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Mix together 6 ingredients in just minutes with this easy no-cook bean salad recipe. Perfect for summer evenings when you don't want to heat up the kitchen!
Do you ever get stuck in a side dish rut? Repeating the same things over and over can make your meals feel less than exciting.
Don't get me wrong - there's plenty to be said for quick and easy staples, but there are lots of quick ways to change things up and add a bit of excitement to dinnertime.
Take beans for example. My pantry is usually stocked with lots of canned beans.
While I cook with them fairly often (like these Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos with Cilantro Chimichurri or this Latin Chicken Skillet with Black Beans + Tomatoes), I also like to use canned beans as a cool, no-cook addition to meals (like this Pork Scallopini with White Bean-Tomato Salad or this Mango, Jicama + Black Bean Salsa).
I do lots of variations on salads with cucumbers, tomatoes, and other fresh produce. These dishes tend to make appearances even more often during the summer when I don't want to heat up my house more than necessary.
My air conditioning doesn't really reach my tiny kitchen, so no-cook recipes like this are a total life-saver.
Adding canned beans to salads like this adds a lovely texture and helps bulk up the rest of the ingredients. Plus they are a great source of protein, fiber, and iron.
For this particular salad, I picked some dill from my garden and added it to the chopped cucumber and sliced red onion. You could use a shallot here instead of the red onion if you like a milder flavor, or just let it sit in the fridge for a bit to mellow out. It would work with green onions as well, but you won't get that fun pop of color.
No need to be fussy about whisking together a vinaigrette here - you can simply toss everything together in a bowl as you chop, then pour the oil and vinegar right on top, season with salt and pepper, then stir to combine.
This salad was a big hit at the dinner table alongside some ribs, and it was great as lunch on its own the next day, too. It would be great over some salad greens as well - just be sure to drizzle a bit of the liquid from the bottom of your mixing bowl over top so there's enough to dress the greens.
A little avocado and/or some feta or goat cheese would be nice here, too! YUM!
This bean salad will hold up pretty well in the refrigerator for a few days, making it a great make-ahead dish, and a lovely addition to your lunchbox.
Love cucumber recipes? Check out some of our very favorites in this roundup: 25+ Must-Try Cucumber Recipes
Looking for more simple side dishes? Check out some of our favorite recipes:
- Honey Balsamic Roasted Carrots
- Patatas Bravas with Chipotle Aioli
- Skillet Garlic Parmesan Bread
- Bourbon-Orange Cranberry Sauce
- Asian Broccoli Slaw
- Garlicky Sun-dried Tomato Studded Couscous
- Rosemary Roasted Asparagus + Tomatoes with Toasted Sunflower Seeds
- Roasted Butternut Squash & Broccolini with Truffle Salt
- Falafel-Spiced Chickpea Salad with Tahini-Lemon Vinaigrette
- Roma Salad with Caper-Dill Vinaigrette
- Quick Chickpea Salad with Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette
- Creamy Cucumber, Avocado, Chickpea, & Sun-Dried Tomato Salad
- Bourbon-Orange Cranberry Sauce
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Recipe for Cucumber & Cannellini Bean Salad with Dill
Print📖 Recipe
Cucumber & Cannellini Bean Salad with Dill
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
Description
Mix together 6 ingredients in just minutes with this no-cook bean salad recipe. Perfect for busy summer evenings when you don't want to heat up the kitchen!
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber, quartered and sliced ¼-inch thick
- ¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini bean, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine cucumber, red onion, rinsed beans, and dill.
- Pour vinegar and oil over top, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired.
Notes
Salad will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for several days.
This salad is great on its own, or scattered on top of salad greens.
For a more mild onion flavor, substitute shallots or green onions. The onion will also mellow out after it sits in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 1.2 g
- Sodium: 603.2 mg
- Fat: 7.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 30.1 g
- Fiber: 6.7 g
- Protein: 9.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Elaine @ Dishes Delish says
What a fresh and delicious salad! I love cannellini beans and I bet they would be delicious with cucumber and dill!
Ashley says
It's such a fun combo! You can totally swap out the herbs with whatever you have hanging around your kitchen. A mix of herbs would be nice, too!
Gloria says
You know, I was thinking of having a salad for dinner tonight. I just happen to have all the ingredients for this tasty dish. Thanks....dinner plans just got a lot easier. Can't wait to dig in.
Ashley says
I hope you enjoy, Gloria! It's so quick to put together and goes with lots of different dishes 🙂
Abby @ WinsteadWandering says
I love how fresh and bright this salad! It's gorgeous, and that dill just takes it over the top.
Kiki Johnson says
Dill and cucumber are one of my favourite summer combos and I love that you added beans for some texture and extra protein!
Jennifer says
Is there anything better than fresh dill?? It's my absolute favorite fresh herb, especially in the summer! This salad looks so fresh, perfect for a summer evening on the patio.
Nicoletta Sugarlovespices says
Cannellini and red onion is my father's favorite, and now we make it often, too. Never added dill or cucumber, or vinegar, though. Looks delicious, gotta try it soon!
Veronika's Kitchen says
Love this idea of fresh and healthy salad! Beans, cucumbers, and dill always work well together)
Kathryn @ FoodieGirlChicago says
I love salads with white beans. They are so flavorful and perfect for summer!
Stacey says
Every thing about this salad sounds so tasty and refreshing, and I love how easy it is to make. Can't wait to try!
Saima says
Such an easy to put together salad! It's absolutely perfect for the summer when I'm always looking to avoid making elaborate dishes with lots of ingredients and steps. And it looks yum!
Nicole says
I seriously love bean salads like no one's business! I would add some feta cheese to this dish just because I love feta.
Joyce G says
Just made this now... oh my!!!! Yummy! I'm not normally a fan of dill, but I wanted to try it as written before I put a spin on it. Used shallots cause that's what I had. Thank you for a great recipe!!! ( think I will add some feta tomorrow for lunch!)
Ashley says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Joyce! I swapped red onions out for shallots in a recipe this week, too. Feta is a great addition to this dish - hope you enjoy!
Megan @ MegGoesNomNom says
This is such a delicious, easy, and budget friendly dish! I loved the leftovers for lunch the next day even more!
Ashley says
I’m so glad this was a hit for you, Megan! We do endless variations of salads like this in my house. Thanks for the review!
Gayla Weber says
I seeded the cucumber with a tool I bought. Cut the cucumber into rings instead of chunks. Used my ninja to make the dressing and emulsify the oil. I added about a half dozen of the beans to the ninja to give the dressing a little more sticking power.
Ashley says
Ooh love the idea of making a thicker dressing with beans. Thanks for the review, Gayla!
Denise says
Would it be possible to sub Great Northerns? Of course that's all I have in the pantry!
Ashley says
You can absolutely substitute different canned beans here, Denise. I hope you enjoy it!
Denise L. says
This salad was delicious and fresh, and so easy to make! I had dry dill on hand, so I substituted 1/2 TBS of that for fresh dill and I used red-wine vinegar instead of white. The flavors melded so beautifully overnight! I added some cherry tomatoes for color when I served it. Someone mentioned adding feta or chicken, which, no doubt would be scrumptious, but it's yummy on its own, too!
Ashley says
I'm so so glad this was a hit for you, Denise! Great to know that the dried dill worked out for you. Have you ever tried the refrigerated bottles of freeze dried herbs? I keep a few of them on hand usually. The dill is fantastic and is kind of like a midway point between fresh and dried. I usually find the jars in the refrigerated produce section near the fresh herbs.
NeeNee says
I make pasta salads for our food pantry volunteers. I turned this into a pasta salad and they loved it. I don’t use red onions, I use sweet onion instead. How do you think it would be with a red pepper for color?
Ashley says
I think bell pepper would work nicely, NeeNee! It may get a little soft if it sits in the fridge for more than a day but it'd be a lovely match for sure.