My daughter and I make some type of pasta or bean salad almost every week. It’s good to have in the refrigerator, ready to eat for lunch, especially on busy days. This Garden Pasta and Bean Salad is a combination of both a pasta and bean salad and uses summer vegetables from our garden. We use a delicious lemon and basil vinaigrette.
For the salad
Pasta
Kidney beans
Garbanzo beans
Cherry and/or grape tomatoes
Green olives
Colby jack cheese
Pepperoncini
Green bell pepper
Cucumber
Drain and rinse the beans. Chop the green pepper, pepperoncini and cucumber. Cube the colby jack cheese. I leave the tomatoes whole. They stay fresher in the salad and if cut, their juices tend to water down the salad over time. Cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain well.
Add all of the ingredients to a very large bowl.
For the lemon and basil vinaigrette
Extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice and zest
Basil
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Zest and juice the lemons. Finely chop the basil and garlic. Add all the vinaigrette ingredients to a jar and shake well.
To finish the Garden Pasta and Bean Salad
Shake the dressing and pour it over the salad. Toss well. Enjoy!
Garden Pasta and Bean Salad
This Garden Pasta and Bean Salad is a combination of both a pasta and bean salad and uses summer vegetables from our garden.
Ingredients
- For the salad
- 8 ounces of any pasta, cooked and drained
- 15.5 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 15.5 ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups cherry and/or grape tomatoes
- 1 cup green olives
- 1 cup cubed colby jack cheese
- 5 pepperoncini peppers, sliced
- ½ green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cucumber, chopped
- For the vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespooon chopped basil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Directions
- Step 1 Drain and rinse the beans
- Step 2 Chop the green pepper, pepperoncini and cucumber.
- Step 3 Cube the colby jack cheese.
- Step 4 Leave the tomatoes whole. They stay fresher in the salad and if cut, their juices tend to water down the salad over time
- Step 5 Cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain well.
- Step 6 Add all the ingredients to a very large bowl.
- Step 7 Zest and juice the lemons.
- Step 8 Finely chop the basil and garlic.
- Step 9 Add all the vinaigrette ingredients to a jar and shake well.
- Step 10 Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.
