Bean and Lentil Salads
Cooking Skills: Pulses and Beans 1
Chapter 5 · Bean and Lentil Salads
Skill goal
Dress pulses while they are warm, balance them with acid and crunch, and make salads that keep.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
Pulses are bland until you season them, and they absorb dressing best while still warm. Dress cooked lentils or beans as soon as they are drained and the salt and acid soak in, instead of sitting on top. A good bean salad has four layers: the pulse, a sharp dressing (about 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar or lemon, plus mustard), something crunchy (cucumber, celery, radish, onion) and fresh herbs added at the end.
Tinned pulses are ideal here: drain, rinse and dress. Lentils keep their shape best of all; green and Puy lentils from Cooking Skills: Pulses and Beans 1, chapter 1 are the best for salad. Bean salads improve for a few hours as they marinate, and keep for 2 days in the fridge. For vinaigrettes in more detail see Cooking Skills: Vegetables 1, chapter 7.
The method
- Cook or drain the pulses and dress them while still warm.
- Make a sharp dressing, about 3 parts oil to 1 part acid, with mustard and salt.
- Add something crunchy, in small, even pieces so every forkful has some.
- Let it stand for 15 to 30 minutes so the flavours soak in.
- Add herbs and any soft ingredients last, then taste and adjust the salt and acid.
| Salad | Pulse | Crunch and extras | Dressing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lentil and feta | Green or Puy lentils | Cucumber, tomato, feta | Mustard vinaigrette |
| Three-bean | Kidney, cannellini, green beans | Celery, red onion | Sweet-sharp vinegar |
| Chickpea and tomato | Chickpeas | Cucumber, parsley, red onion | Lemon and olive oil |
| White bean and tuna | Cannellini beans | Red onion, parsley, lemon | Olive oil and lemon |
Tinned pulses, tuna, keeping salads and allergens
Tinned pulses: tinned pulses are cooked and ready to eat once drained and rinsed, which also washes off much of the salt. Check the use-by date, never use tins that are bulging or leaking, and keep opened tins in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days rather than in the tin.Tuna and who should limit it: tinned tuna is a safe, handy protein, but tuna contains more mercury than most fish. Current NHS advice is to limit it for pregnant women and women trying to conceive, and for young children, so check the latest guidance. Drain it well and use it quickly once the tin is open.
Raw onion and fresh herbs: raw onion and herbs go into salads that sit, so wash herbs well, use clean boards, and keep dressed salads covered and cold. Eat bean salads within about 2 days, and don't leave them out for more than 2 hours.
Allergens in pulses: soya, peanuts and lupin are legumes and major allergens, and sesame (in tahini) is one too. Check labels on tinned pulses, flours and sauces, tell guests what is in a dish, and use separate pans and spoons if someone is allergic. Celery is in many stock cubes.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
A chickpea and tomato salad
The simplest pulse salad, and a good side for grilled meat or fish. Tinned chickpeas, ripe tomatoes, cucumber and plenty of parsley, dressed with lemon and good oil. The red onion mellows if soaked in the lemon juice for 10 minutes first.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 400 g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 4 ripe tomatoes, diced
- ½ cucumber, diced
- ½ red onion, finely sliced
- 2 lemons, juice
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 pinch flaked sea salt
- Toss the sliced red onion with the lemon juice and a pinch of salt and leave for 10 minutes.
- Mix the chickpeas, tomatoes and cucumber in a bowl, add the onion and lemon juice and the oil.
- Add the parsley, season, and leave for 15 minutes before serving.
Tinned pulses and keeping salads
Tinned pulses: tinned pulses are cooked and ready to eat once drained and rinsed, which also washes off much of the salt. Check the use-by date, never use tins that are bulging or leaking, and keep opened tins in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days rather than in the tin.Raw onion and fresh herbs: raw onion and herbs go into salads that sit, so wash herbs well, use clean boards, and keep dressed salads covered and cold. Eat bean salads within about 2 days, and don't leave them out for more than 2 hours.
Sharp knives: a sharp knife is safer than a blunt one because it needs less force. Cut away from your body, steady the board with a damp cloth under it, curl your fingertips on the food you are holding and put the knife down flat when you are talking.
Level 2 · Warm
A lentil salad with feta
Cook green or Puy lentils until tender but whole, drain, and dress at once with mustard vinaigrette. Fold in cucumber, tomato, red onion, mint and crumbled feta just before serving. A very good lunch box.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 250 g green or Puy lentils, cooked as in chapter 1 and drained
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cucumber, diced
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- ½ red onion, finely chopped
- 100 g feta, crumbled
- 3 tbsp chopped mint
- Whisk the mustard, vinegar and oil with salt and pepper. Tip the warm, drained lentils into a bowl and pour over the dressing at once. Leave to cool for 15 minutes.
- Add the cucumber, tomato and onion and stir well.
- Fold in the feta and mint just before serving.
Boiling over, allergens and keeping salads
Boiling over: pulses foam and boil over easily, and the starchy foam is scalding. Use a pan twice as big as the pulses and water need, skim the foam, keep the lid ajar and stay at the cooker.Raw onion and fresh herbs: raw onion and herbs go into salads that sit, so wash herbs well, use clean boards, and keep dressed salads covered and cold. Eat bean salads within about 2 days, and don't leave them out for more than 2 hours.
Allergens in pulses: soya, peanuts and lupin are legumes and major allergens, and sesame (in tahini) is one too. Check labels on tinned pulses, flours and sauces, tell guests what is in a dish, and use separate pans and spoons if someone is allergic. Celery is in many stock cubes.
Allergens: contains milk (feta), mustard and sulphites (vinegar).
Level 2 · Classic
A three-bean salad
An old-fashioned picnic salad: kidney beans, cannellini beans and green beans in a sweet, sharp vinegar dressing with onion and celery. It improves after a few hours and keeps for 2 days. No wine is used.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 400 g tin of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 400 g tin of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 200 g green beans, trimmed and cut into 3 cm pieces
- 1 celery stick, finely diced
- ½ red onion, finely sliced
- 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp chopped parsley
- Boil the green beans in salted water for 4 minutes, drain and rinse under cold water.
- Whisk the vinegar, sugar, oil, salt and pepper until the sugar dissolves. Mix with the beans, celery and onion.
- Chill for at least 1 hour, stir in the parsley and serve within 2 days.
Tinned beans, hot water and keeping salads
Tinned pulses: tinned pulses are cooked and ready to eat once drained and rinsed, which also washes off much of the salt. Check the use-by date, never use tins that are bulging or leaking, and keep opened tins in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days rather than in the tin.Hot sauce: a thickening sauce bubbles and spits, and hot sauce sticks to skin and burns worse than water. Stir with a long spoon, keep your face back and turn the handle of the pan inwards.
Raw onion and fresh herbs: raw onion and herbs go into salads that sit, so wash herbs well, use clean boards, and keep dressed salads covered and cold. Eat bean salads within about 2 days, and don't leave them out for more than 2 hours.
Allergens in pulses: soya, peanuts and lupin are legumes and major allergens, and sesame (in tahini) is one too. Check labels on tinned pulses, flours and sauces, tell guests what is in a dish, and use separate pans and spoons if someone is allergic. Celery is in many stock cubes.
Level 3 · Protein
A white bean and tuna salad
An Italian classic (tonno e fagioli). Soft cannellini beans, good tuna in olive oil, thin red onion and lots of parsley and lemon. Use the oil from the tuna in the dressing. Serve on toast or with leaves.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 2 tins of cannellini beans (400 g each), drained and rinsed
- 160 g tin of tuna in olive oil, drained (keep the oil)
- ½ red onion, very finely sliced
- 2 lemons, juice
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 pinch flaked sea salt
- Soak the sliced onion in the lemon juice for 10 minutes.
- Mix the beans gently with the onion and lemon juice, the olive oil and a spoon of the tuna oil.
- Flake in the tuna, add the parsley, season carefully and serve at room temperature.
Tuna, tinned beans and allergens
Tuna and who should limit it: tinned tuna is a safe, handy protein, but tuna contains more mercury than most fish. Current NHS advice is to limit it for pregnant women and women trying to conceive, and for young children, so check the latest guidance. Drain it well and use it quickly once the tin is open.Tinned pulses: tinned pulses are cooked and ready to eat once drained and rinsed, which also washes off much of the salt. Check the use-by date, never use tins that are bulging or leaking, and keep opened tins in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days rather than in the tin.
Allergens in pulses: soya, peanuts and lupin are legumes and major allergens, and sesame (in tahini) is one too. Check labels on tinned pulses, flours and sauces, tell guests what is in a dish, and use separate pans and spoons if someone is allergic. Celery is in many stock cubes.
Allergens: contains fish.
Experiments
Experiment
Dressed warm or cold
Absorption.
- Dress half the cooked lentils while warm and half after cooling.
Look for: The warm-dressed lentils taste seasoned all the way through; the cold-dressed ones taste of dressing on the outside.
Experiment
Acid early or late
Texture and colour.
- Dress green beans with vinegar immediately and others 1 hour before serving.
Look for: Acid dulls green vegetables over time; the late-dressed beans stay bright, while the early-dressed ones turn olive.
Experiment
Tinned or home-cooked
Texture.
- Make the same salad from tinned chickpeas and from chickpeas you cooked yourself.
Look for: Home-cooked beans are firmer and creamier and taste better, but tinned are faster and more consistent.
Experiment
Herbs at the start or the end
Freshness.
- Add parsley to one bowl at the start and to another at the end.
Look for: Herbs added at the start go dark and soft; those added at the end stay green and fragrant.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chickpea and tomato salad | ||||
| Lentil salad with feta | ||||
| Three-bean salad | ||||
| White bean and tuna salad | ||||
| Dressed warm or cold | ||||
| Acid early or late | ||||
| Tinned or home-cooked | ||||
| Herbs at the start or the end |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Bland salad | Not enough salt or acid | Season while warm; add lemon or vinegar to taste |
| Mushy lentils | Overcooked | Cook green or Puy lentils just until tender |
| Watery salad | Wet tomatoes or cucumber | Seed the tomatoes and salt the cucumber and drain |
| Harsh raw onion | Too strong | Soak it in lemon juice or vinegar for 10 minutes |
| Salad goes dull | Acid on green vegetables for too long | Add the herbs and dressing close to serving |
| Beany flavour | Tinned liquid not rinsed | Rinse well |
Keeping salads, tuna and leftovers
Raw onion and fresh herbs: raw onion and herbs go into salads that sit, so wash herbs well, use clean boards, and keep dressed salads covered and cold. Eat bean salads within about 2 days, and don't leave them out for more than 2 hours.Tuna and who should limit it: tinned tuna is a safe, handy protein, but tuna contains more mercury than most fish. Current NHS advice is to limit it for pregnant women and women trying to conceive, and for young children, so check the latest guidance. Drain it well and use it quickly once the tin is open.
Cooling and keeping stock: stock is an ideal place for bacteria to grow. Strain it, then cool it quickly in shallow containers or an ice bath, chill within 1 to 2 hours, and use within about 2 days (fish stock within 1 day) or freeze it. Never leave a big pot to cool slowly on the hob or worktop overnight. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can dress pulses while they are warm.
- I can make a balanced vinaigrette.
- I know how to add crunch.
- I can make a bean salad that keeps for 2 days.
- I add herbs last.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Pulses and Beans 1, chapter 6 is Stews, Bakes and Chilli: slow-cooked pulse dishes with depth.