This white bean caprese salad is a delicious take on the traditional Italian caprese salad. Tomatoes, basil and mozzarella are mixed with white cannellini beans to make a flavour and protein-packed salad that takes less than 10 minutes to make.
I am often on the hunt for filling salads made with a handful of ingredients for lunch; something that will keep me full in the afternoon, but that is quick and easy to prepare. This is one of those salads. The beans add protein, and it is made from just 5 ingredients.
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Ingredient notes and substitutions
- White beans – cannellini beans. You can substitute butter beans, or even chickpeas.
- Tomatoes – for this recipe I have made the caprese salad with cherry tomatoes, although you can easily make it with regular tomatoes, and just slice them or cut them in to bite-size chunks.
- Basil – fresh basil leaves do make this salad, but if you don’t have any, have a look at these substitutes for basil.
- Mozzarella – I like to use bocconcini, also known as mozzarella pearls, but you can use fresh mozzarella instead and tear it in to bitesize pieces.
- Olive oil – a good EVOO or the best quality olive oil you can buy will transform this salad. It is the only dressing ingredient, so you want to enjoy the flavour of it.
My recipe tips
- Use in-season tomatoes for the best flavour, and make sure they are room temperature as they will be much more flavoursome than if they are straight out of the fridge.
- Don’t be afraid to add a reasonable amount of salt – this really helps bring out the flavour from the tomatoes.
FAQ
Fresh oregano would be a delicious substitute for basil in caprese salad.
Yes they are. Cannellini is the Italian name for them, and they are also known as white kidney beans, fazolia beans or white beans.
You don’t have to rinse cannellini beans, however the liquid they are in does contain salt, so if you want to watch your salt intake, or season to taste, I’d recommend rinsing them and draining them before adding to your salad or white bean dish.
Serving Ideas
This cannellini bean salad is a delicious meal in itself, maybe with a slice of soft bread or toasted sourdough on the side, but it would also be a tasty side to roast chicken, grilled salmon, or barbecued lamb chops.
Make ahead/storage
This salad will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Best eaten up to 2 days.
Ideas for leftover salad ingredients
- tomatoes – mix them with peppers (capsicum), onion and parsley in this refreshing Turkish pepper salad, Ezme, or make a mango salsa, or Turkish bulgar salad with mint and parsley.
- basil – make pesto, sprinkle over homemade pizza or Italian tomato pasta
- mozzarella – make a simple pizza with homemade pizza dough, or this refreshing watermelon salad
Why not try…
You may also like these other family friendly bean recipes:
White Bean Caprese Salad
Author: Robyn
Ingredients
- 420g (14oz) Tin/can cannellini beans
- 250g (8oz) cherry tomatoes
- 125g (4oz) cherry bocconcini (mozzarella pearls)
- ¼ bunch ¼ c fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- fresh black pepper
Instructions
- Make sure your mozzarella and tomatoes are at room temperature before you begin.
- Chop the tomatoes into halves or quarters and mix with the cannellini beans and bocconcini.
- Drizzle over the olive oil, sprinkle in the fresh basil and season with salt and black pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
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