italian chopped olive and white bean salad
My heart says fall but my body says eat a big summer salad you nerd.
A fun fact about me (well, it’s not that fun, so don’t get your hopes up): a big reason for the influx of Foul-Mouth Salads lately is due to my habit of eating a salad every single day. Without a doubt, big piles of veggies and sometimes fruit are the name of the game for my lunches. Each recipe I’ve shared ends up in my fridge for a few days of quick meal preps, so when I get home from The Day Job and immediately jump into the kitchen I can just swipe a portion of salad from the fridge to nibble while I work.
I found that I like this simplicity. Also helps me boost my intake of greens. I usually dump a can of tuna on top, or a couple boiled eggs, sometimes cooked shrimp if I have some random dudes in the fridge. And always, always I cut a slab of baguette and enjoy that with a pat of butter and some flaky salt. Divine.
My salad eating ways aren’t even fully because of heALtH, but convenience, and preferred eating habits. As a distance runner I do pay attention to what I eat and try to fuel myself with good things, but I can assure you that everything I make here on FMG is et by myself, J, and sometimes my mom when she procures leftovers, whether it’s on the lighter side or the more indulgent side.
Being a food person doesn’t translate automatically to gluttony, or scarcity. There is balance to be had, friends.
This gorgeous salad is my newest refrigerator companion. Just a single look will relay the wholesomeness of the ingredients, and that easy Italian vinaigrette is something else. The big bowl comes together in about 15-20 minutes, and makes enough for several servings so you can enjoy for your immediate meal and stow the rest for later.
Beans for Queens
I don’t work with white beans much, though they’re actually my second favorite bean (behind garbanzos). Couldn’t even tell you why, I just never find a place for them in my recipe development repertoire. Until today. Today’s their time to shine.
The components of this salad involve 0 cooking, just a good amount of chopping. The key here is lots of olives – I mixed up kalamata with Moroccan green olives, but use anything you like or have – plenty of tomatoes, artichokes, and cubes of mozzarella. I also love Persian cucumbers in my salads because I can put those in anything and be happy about it.
Now, I use romaine in my salad, only a little bit because I like a crunchy green component to most of my bowls. You can easily make this a true chop and omit the lettuce, or use a sturdier green like kale if you plan to save leftovers. Kale is much less inclined to wilt when exposed to dressing.
Basically, just chuck everything into a big bowl. That’s all. Oh yeah, there’s some dressing involved too.
Dress’n
Fucken Italian vinaigrette. Seriously, stop buying the storebrand shit. It sucks. Making your own is super quick and tastes loads better and probably doesn’t have arsenic and formaldehyde and whatever the hell else goes into the bottles you pull off a shelf.
Shake or whisk up your olive oil, red wine vinegar, some honey, dijon, garlic, dried basil and dried oregano. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper too, then taste it all and make sure it doesn’t need anything else. I like to use 1 tablespoon of honey, but those who enjoy a sweeter profile might need 2.
If you’re using kale in your salad, go ahead and give it a backrub with a little bit of the vinaigrette to soften the leaves and remove some of the bitterness. Then add the rest of your fillings and toss with another couple spoonfuls of dressing until nicely combined.
If you’re using lettuce and planning leftovers, I wouldn’t add the vinaigrette until you’re ready to serve. If you’re dishing it out right away and don’t intend for anything to be stored, go ahead and add a touch of dressing. Serve the salad with the rest on the side so folks can add more as they please.
Of course, you can switch out the white beans for chickpeas if you prefer the latter. Won’t change a damn thing except the name of the dish.
If you like meat, some hard salami or prosciutto would be fab additions, or you can go with chopped grilled chicken. Like I mentioned, I’m typically happy with a can of albacore as my protein and a bit of bread on the side. Mmmm.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Salad hos and lettuce bros:
Tomato, Peach, and Cucumber Feta Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
Chopped Peach and Blue Cheese Salad with Hot Honey Vinaigrette
Charred Corn Salad with Tomatoes and Chickpeas
italian chopped olive and white bean salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
- 2 15-oz cans white beans (cannellini)
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved
- 1/2 cup green olives, halved
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 jar marinated artichokes, drained
- 2-3 Persian cucumbers, sliced
- 1 cup low-moisture mozzarella cheese, cubed
- fresh herbs and cracked black pepper, to serve
Italian vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1-2 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
Instructions
- To make the dressing: in a jar or bowl, shake or whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey (use 1 tablespoon for less sweetness, 2 for more), dijon mustard, dried basil and oregano, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust for seasoning as needed.
- In a large bowl, toss the romaine with the white beans, both olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, artichokes, and mozzarella with 2-3 big spoonfuls of dressing. If not serving right away, toss without the dressing.
- Divide into bowls and serve with fresh black pepper and herbs, as desired.
