Beans are the most underutilized, economical superfood. This 4 bean salad recipe is not only simple and delicious, it is also low cost and very healthy. It is a perfect side for any meal, makes a tasty and healthy addition to packed lunches, and it is easy to take to a party.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. I earn commission at no additional cost to you.
Four Bean Salad Ingredients:
1 – 14.5 ounce can cut green beans, drained
1 -14.5 ounce can cut wax beans, drained
1 – 15.5 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 – 15.5 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
Fresh ground pepper to taste
How to Make Four Bean Salad
Open the green bean and wax bean cans, drain and place in a salad bowl.
Next, open the kidney bean and garbanzo bean cans, drain and rinse the beans. Add the kidney and garbanzo beans to the salad bowl.
Dice the yellow pepper and onions. Add to the salad bowl.
Add the dressing (recipe below), mix and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Mix well immediately before serving.
How to make 4 bean salad dressing:
Combine the seasoned rice wine vinegar with the olive oil. Add fresh ground pepper to taste. Mix and pour over the salad.
1 – 15.5 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 – 15.5 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
Fresh ground pepper to taste
DIRECTION
Open the green bean and wax bean cans, drain and place in a salad bowl. Next, open the kidney bean and garbanzo bean cans, drain and rinse the beans. Add the kidney and garbanzo beans to the salad bowl.<br>Dice the yellow pepper and onions. Add to the salad bowl.<br>Add the dressing (recipe below), mix and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Mix well immediately before serving.
To make the dressing: Combine the seasoned rice wine vinegar with the olive oil. Add fresh ground pepper to taste. Mix and pour over the salad.
NOTES
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases.
Have you ever wondered why some people just make better potato salad than others? There are a few secrets to a great potato salad recipe. Read on to find out all of them.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. I earn commission at no additional cost to you.
Use baked potatoes, boiled potatoes are too soft and wet. They will not hold their shape and tend to make the salad soggy.
Used seasoned rice vinegar. This vinegar is one of my favorites. It is a great vinegar for salads and more. Every time I use it, people always ask for my recipes.
Do not pre-mix your dressing. Add the dressing one ingredient at a time, starting with the vinegar. If you add the vinegar first and mix well, the egg yolks will start to break down a little and become incorporated as part of the dressing. Alternatively, you could blend the yolks into the dressing. Either way your dressing will be creamy and delicious.
Wash the potatoes, prick with a fork, and bake at 400 degrees F for 1 hour or until softened. Cool the potatoes overnight. Peel and slice the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. A paring knife is best for peeling baked potatoes. I like this ceramic one. Place in a bowl.
Peel and slice the hard boiled eggs. Add them to the potatoes. Add the chopped celery, minced onion and radish slices to the bowl.
Fold in the vinegar. Continue to stir in the vinegar until the egg yolks start to break down and become creamy.
Add the mustard and continue to mix, then mix in the mayonnaise. Finally, season with salt and pepper to taste. For the best flavor, chill a couple of hours before serving.
As an Amazon associate I earn on qualified purchases.
Recipe By kristin
Course: salad
Cusine:American
Difficulty:Easy
Servings
8 minutes
Preparing Time
15 minutes
Cooking Time
60 minutes
Calories
kcal
INGREDIENTS
6 potatoes
5 hard boiled eggs
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, minced
5 radishes, sliced
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3/4 cup mayonnaise
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
DIRECTION
Wash the potatoes, prick with a fork, and bake at 400 degrees F for 1 hour or until softened. Cool the potatoes overnight. Peel and slice the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Place in a bowl.
Peel and slice the hard boiled eggs. Add them to the potatoes.
Add the chopped celery, minced onion and radish slices to the bowl.
Fold in the vinegar. Continue to stir in the vinegar until the egg yolks start to break down and become creamy.
Add the mustard and continue to mix, then mix in the mayonnaise.
Finally, season with salt and pepper to taste. For the best flavor, chill a couple of hours before serving.
It’s that time of year again. Time to start packing some lunches. Are your kids getting tired of sandwiches? Maybe it’s time to switch things up and try something new. How about a packing a nice healthy and delicious salads for lunch? It’s good to get kids started early with a nice variety of veggies in their diet. Try these tasty salads for packed lunches.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. I earn commission on qualified purchases at no additional cost to you.
Use your leftovers and save money
These tasty salads are also a really good way to use some of your meal leftovers. I love finding creative ways to use my leftovers. Approximately 30-40 percent of the American food supply is wasted.1 We should all do our part to use our leftovers. Teaching the next generation not to waste food is a huge part of that. Teach your kids to eat the leftover food! Eating your leftovers is also a huge cost savings, it’s estimated that on average, each American household wastes over $1800 of food each year!2 Using up your leftover food leads to having more money for other things and a happier less stressful life.3 Here are some salads my family enjoys:
Tasty Salads for packed Lunches
Caesar Salad
Caesar salad for packed lunch
What can be easier than Caesar salad? Traditionally romaine lettuce is the base, although you could also add some baby spinach or other greens for variety. Croutons, Parmesan cheese and a good Caesar dressing is really all you need. I prefer to buy my Caesar dressing in the refrigerated section of the produce department. My favorite is Marzetti Supreme Caesar dressing. If you would prefer a heartier option add some sliced grilled chicken or fresh bacon bits. This salad is an excellent choice when you have some left over grilled chicken. I used a 2 compartment container, but a 3 compartment container would be ideal for packing because you could keep the dressing and croutons separated until you are read to eat lunch.
Waldorf Salad
This simple salad is made with leftover chicken, apples, celery, grapes and pecans. It’s so delicious! Sometimes I even eat it for breakfast. It can be served alone or on a bed of mixed greens or spinach. You can also serve it on a croissant.
Chicken Fajita Salad
For this salad I used leftover Chicken form my sheet pan chicken fajita recipe, find that recipe here.
Chicken fajita salad packed for lunch
Pasta Salads
Pasta salad is another family favorite. I usually use Organic Garofalo Tricolor Rotini as the base, but any leftover pasta will do. Just add your favorite veggies. I like to make this one after family pizza night. I add the unused pizza toppings like chopped red onion, black olives, salami strips and mini pepperonis. Other excellent options to mix in are sliced cucumber, mini baby mozzarella balls, and cherry tomatoes. I dress my pasta salad with Kraft Zesty Italian and McCormick Perfect Pinch Salad Supreme Seasoning . Once again I used a 2 compartment container for this salad. It works great this way because I can add some fruit on the side. A single compartment container would work well for this salad. I love Fit and Fresh Containers because the lids stay on well and the have an optional freezer pack you can use with them.
Pasta Salad packed for lunch.
Taco Salad
Taco salad is the perfect salad to pack for lunch on Wednesday, following Taco Tuesday. I usually just pack up all of the leftover toppings I sliced for Tacos. Chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Top with cheese and some leftover taco meat. I mix up sour cream with salsa for the dressing and put it on the side to mix in when ready to eat. I used a two compartment container to pack this one, but once again a three compartment container would be better because you could add a side of tortilla chips!
Super-food Salad
I call this super food salad because it is dressed with poppy seed dressing which works well with so many super healthy foods. I used mixed greens with romaine, dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds on my salad. This salad also loves all types of nuts, seeds, berries, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, and Swiss cheese. Get creative with it. I buy my poppy seed dressing in the refrigerated section of produce. Marzetti has a great one. This salad works well, packed for lunch in a 2 compartment container but would also work well in a three compartment container if you want to keep your nuts or seeds crunchier you could separate them when packing and mix them in when ready to eat lunch.
Potato salad is a great way to use up leftover baked potatoes. It is filled with inexpensive ingredients that together make a tasty lunch. Try this amazing recipe.
Fruit Salad
Fruit salad is not really a main course, but it sure makes an excellent side or snack for packed lunches. This easy Fall fruit salad is the perfect combination of sweet and tart. The oranges keep the apples from browning so it will last a few days in the refrigerator making it an easy go to for busy mornings.
