This delightful Bean Salad is a fantastic nutritious and easy-to-make dish that complements perfectly all cooked and grilled meats and makes a delicious and filling vegan lunch. It is prepared with only a few basic ingredients and is delicious. The recipe comes from authentic Bulgarian cuisine and is enjoyed primarily as an appetiser or a side dish.

WHAT BEANS TO USE IN THIS SALAD?

In Bulgaria, the best bean variety for salads like this one is the Smilyanski bob because it has an extra large bean, a velvety texture and a delicate buttery taste when cooked. Smilyanski bob is a variety cultivated in the Smilyan area in the Rhodope mountains. Due to the unique local climate and altitude, the plant produces gigantic beans.

Other suitable bean varieties for this recipe:

BUTTER BEANS

Butter bean (the common name for Phaseolus lunatus) has a large bean with a cream colour and a soft velvety texture when cooked.

CANNELLONI BEANS

Initially grown in Argentina, cannellini beans are a favoured variety in Central and Southern Italian cuisines. Cannellini beans are mild and nutty in taste, with a meaty delicate creamy texture, and hold their shape well when cooked, which makes them suitable for making soups, stews and salads.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF BEANS.

Beans are rich in fibre, vitamins C and A and are a great source of protein for vegans and vegetarians.

Like all legumes, beans have many health benefits, including reducing cholesterol, decreasing blood sugar levels and increasing healthy gut bacteria.

MORE DELICIOUS SALADS ON MY BLOG:

• Easy Marinated Peppers
• Shopska Salad
• Greek karpouzi salad

HOW TO PREPARE EASY BULGARIAN BEAN SALAD?

📋 INGREDIENTS IN MY EASY BEAN SALAD

This beautiful and simple salad does not require much effort to make and is a great budget-friendly dish. You will need a can or two of large butter beans, red onion or spring onion, marinated sweet red peppers and fresh parsley. You can make the salad also with red beans or mixed beans.

To create more complicated and wonderful flavours and a delightful savoury crunch, dice a couple of pickled gherkins and add them too.

Finish the salad with a simple dressing made with vinegar, salt and virgin olive oil. The original recipe calls for red wine vinegar. However, I prefer to use apple cider vinegar instead for its health benefits. I do not recommend using balsamic vinegar as it will tint the creamy beans. I like using sea salt in the dressing, although normal salt is fine too. For those who love garlic, press one small garlic clove in a garlic press and stir it with the dressing.

📖 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

You can make this salad really quickly and easily with canned beans.

Step 1: Prepare the beans FOR THE SALAD

If you are making the salad with dry beans, you will need to soak the beans overnight. Then, boil them until cooked. Don’t forget to change the water a few times in the beginning when cooking the beans to remove those nasty toxins that cause bloating.

It is much easier to make this salad with canned beans. Source the largest canned beans you can find! Drain the brine from the canned beans and place them in a large salad bowl.

Step 2: Prepare the rest of the ingredients

Peel and slice the red onion into thin half-moons, then you can cut them in half to make smaller pieces. Chop the marinated pepper into medium-sized cubes. If you are using gherkins, remove the ends and dice them. Transfer all ingredients to the salad bowl.

Step 3: Make the SALAD dressing

Pour the vinegar into a small bowl, then gradually add the olive oil. Whisk continuously until the oil blends with the vinegar.

If you are using garlic, mince it in a garlic press and scrape as much as you like in your dressing. Add a pinch of savoury spice, if available and add salt to taste. Stir to combine all ingredients.

Pour the dressing over the salad. Using salad spoons, stir the salad well to coat all ingredients in the dressing. Cover the salad bowl with plastic wrap and leave it on your kitchen counter for 30 minutes for the beans to absorb the flavours. Before serving, chop fresh parsley leaves and sprinkle over the salad.

🍲 HOW TO SERVE BEAN SALAD

You can serve this easy and delicious salad as a vegan lunch or a side to any cooked meats. Bean salad is the perfect dish for your barbecue party. It’s a great and quick dish to make when you are camping, and is easy to pack in a lunch box and take to work or a picnic.

Back home, we often eat the bean salad as an appetiser with a local aperitif, rakia. It can be served in a mezze platter to complement other alcoholic drinks as well.

Enjoy! 👨‍🍳👨‍🍳👨‍🍳