This marinated white bean salad with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach is a healthy, flavor-packed dish that comes together in just minutes — no cooking required. Creamy cannellini beans are tossed with tangy sun-dried tomatoes, crisp cucumber, and fresh spinach in a bright lemon vinaigrette. If you love easy bean salads, you might want to try this Creamy Chipotle Bean Salad next.
Why You’ll Love This Marinated White Bean Salad
No cooking required. Just drain, chop, and toss — this bean salad comes together in about 10 minutes with zero heat involved.
Healthy. With 13 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber in each serving, it’s a meal you can feel good about eating.
Great for meal prep. The longer it sits, the better it tastes — make it ahead and have a quick, healthy meal ready to go.
Bold, Mediterranean-inspired flavor. Sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, lemon, red wine vinegar and a touch of honey pack serious flavor into every bite.
Light but filling. Cannellini beans are high in protein and fiber, so this salad is both filling and delicious.
Key Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
White Beans: Cannellini or great northern beans both work great here. They’re creamy, mild, and perfect for soaking up the dressing. Use canned for convenience — just drain and rinse well before tossing.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes are the way to go for the best flavor. They add a rich, tangy depth that really makes this salad. Finely chop them so you get a little bit in every bite.
Fresh Veggies: Cucumber adds a fresh crunch, red onion brings a little bite, and spinach makes it feel like a full salad rather than just a bean dish. If red onion is too strong for your family, swap it for green onion for a milder flavor.
The Dressing: A simple mix of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, red wine vinegar, garlic, and a touch of honey. The lemon and vinegar keep it bright and tangy while the honey just softens the edges. Don’t skip the lemon zest — it makes a noticeable difference.
Tips for the Best White Bean Salad
- Let it marinate. This salad is good right away but even better after 30 minutes in the fridge. The beans soak up the dressing and the flavors really come together.
- Chop everything small. Finely dicing the red onion and sun-dried tomatoes means you get a little of everything in each bite instead of one big chunk of onion.
- Use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. They’re softer, more flavorful, and blend into the salad much better than the dry-packed kind.
- Taste and adjust before serving. Every lemon is different — give the dressing a taste and add a little more lemon juice, salt, or honey to get the balance right for you.
- Don’t skip rinsing the beans. A good rinse removes the canning liquid and keeps the dressing from getting murky.
- Customizable. This is a very forgiving recipe so feel free to work with other ingredients you have on hand. Diced avocado, diced bell pepper, crumbled feta and mozzarella balls are all great additions to this bean salad.
FAQ’s
Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Give it a stir before serving.
Yes — and it’s actually better the next day. The beans soak up the dressing as it sits, making the flavors even more intense. Make it a few hours ahead or the night before for best results.
It’s one of the best salads for meal prep. It holds up beautifully in the fridge for several days and honestly just keeps getting more flavorful.
This dish is a meal in itself since it’s packed with protein and fiber. However, it also works as a great side dish next to grilled chicken, salmon, steak or shrimp. In colder weather, it works great served with some soup.
Yes! Great northern beans or navy beans are both great swaps if you can’t find cannellini. They’re all mild and creamy enough to work well here.
Marinated White Bean Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach
Ingredients
- 2 (15 oz) cans white beans (cannellini or great northern) drained and rinsed
- 1 cup cucumber diced
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed preferred) chopped
- ¼ cup red onion finely diced
- 1-2 cups fresh spinach roughly chopped
Dressing:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp honey
- ½ tbsp minced garlic (or 2 cloves, minced)
- ½ tbsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Optional Mix-Ins:
- crumbled feta cheese
- diced avocado
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the white beans. Dice the cucumber, finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes, and dice the red onion. Roughly chop the spinach.
- In a large serving bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. (Olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, red wine vinegar, honey, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- Add the white beans, cucumber, sun-dried tomatoes, onion and spinach. Gently toss until everything is mixed well and coated with dressing.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 20–30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to develop. Enjoy!
- If you make this and have a quick second to give it a rating, I would appreciate it so much! Just scroll to the end of the page until you see a row of stars. It really helps my little website, so thank you in advance. :)
Nutrition
More Mediterranean-Inspired Recipes
If you love the bold, fresh flavors in this marinated white bean salad, here are a few more Mediterranean-inspired recipes to try:
- One Pot Tuscan Pasta with Ground Turkey — creamy, protein-packed, and it all cooks in one pan
- Mediterranean Chicken Orzo Skillet — a vibrant one-pan dinner the whole family will love
- Mediterranean Roasted Cauliflower — an easy, flavorful side that pairs perfectly with this salad
- Savory Mediterranean Greek Yogurt Bowls — a protein-packed meal that works for breakfast, lunch, or dinner
