steaks, or a classic rack of ribs. It’s the perfect cool side for a summer barbecue.
• Burgers and Sandwiches: Its tangy and slightly sweet balsamic dressing beautifully complements the savory and hearty flavors of burgers and a variety of sandwiches. Serve it alongside beef burgers, turkey burgers, veggie burgers, or as a side with sandwiches made with delicious fillings like Chicken Curry Salad with Grapes or a classic deli sandwich. It’s also fantastic with my Cheeseburger Pie for a complete comfort meal.
• Mexican Cuisine: The robust flavors of the beans and the zesty dressing make this salad an outstanding accompaniment to many Mexican-inspired dishes. Offer it as a vibrant side with Easy Mexican Fried Rice, hearty Tamale Casserole, or flavorful Oven Baked Burritos. It’s a great, lighter option to balance richer Mexican dishes.
• Potlucks & Picnics: As highlighted earlier, its make-ahead nature and crowd-pleasing taste make it an absolute staple for any potluck, picnic, or family gathering. It travels well and holds up beautifully at room temperature for a few hours.
• Weeknight Meals: Don’t reserve this salad just for special occasions! It’s a quick and easy way to add a healthy, flavorful side to simple weeknight dinners, brightening up dishes like roasted chicken, baked fish, or even a simple pasta. It’s also a surprisingly delicious pairing with pizza, especially alongside my Garlic Parmesan Pizza Sauce.

💭 The Inspiration Behind This Recipe

This incredible Mixed Bean Salad recipe comes from a cherished family member, Rick McCurdy, from Louisiana. Rick is not only an outstanding cook but also a true connoisseur of delicious food, and his culinary insights are always spot on.

Rick truly perfected this recipe by thoughtfully reducing the amount of oil and sugar found in earlier versions, making it lighter yet still incredibly flavorful. His brilliant idea to incorporate balsamic vinegar was a game-changer, lending the salad its signature sweet and tangy depth. My adaptation was very slight, primarily adjusting the specific varieties of canned beans to those most commonly found in grocery stores here in Idaho, ensuring accessibility for all.

A huge thank you to Rick for generously sharing this phenomenal, crowd-pleasing recipe!