This Puttanesca Lentil Bean Salad is a flavor explosion! It has two kinds of olives, nutritious lentils and white beans, sun-dried tomatoes, dinosaur kale and an herby red wine vinaigrette that is drinkable. It's a no cook, dense bean salad recipe that comes together in about 15 minutes for a meal that's equally delicious and good for you.
What is Puttanesca?
Puttanesca is a type of Italian sauce made from tomatoes, anchovies, garlic and olive oil. It often includes capers, olives and chili flakes. The flavor profile is pungent, spicy and tangy and usually served over pasta. Puttanesca is an intensely flavorful sauce that is bold and aromatic.
This recipe is inspired by puttanesca. It is not a traditional puttanesca sauce as it does not include anchovies. This salad is totally plant-based but has alot of the bold flavor and essence of the original, but in salad form. Rather than nodding the flavorful olives and capers with pasta, I have used beans and lentils for a filling and nutritious element.
Why you'll love this Lentil Bean Salad Recipe
- So much flavor! Olives and capers are tangy, and briny and sun-dried tomatoes bring little pops of color and sweetness.
- The dressing is simple, yellow delicious
- No cook recipe: perfect for nights when you do not want to turn on the stove
- Perfect for meal prep, it tastes great the next day. Bring it to work for lunch!
- Quick and easy recipe that's perfect for beginners
- Looks and tastes like a fancy gourmet meal
- Naturally vegan, gluten free and nut free. Allergy friendly recipe.
- Pantry friendly recipe: many ingredients are canned or jarred
Olive Oil Tip (optional)
For salad recipes like this one, the olive oil you choose is very important. The flavor makes a huge difference. Purchase the best extra virgin olive oil that you can afford. If possible buy one from a single country of origen, rather than a blend. I like Italy, Greece, Spain, but Portugal and Middle Eastern Varietals are good too. And choose a darker glass bottle which will help preserve the flavors.
Puttanesca Lentil Bean Salad Recipe Ingredients
This salad is mostly pantry ingredients, food that is shelf stable until opened. Just three ingredients will need to be bought fresh!
- Dino Kale: Also known as cavelo nero or lacinato kale, this more tender and dark green kale makes the base of the salad.
- Green Onions and Parsley- These aromatics and herbs give a fresh bite to this salad recipe
- Extra Virgin Olive oil and Red Wine Vinegar- these are the base of the dressing
- Canned White Beans and Lentils- These two plant-based powerhouses add fiber, protein and iron to this salad recipe. Use cannelini beans, white northern beans or butter beans.
- Pitted Oilives- I like to use a combo of any Kalamata olives and buttery castelvetrano olives for color and flavor contrast. Choose your favorites and use them in the recipe.
- Sun-dried Tomatoes- For this recipe, I use oil-packed, jarred and sliced sun-dried tomatoes. You can use dried, but you must reconstitute with water before using them.
- Capers- Capers bring a distinct flavor to this salad. They are briny, bright and intensely flavorful.
- Pure Maple Syrup- A little natural sweetener goes a long way to balance the flavors in this salad.
- Oregano- Dries oregano brings a flavorful burst to the dressing.
Olives tip: Whichever type of olives you choose for the recipe, it is essential that they have had the pits removed. Look for "pitted" on the jar. Olives with intact pits do not belong in a salad because someone could break a tooth or choke. Even pitted olives from a jar may sometimes miss a pit, so when chopping the olives for salad pay close attention and remove any that may pop up.
How to Make Puttanesca Lentil Bean Salad
This salad recipe is really very easy. It's basically, washing, chopping, draining and mixing.
- First drain and rinse the beans and lentils, stem and chop the kale and chop the olives, green onions and parsley.
- Next make the dressing by combining the olive oil, vinegar, pure maple syrup, oregano and salt.
- Massage the kale for a couple of minutes with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt. This step is optional but will make a world of difference.
- Add the lentils, beans, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, green onions and parsley to the kale. Pour the dressing over the top and mix until well coated.
Tips for Making the Best Lentil Bean Salad
- Take your time. Don't rush the draining of the beans, or the chopping of the veggies.
- Use a food processor on pulse to make the chopping easier! The kale and the olives would both work well on pulse. Just make sure you don't over process.
- Use a sharp knife for cutting. Dull blades make cooking less safe, less fun and way more of a chore.
- Add your favorite proteins or cheeses. Vegan or regular feta cheese would be exceptional in this recipe. Tofu, tempeh or your favorite grilled protein would make this salad even more filling.
- Get creative with the veggies. Roasted broccoli, roasted cauliflower or sautéed zucchini are excellent additions to this flavor profile.
- Don"t like kale? Leave out the greens and make the recipe as is. Then serve it over a bed of spring mix or some arugula.
- Make it crunchy! Slivered almonds, pistachios or walnuts are great in salads.
FAQs
This nutritious salad recipe has so much to offer. Lentils and beans are great sources of vitamins, protein and fiber. Combined with kale this is a nutritious powerhouse.
However, if you have been instructed to be on a low sodium diet, this may not be the salad for you. Between the olives, capers and sun-dried tomatoes, this does have a higher sodium content than many of my salad recipes. Be sure to consult your Doctor.
No absolutely not! I you prefer to use home cooked from dry beans, please do so. The reason that I use canned beans in my recipes is that I want them to be easy and convenient for most people. A 15 oz can of beans is almost the same as ¾ cups of dry beans before cooking.
This salad is excellent for make ahead. The kale holds up for 3 days in the dressing and the other ingredients just get tastier as they marinate! Make a batch and eat it for lunch for 3 days.
This is one of those salads that tastes great for about 3 days. The beans and lentils and kale marinate in the dressing making it tastier the next day! You can safely eat it longer but for best quality flavor and texture eat within days 1-3.
Yes this salad has no gluten involved, it is celiac safe barring any cross contamination. Always check labels if you have an allergy.
Other Delicious Bean Salad Recipes
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Puttanesca Lentil Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 15 oz white beans canned, rinsed and drained
- 15 oz lentils canned, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups dino kale chopped end stems removed
- 1 cup pitted black olives chopped small
- 1 cup green olives chopped small
- ¼ cup sundried tomatoes sliced, packed in oil, drained
- 2 tbsp capers drained
- 2 tbsp parsley leaves only, chopped
- 1 green onion white and green parts, chopped small
Dressing
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp red wine vinegar vinegar
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp salt
- Black pepper to preferences
Instructions
- To a large bowl add the dino kale, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Massage the kale for 2-3 minutes with your clean hands until it is tender.
- Make the dressing by combining extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, pure maple syrup, salt and black pepper in a jar. Whisk or shake covered until combined.
- Then to the bowl with the massaged kale add the white beans, lentils, green olives, black olives, sundried tomatoes, capers, green onions and parsley. Pour the dressing over the top and toss until combined.
- Serve and enjoy. Refrigerate covered and eat within 3-4 days for best quality.
Charmayne Croy
You are the year!!! I lost track of you! So glad to find this post!!
Charmayne Croy
You are the best and easy to follow! I have learned so much from you. I am not afraid of purchasing a large head of cabbage any more. I never waste produce because I learned from you so many different uses. Your recipes are easy with many exciting flavors. I bought the Wūsthoff 8” for easy prep work.
Sara Tercero
Charmayne! Hat an amazing message. This makes me so happy to read. Thank you for the kind feedback and I am so glad that I could be of service.
Sara Tercero
So happy you are here!
Atiya
I made this yesterday and it was sooo delicious. I can't wait to have leftovers for lunch with sourdough 😀
Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Sara Tercero
Hello! I am super happy you enjoyed it. Thank you for taking the time out to leave me feedback and a review!
Gayle Keane
This salad knocked my socks off! Wow! So delicious! So easy it took almost no time and I used your food processor idea! Thanks again for sharing your recipes!
Sara Tercero
Yay Gayle! I am so happy to hear that! To be honest, I am also really in love with this one. Thanks for the feedback and 5 star rating.