By: EatingWell

Photographer: Burris, Ken

Publish Date: 2008-11-01

Servings: 8

Yield: 8 servings, about 1 cup each

Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes (not including soaking time)

Prep Time: 35 minutes

To Make Ahead: Prepare through Step 3, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Recipe Description:

This colorful bean-and-tomato salad really shines if you can find a colorful mix of tomatoes and beans at your local farmers' market. Recently harvested beans (and thus freshly dried), as many heirloom beans are, cook more quickly than those usually found at conventional markets.

Recipe Ingredients:

1. 1 1/4 cups dried beans, preferably heirloom, or 2 15-ounce cans white beans, rinsed
2. 1 teaspoon salt, divided
3. 1/2 cup minced red onion
4. 1/4 cup cider vinegar
5. 4 teaspoons honey
6. 1 teaspoon peanut or canola oil
7. 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste
8. 8 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
9. 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
10. 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
11. 1 pound tomatoes, sliced

Recipe Steps:

1. If using canned beans, skip to Step 3. If using dried beans, rinse and pick over for any stones, then place in a large bowl, cover with 3 inches of cold water and soak at room temperature for at least 6 hours or overnight. (Alternatively, use our quick-soak method, see Tip.)
2. Drain the soaked beans, rinse and transfer to a large saucepan. Add 6 cups cold water. Bring to a simmer, partially cover, and simmer gently, stirring once or twice, until tender but not mushy, 20 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the freshness of the dried beans. (If you’re using heirloom beans, be sure to check them after 20 minutes—they tend to cook more quickly than conventional beans.) If at any time the liquid level drops below the beans, add 1 cup water. When the beans are about three-fourths done, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. When the beans are tender, remove from the heat and drain.
3. Combine the beans (cooked or canned), the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, onion, vinegar, honey, oil and pepper in a large bowl. Stir, cover and refrigerate to marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
4. Cook green beans in a large pot of boiling water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Pat dry and add to the marinated beans. Stir in cherry (or grape) tomatoes and basil. Season with pepper.
5. To serve, arrange tomato slices around the edge of a serving platter or shallow salad bowl and spoon the bean salad into the center.

Recipe Tips & Notes:

1. Tip: Quick-soak method: Place beans in a large saucepan with enough cold water to cover them by 2 inches. Bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour. Proceed with Step 2.

Recipe Nutrition:

Per serving: 134 calories; 1 g fat (0 g saturated fat, 0g mono unsaturated fat); 0 mg cholesterol; 26 g carbohydrates; 7 g protein; 7 g fiber; 298 mg sodium; 565 mg potassium

Nutrtion Bonus: Vitamin C (27% daily value), Folate (25% dv), Vitamin A (22% dv), Potassium (16% dv).

Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 vegetable

Carbohydrate Servings: 1

Recipe Categories:

Course(s)

Dinner

Lunch

Cuisine(s)

American

Degree of Difficulty

Easy

Special Health Consideration(s)

Low Calorie

High Fiber

Low Sat Fat

Low Cholesterol

Low Sodium

High Potassium

Heart Healthy

Healthy Weight

Seasons & Occassions

Summer

Spring

Fall

Picnic

Entertainment

Fourth of July

Technique(s)

Chill

Marinate

Dish Type(s)

Side Dishes

Salad

Recipe Disclaimer(s):

Scaling Disclaimer: EatingWell recipes are tested extensively in the EatingWell Test Kitchen. Eating Well cannot guarantee a recipe that has been scaled to make a different number of servings from the original. Also note that scaling only applies to the ingredient measurements: no adjustment is made to the recipe instructions, so pan sizes and cooking times and ingredient amounts referred to in the text of the recipe only apply to the original number of servings.

Gluten-Free Disclaimer: We have verified that these recipes do not include the following gluten-containing ingredients: wheat (all varieties, including spelt and kamut, wheat germ or bran and other forms of wheat protein), rye, barley (in all forms, including malt, malt flavoring, malt vinegar and malt extract), oats, triticale or beer/ale. However, many processed foods, such as broths, soy sauce and other condiments, may contain hidden sources of gluten. If a recipe calls for a packaged (e.g., canned) ingredient, we recommend that you carefully read the label to be sure it does not contain a hidden source of gluten.