Marinated Olive Salad with Beans

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This marinated olive salad with beans is a party for your mouth. Its vibrant flavors and colors will have you shocked by the simplicity of this chopped olive salad. This no-cook, dense beans salad has white beans, two kinds of olives, roasted peppers and tomatoes marinated in extra virgin olive oil, garlic, lemon and spices. It's the perfect recipe to spice up your life.

overhead view of marinated olive salad with beans.

What is Olive Salad?

Olive salads are made with a combo of chopped olives and marinated vegetables (giardiniera). They are often featured as a condiment or dip in Italian and Mediterranean food or on sandwiches such as a "Muffuletta". The briny, pickled flavor is ideal for kicking up the flavors in any pasta salad, antipasto platter or even on grilled meats.

Why you'll love this Marinated Olive Salad

This salad takes the best parts of Olive Salad and marries them with Dense Bean Salad to produce a delicious and hearty salad recipe
It tastes amazing, if you are an olive lover you will be making and eating this olive salad on repeat.
No cooking required!
It's so fresh and colorful
Easily customizable, use whatever olives or marinated veggies that you have
One bowl preparation, no messy cleanup
Quick recipe, comes together in a flash
Versatile recipe can be eaten by the bowl, with crackers or sliced baguette as a dip, or as a hearty and tasty sandwich or wrap filling

Helpful Tip

Choose your favorite pitted olives for this recipe. You can use any kind you like, but be sure that they are pitted as you can break a tooth! Once olives are mixed into a salad it makes it impossible to take out the pit!

closeup view of colorful marinated olive salad

Marinated Olive Salad Ingredients

This is a pantry friendly recipe. The only perishable items are the grape tomatoes and the lemon. Otherwise the rest is shelf stable making this recipe great all year round.

White Beans: Use cannelini beans, great northern beans, or butter beans in this salad recipe. Chickpeas could also work here.
Pitted Olives- My faves are Kalamata olives which are robust and tangy with a full flavor profile and Castelvetrano Olives which are bright, buttery and milder. I like this combo in this recipe because they balance and compliment each other. Use whichever two types you like best.
Roasted Red Peppers- The sweet and bright flavor of roasted peppers tastes delicious with all of the tangy and spicy ingredients
Tomatoes- Use grape or cherry tomatoes for a firm flesh and best flavor
Garlic, Oregano and Crushed Red Pepper- this trio brings major flavor to this marinated olive and bean salad
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Lemon and Lemon Zest- simply dressed yet full of flavor
Salt and black pepper

Bonus tip: If making ahead, be sure to pull the salad out of the refrigerator about 20-30 minutes before serving. Because the extra virgin olive oil will solidify when super cold, you will want it to come closer to room temp for maximum enjoyment.

overhead view of ingredients for marinated olive salad with beans laid out in bowls in a flatlay

How to Make Marinated Olive Salad

This recipe is so easy and quick, it's barely cooking!

Prep the veggies: Chop the olives and peppers small, and half the tomatoes.
Add the drained beans to a bowl with all the chopped ingredients, spices, garlic and herbs, plus the extra virgin olive oil, lemon and zest. Season with salt and pepper.
Let it marinated to multiply the flavor!

Tips for Making the Best Marinated Olive Salad

Add cubes of tofu for extra protein. Marinated with all the other goodies, it will resemble feta cheese flavor and texture!
Choose variety in the olives, use multiple types. As an olive lover, I think you can never go wrong with olives!
Add more veggies! Steamed cauliflower or broccoli will marinated nicely with the herbs and lemon for a great flavor. Crisp cucumbers taste delicious too.
Use fresh herbs! Finely chopped chives, dill or mint multiply the flavors.

overhead view looking into a large bowl of marinated olive salad with beans, tomatoes and peppers.

FAQs

Is olive salad good for you?

The short answer is yes, olives and olive oil are full of heart healthy fats that can help lower cholesterol. Plus all the veggies and beans in this salad are full of fiber and antioxidants.
However, olives are brined so they are quite salty and high in sodium. So if you are on a low sodium diet for your health, you should monitor your olive intake.

I am on a low sodium diet, can I eat this?

First off, I must make a disclaimer because I cannot dispense health advice as I am not qualified to do so. You should always ask your doctor. Since olives are so high in sodium, to make this recipe friendlier for you, you could reduce the amount of olives in the recipe and bulk it up with "no sodium" labelled canned beans and extra vegetables to balance out all the salt.

How long will this olive salad last?

Like most of my recipes, the sweet spot for consumption is 1-3 days. This one may be more forgiving, due to the nature of the ingredients. Since they are marinating, they may still be delicious and fresh for 4-5 days after preparation.

What should I eat with this olive salad?

This olive salad can be eaten over some spring mix for a quick lunch or with crackers or crusty bread for a snack. It's also good on a sandwich as a filling or a flavorful topper for your favorite filling.
For me, this salad paired with hummus or other Mediterranean dips and some bread or pita would be an exceptional "girl dinner".

Other Delicious Olive Recipes

Puttanesca Pasta Salad
Vegan Niçoise salad
Lemon and Herbs Pasta Salad
Italian Vegetable and Farro Salad
Easy Mediterranean Dense Bean Salad with Olives

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