White Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad Recipe

Name: White Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed; 1 (3-inch) sprig of fresh rosemary; 3 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped (omit for vegetarian option); 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese; 1/4 cup of lemon juice; 1 teaspoon lemon zest; 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, such as great northern or cannellini, drained and rinsed; 1 pint cherry or plum tomatoes, halved; 1/3 cup coarsely chopped parsley

If you've ever grown cherry or plum tomatoes in your garden, you know how wonderfully prolific they can be in summer months. What to do with all those tomatoes?

We found this salad recipe years ago in Fine Cooking magazine (probably my favorite cooking magazine of all time).

The salad beautifully combines the sweetness of summer cherry tomatoes with white beans and parsley.

The secret sauce is the dressing, which includes garlic and rosemary infused olive oil, and a paste made of garlic, lemon, Parmesan and anchovies.

If you want a vegetarian option, omit the anchovies, if not, by all means, include them. Or, if you don't have access to anchovies, add a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce.

Want to make your beans from scratch? Here's how to make them on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker.

More Beautiful Bean Salads

White Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Servings 6 to 8 servings

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For the dressing

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 (3-inch) sprig fresh rosemary
3 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped (omit for vegetarian option)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the salad

1 (15-ounce) can white beans, such as great northern or cannellini, drained and rinsed
1 pint cherry or plum tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup coarsely chopped parsley

Food processor or mini chopper

Infuse rosemary in olive oil:

Place the garlic and sprig of rosemary in the olive oil in a small saucepan. Heat the oil on medium until the rosemary begins to sizzle.

Elise Bauer

Remove the pan from the heat and let sit for 20 minutes, allowing the rosemary and garlic to infuse in the oil.
Make the dressing:

Remove the rosemary sprig from the oil, and discard. Reserve the oil.

Add the drained garlic, anchovies (omit for vegetarian option), Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper to a small food processor or mini chopper. Pulse until smooth.

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Mix the dressing with the beans:

In a medium bowl, gently mix the garlic Parmesan lemon mixture in with the beans until the beans are well coated.

Let the beans sit for a few minutes so they absorb some of the dressing.

Elise Bauer
Mix the olive oil, tomatoes, and parsley:

Add the reserved olive oil, tomatoes, and parsley and gently mix the salad. Serve.

Elise Bauer

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
165	Calories
8g	Fat
19g	Carbs
6g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories	165
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g	10%
Saturated Fat 2g	8%
Cholesterol 4mg	1%
Sodium 432mg	19%
Total Carbohydrate 19g	7%
Dietary Fiber 4g	13%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 8mg	38%
Calcium 82mg	6%
Iron 2mg	11%
Potassium 367mg	8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.