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4-Minute Four-Bean Salad

By Andrew

4.28 from 25 votes

Apr 30, 2012, Updated Dec 16, 2023

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a Food Bloggers Los Angeles meetup, hosted by Two Broads Abroad. It’s always a casual affair, in which local food bloggers friends get together for a potluck meal and to discuss a particular aspect of blogging. (Yesterdays topic? Pinterest.)

It’s always a fun time that goes by way too quickly; food bloggers are such lovely, enthusiastic, and supportive folks. (And I’m ever-grateful for Erika, Patti, and Dorothy for leading the charge on all things FBLA.)

Since Mother’s Day is just around the corner, we were asked to bring a dish honoring our mothers. You know, something mom used to make.

So I flipped open the three-ring binder my mom gave me a few years back, filled with the recipes she’s collected over the years.  I love thumbing through the various recipes — and seeing where many of them came from (“Grandma Martha’s Sewing Class” is my favorite). It gives a perfect hint of a rich history and tradition. There are even a couple of recipes that just say “Andrew” beneath the title — a clue that I’ve long enjoyed spending time with mom in the kitchen.

It’s funny, with all the cookbooks we have in our kitchen, that’s the one I go to most often. And if you scan through many of my posts, you’ll probably notice that there are a lot of “Thanks, Mom!” parentheticals peppered throughout. When I pause to think about how much I know in the kitchen, a heck of a lot of it came from her.

So, thank you mom, for teaching me so much, for your inspiration and guidance, and for your Rule-of-Three.*  Also, for this super-simple four bean salad recipe, which takes just about four minutes to make. I love you.

4.28 from 25 votes

4-Minute Four-Bean Salad

By: Joan Wilder

A perfect side dish for a summer picnic! It's best when made a day or two before, so the onions have a chance to pickle a little bit in the vinegar, and all the flavors have some time to get to know each other.

Prep: 4 minutes mins

Total: 4 minutes mins

Servings: 12

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 can yellow (wax) beans
• ▢ 2 cans green beans
• ▢ 1 can red kidney beans
• ▢ 1 can garbanzo beans, (chickpeas)
• ▢ 1 small onion, finely diced
• ▢ 1/4 cup unrefined sugar, optional
• ▢ 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1/2 cup vinegar, distilled white, or apple cider
• ▢ 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions 

• Open all the cans and empty the beans into a colander in the sink. Rinse.
• Add all ingredients to a large container, ideally one that has a leak-proof lid. Attach the lid and roll or flip the container to mix the ingredients.
• Refrigerate for at least a few hours (overnight is better). Roll or flip the container occasionally to help it marinate. Serve cold.

Nutrition

Calories: 80kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 4g, Sodium: 4mg, Potassium: 138mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 300IU, Vitamin C: 9.6mg, Calcium: 26mg, Iron: 0.7mg

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* Mom always insisted I try something at least three times before giving it up.  Soccer practice, piano lessons, whatever. I had to go three times before I was allowed to quit (which often didn’t happen after that third time). Smart woman, that one.