Spring Dense Bean Salad
by Bold Bean Co
Aka: an extremely hearty, nourishing, SATISFYING salad that has taken America - and now the UK - by storm! You could really use any ingredients, but we’ve got a spring version here. The key is to chop the ingredients all roughly to a similar size, that way, you get a little bit of everything in one forkful. Be generous with the dressing - it soaks into the ingredients so that the salad only gets better over time. But you could also save the dressing to use just before serving, if you prefer it that way.
Method
Based on 3 servings, adjust as needed.
Step 1
Lightly toast the pistachios in a dry pan over a medium heat - roughly 2-3 minutes - until golden and smelling toasty. Roughly chop and set aside.
Step 2
Blanch the asparagus in a pan of boiling, salted water and cook for 2 minutes until just tender, but still has some bite. Drain, rinse and chop into bite sized pieces - a similar size to the rest of the ingredients. The key is getting everything of a similar size!
Step 3
In a mixing bowl, combine the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice (zest reserved for garnish), apple cider vinegar, dijon, honey and diced banana shallot. Season with salt and pepper. This is your vinaigrette. Have a taste, adding more lemon juice for acidity or honey for sweetness, to your liking.
Step 4
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked asparagus, beans (drained and rinsed), roughly chopped pistachios, diced cucumber, drained artichoke hearts, crumbled feta and the chopped dill (or any other soft herbs) Add a crack of black pepper and drizzle over the dressing. Toss well to combine.
Step 5
Serve immediately for a hearty lunch, or, this salad will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days - the dressing soaks into the ingredients and it only gets better over time!
- Ingredients
- Based on 3 servings
-
45g Shelled Pistachios, roughly chopped 1x Sainsbury's Pistachio Nuts 100g -
20g Dill, or any soft herbs such as basil, chives or parsley, roughly chopped 1x Sainsbury's Bunched Dill 20g -
150g Jarred Artichoke Hearts, dained and quartered 1x Sainsbury's Quartered Artichoke Hearts, Inspired to Cook 280g (185g*) -
200g Feta Cheese, crumbled, optional 1x Sainsbury's Greek Feta Cheese 200g -
1 Cucumber, roughly diced 1x Sainsbury's Small Whole Cucumber -
250g Asparagus, trimmed 1x Sainsbury's Asparagus Spears 250g -
75ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1x Sainsbury's Olive Oil, Extra Virgin, SO Organic 500ml -
1 Lemon, juice only, zest reserved for salad 1x Sainsbury's Lemons -
1tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar, or white wine vinegar 1x Aspall Classic Apple Cyder Vinegar 350ml -
1tsp Dijon Mustard 1x Sainsbury's Dijon Mustard 185g -
1tsp Honey 1x Sainsbury's Runny Honey 340g -
1large Banana Shallot, finely chopped 1x Sainsbury's Echalion Shallots 400g -
1 jar Organic White Beans, o r Queen Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed 1x Bold Bean Co Organic White Beans 570g