This flavor-packed Italian White Bean Salad is so easy to make and ready in less than 30 minutes! Perfect for meal prep and filled with satisfying fiber, protein, and lots of veggies.

A wooden spoon taking a portion of bean salad from a bowl.

Everyone can benefit from an easy salad recipe that's packed with veggies, fiber, and protein – am I right?

Even someone like me – who literally cooks for a living – needs to have a stack of meal prep options in the fridge if I want to avoid the constant call of the snack cupboard (which still leaves me hungry, empty chip bag and all).

This Italian Bean Salad has been one of our favorite meal preps this year, and even my meat-and-potatoes husband loves taking this Tuscan-inspired bean salad in his lunches. The texture is perfect and it keeps well for up to 4 days!

We love to serve it as a healthy side dish for pizza night, or alongside a creamy tomato soup for a light and lovely dinner. I know you're going to love it as much as we do!

Why You'll Love It:

SO easy! Chop the veggies, drain the beans, prepare a quick vinaigrette, and toss everything together. It's the perfect cold salad recipe!
Packed with flavor. A quick glance at the ingredients list shows you just how flavorful a bean salad can be.
The texture is amazing. With creamy white beans, crunchy bell pepper, and soft mozzarella cheese, this salad has it all!
Great for meal prep. This recipe has lots of filling fiber and protein. It makes a great side dish (or a satisfying light lunch) and tastes even better the next day.

You Will Need:

The ingredients needed to make Italian bean salad, including salami, mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, and more.

Beans: Cannellini beans are an Italian bean that are fairly easy to find. If you don't have access to those, you can use your favorite white beans, chickpeas (AKA garbanzo beans), or a combination.
Salami: This adds a salty flavor and a little bit of protein too! I've also tried it with sliced smoked chicken and it's very delicious.
Mini mozzarella: Also known as bocconcini. These mini mozzarella balls are perfectly bite-sized, making them ideal for salads.
Artichokes: I like to use the marinated ones for the added flavor! Plain canned artichokes can be used, but if you can find marinated ones, I recommend those.
Sun-dried tomatoes: These come packed in oil. Be sure to reserve the oil to make the dressing.
Cherry tomatoes: Cut in half for the best results!
Bell pepper: Mince up 2 bell peppers of your choice. We recommend yellow and orange (their sweetness is perfect).
Shallot: This has a super mild flavor. If you don't have shallots, you can use 2-3 tablespoons of finely minced red onion.
Basil: Fresh herbs are the best! Some fresh chopped basil adds the perfect touch.
Salt (and pepper): Add flaky salt (and pepper) to taste as you go.
Homemade dressing: Included in the recipe card is my recipe for sun-dried tomato vinaigrette. It's made with reserved sun-dried tomato oil, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and a few other ingredients. If desired, you can use a very good quality store-bought Italian vinaigrette instead.

How to Make Italian White Bean Salad

This Italian white bean salad recipe is SO easy to make and requires NO cooking or advanced prep. All you need to do is chop your ingredients, prepare your dressing, and toss everything together.

Making a salad by adding various toppings to a bowl of beans, then tossing them to combine.

Add the drained and rinsed white beans to a large bowl.
Sprinkle all of the salad ingredients on top of the beans.
- Chopped artichokes, minced bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, shallot (or red onion), mini mozzarella balls, salami, fresh basil, salt, and pepper.
Toss everything together until well combined.
The dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients to a glass jar and blend or shake to combine. Pour it over the salad evenly.

Toss and Serve

A salad bowl filled with salad featuring white beans, cherry tomatoes, salami, and mini mozzarella balls.

After the vinaigrette has been poured over the salad, toss with salad tongs until all of the ingredients have been lightly coated in the dressing. Add flaky salt (and pepper) until it tastes perfect.
Scoop portions into bowls and garnish with additional fresh basil (if desired) before serving.

Top Tip: If you're using a wooden salad bowl, be sure to oil first. This is done by adding olive oil to the bowl and using a paper towel to rub it over the entire surface. Then, wipe off any excess oil with a clean paper towel.

Oiling prevents liquid from permeating the bowl, which causes cracking and residual food odor.

Storing Leftovers

Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Liquid from the vegetables (and dressing) will collect on the bottom. Shake or stir the container before serving to evenly distribute the dressing.

Meal Prep Tips

Portion the salad into individual meal prep containers and cover tightly.
Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Shake or stir the salad before serving.
Serve with a small protein-rich snack like string cheese, milk, or hard-boiled eggs.

A wooden spoon taking a portion of bean salad from a wooden bowl.

Substitutions

With chicken or turkey: This recipe can be made with other chopped deli meats like smoked chicken or turkey. You can also do a blend of salami and lighter deli meats for more balance.

Different types of beans: While we used cannellini beans, I've tested this recipe using multiple options. A favorite was using 1 can of drained chickpeas PLUS 1 can of drained white beans. If you can't find cannellini beans, you can use another white bean like white kidney beans, great Northern beans, or even navy beans.

Using cooked beans: If you like to make your own by cooking dry beans, this recipe can be made with 3 ½ cups of cooked (and cooled) beans instead of canned.

With balsamic vinegar: We recommend using red wine vinegar for the vinaigrette, but if you prefer a bolder flavor you can swap it for a good quality balsamic vinegar.

Without homemade dressing: If you prefer to skip the homemade dressing, you can use your favorite premium Italian vinaigrette in its place. Don't use the cheap stuff! You will need about 1 cup in total.

Variation: Greek Bean Salad

Swap out some of the ingredients (or just add more!) for those listed here:

Kalamata olives
Feta cheese
Green olives
Lemon juice
Fresh parsley
Oregano
Red onion

A wooden bowl filled with a colorful bean salad.

Expert Tips

Use fresh ingredients. This salad is going to taste best when all of the ingredients are fresh and in good shape. Don't use bruised produce or salami that is close to date. You get what you put in!
The dressing will settle. This salad stores SO well, but you will see dressing (and other liquids) settle along the bottom of the storage container. This can easily be redistributed by a good shake or a gentle stirring.
Slice your salami (or other deli meats). The goal for this bean salad is to have all ingredients bite-sized. Slicing the salami into strips makes for the easiest chewing and most enjoyable eating experience.

A wooden spoon holding up a small portion of white bean salad with salami and sun-dried tomatoes.

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Italian Bean Salad