Mixed Bean and Lentil Salad Blueprint Recipe

This Delicious Mixed Bean and Lentil Salad Recipe

This is the perfect side dish or refreshing meal. The dressing on this bean and lentil salad is super light and zesty, with the use of vinegar, garlic, and lime juice. It’s also full of good-for-you ingredients.

Bean salads are healthy, versatile, cheap, and excellent for meal prepping! If you are trying to eat more vegetarian meals, plant-based dinners, or budget-friendly lunches, bean salads are an amazing option.

Beans are Health Food

Beans are super healthy due to their high protein, fiber, nutrition, and low fat content.

Protein helps support muscle repair and long-lasting satiety. Lentils, in particular, are a fantastic source of protein. (What's the deal with protein? Learn more here.)

Fiber helps keep digestion humming along and makes you feel full longer. It can also help stabilize blood sugar levels, making it an important choice for diabetes management and prevention. 

Packed with essential nutrients like iron, potassium, magnesium, and folate, beans contribute to overall health in several additional ways. These include regulating blood pressure, supporting bone health, and assisting in cell function.

Many experts point to systematic inflammation as a root cause of many different lifestyle diseases. Beans can help, as their antioxidant properties combat oxidative stress.  

Beans are also naturally low in fat, particularly saturated fat, which promotes heart health and helps manage cholesterol levels.

Bean Salad is so Versatile

We call this recipe a "blueprint" because we provide you with a set of recipe principles and invite you to make it your own. (We are teaching you to fish, if you will.)

One of the best parts about salads like this is that you can use whatever veggies or beans you already have. With a light, delicious dressing (like ours), all the flavors will come together in a lovely medley. 

If you are eating the salad as a side dish alongside a protein source, you can make the whole thing out of just vegetables.

If this bean and lentil salad is your main course, having some legumes for protein is excellent. Lentils, in particular, are one of the best vegetarian, plant-based proteins around. That's why we almost always add lentils to our bean salads. 

We love to use canned lentils and beans for convenience, but you can cook your own.

If you use canned legumes (we often do, for convenience), make sure to rinse them well to remove any added salt. We also recommend that you buy low-sodium canned beans and rinse them before using them.

Bean Salad is Great for your Wallet

Beans are a fraction of the cost of meat like chicken, beef, or seafood. 

On average, meat can cost anywhere from $3 to $10 per pound, depending on the type and cut. Ground beef might cost around $5 per pound (more for grass-fed or organic), while chicken breasts could cost around $4 per pound.

Dried beans generally cost about $1 to $2 per pound, which makes a lot of meals! Even canned beans generally cost just $1 to $2 per can. A can of beans is equal to about half a pound of dried beans.

The savings can vary based on your local prices and how much meat you usually consume. But it's easy to see why switching from beef to beans is generally a cost-effective choice. Even swapping one meat-based meal with one bean salad could lead to substantial yearly cost savings. (More budgeting tips here.)

Meal Prepping Super Star

Bean salad typically lasts 3 to 5 days in the fridge (when stored correctly). This means you can make it on Monday or Tuesday and eat it for lunch almost all week!

To keep it fresh, we recommend the following tips:

Store in an Airtight Container: Use a tightly sealed container to prevent the salad from absorbing other odors and from drying out.

Keep It Refrigerated: Keep the salad in the fridge at a consistent 40°F (4°C) or lower.

Check for Freshness: Before eating leftovers, check for any signs of spoilage, such as an off smell, slimy texture, or discoloration. If the salad has been in the fridge for longer than five days, it's best to discard it.

For the best quality and taste, try to eat bean salad within the first few days after making it.

If you're preparing it in advance for a more extended period, you could store the beans/ veggies and dressing separately and combine them just before serving.

What's the Best Way to Eat this Bean Salad? 

Bean and lentil salad is excellent when eaten over a leafy green salad. It's also yummy, scooped up with crackers or a spoon. Some people love it stuffed into a pita or a tortilla. Our favorite is to eat it in lettuce cups. The choice is really up to you!

This Light Dressing

Many bean salads, especially the American favorite three-bean salad, use chili powder and cumin in the dressing.

While that makes for a great Southwest flavor, sometimes I don't want that heavy flavor.

The dressing on this bean and lentil salad is super light and zesty, using vinegar, garlic, and lime juice. It's also full of good-for-you ingredients, including olive oil and apple cider vinegar (in addition to all those beans and vegetables, of course).

If you prefer more or less dressing on your bean salads, feel free to increase or decrease the amount of dressing.

Is Olive Oil good for you?

Even though fat had a bad rap ten years ago, research has pretty much dispelled this myth. The right kind of fat is incredibly healthy for you!

We love this article, which discusses many of the benefits of the types of unsaturated fats found in olive oil. One reason the Mediterranean Diet has been called the Healthiest Diet (for three years in a row!) is its focus on olive oil.

Extensive research has shown that an olive oil-rich Mediterranean Diet can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease (as much as 30 percent!) Learn more about olive oil here. 

Laconiko is our favorite brand and a partner we love supporting! You can find their fantastic olive oils and vinegars here. 

Is apple cider vinegar good for you?

Vinegar would be an excellent addition to many diets.

Vinegar brings tons of flavor to foods without many calories or added salt. It is made by fermenting sugar from apples, which turns into acetic acid. Acetic acid is one of the main active ingredients in vinegar, and it is what makes it taste sour. This is also what provides the benefits.

While more research is needed, some possible health benefits include killing harmful bacteria, providing antioxidants, and managing sugar levels and diabetes.

Try some more!

Do you love salads? Check out our Soups and Salads page for more delicious recipes.

For really easy meals, try our Mediterranean Diet Meal Plans! Complete with an organized calendar of recipes & grocery lists, our meal plans put great nutrition on auto-pilot.