Eleven ingredients and fifteen minutes, ten of which are the beans resting in the dressing.
Two colours of cherry tomato, torn leaves and a clove of garlic sliced thin enough to see through — none of which the title mentions.
Why This Recipe Works
- Rinsing canned cannellini takes off the starch that would cloud the dressing.
- Ten minutes in the dressing is long enough for beans to take it up.
- Slicing the garlic thinly rather than crushing it keeps it mild in a raw dressing.
- Chilli flakes in the oil rather than on top spread the heat evenly.
- Tearing the greens rather than chopping them keeps the edges from bruising.
Ingredient Notes
- Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- Two cans. Large, white and soft-skinned — the size is what makes them read as the body of the bowl rather than a scatter through it.
- Red and orange cherry tomatoes
- A cup of each, halved. Two colours rather than one, and the orange ones are visible in the finished bowl.
- Garlic clove, very thinly sliced
- One, sliced rather than crushed. Raw crushed garlic overwhelms a light dressing; thin slices stay visible and stay mild.
- Torn arugula or baby greens
- Two cups, torn by hand. They go through the salad rather than under it — this is a bean salad with leaves in it, not a leaf salad.
How to Make It
Oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, chilli flakes and seasoning whisked
Whisk olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, chili flakes, salt, and pepper.
Beans, red and orange tomatoes, red onion and torn greens combined
Combine cannellini beans, red and orange tomatoes, red onion, and torn greens.
Thinly sliced garlic added, everything tossed with the dressing
Add the thinly sliced garlic and toss with the dressing.
Rested ten minutes in the fridge so the beans take the dressing
Rest under refrigeration for 10 minutes so the beans absorb the dressing.
Served chilled or cool, with no cheese and no cucumber
Serve chilled or cool, with no cheese or cucumber added.
What Is In It, and What Is Deliberately Not
This cold bean salad is defined as much by its absences as its contents: NO CHEESE and NO CUCUMBER, written into the final step rather than left to inference. What it does have is two colours of tomato, torn leaves, chilli in the oil and a clove of garlic sliced thin enough to see through.
The dressing - and the CHILLI goes IN it
3 tbsp OLIVE OIL, 1 1/2 tbsp RED WINE VINEGAR, 1/2 tsp DRIED OREGANO, 1/4 tsp RED CHILI FLAKES and SALT AND BLACK PEPPER whisked together first. The flakes go into the oil rather than over the finished bowl, which is what puts an even flecked heat right through the salad instead of a hot mouthful in one corner. You can see those red flecks suspended in the dressing.
The BEANS - large, white, RINSED
2 cans of CANNELLINI BEANS, DRAINED AND RINSED. Rinsing is not fussiness: canning liquid is starchy and it turns a clear vinaigrette cloudy and dulls the vinegar. These beans are large and white with a soft split skin, and at two cans to four servings they are the body of the dish rather than an ingredient in it.
TWO colours of tomato, plus onion and TORN leaves
1 cup RED CHERRY TOMATOES and 1 cup ORANGE CHERRY TOMATOES, both HALVED, with 1/3 of a THINLY SLICED RED ONION and 2 cups of TORN ARUGULA OR BABY GREENS. Two tomato colours is a detail the title does not mention, and so are the leaves - TORN rather than chopped, because a blade bruises the cut edge of a soft green and it darkens in an acidic dressing.
The GARLIC - sliced, raw, and visible
1 GARLIC CLOVE, VERY THINLY SLICED, added at the toss. A whole sliced clove sits in the bowl, which is why it is sliced rather than crushed or grated. Raw crushed garlic dominates a light dressing within minutes; thin raw slices stay mild. For safety, the dressing contains FRESH GARLIC IN OIL, so it is PREPARED FOR IMMEDIATE USE AND REFRIGERATED PROMPTLY rather than kept at room temperature.
RESTED UNDER REFRIGERATION FOR 10 MINUTES SO THE BEANS ABSORB THE DRESSING - short, and in the cold rather than on the counter. Then SERVED CHILLED OR COOL, WITH NO CHEESE OR CUCUMBER ADDED. That instruction is part of the recipe rather than a note about it. Held at 40°F OR BELOW.
Success Tips
- Rinse the beans until the water runs clear or the dressing turns cloudy.
- Slice the garlic as thinly as the knife allows; thick slices are harsh raw.
- Give it the full ten minutes in the fridge — that is when the beans take it up.
Serving Ideas
Four servings of large white cannellini beans with halved red and orange cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion and torn green leaves, glossy with a chilli-flecked dressing and scattered with thin slices of garlic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add feta or cucumber?
No. This salad is built without either. The beans, two colours of tomato, red onion, torn greens, garlic and chilli are the whole of it, and the absences are part of what the recipe is.
Why sliced garlic rather than crushed?
It is raw. Crushed garlic in a raw dressing turns sharp and takes over; thin slices stay mild and stay visible in the bowl.
How long can it stand?
Keep it at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below. The dressing has fresh garlic in oil, so make it for immediate use and refrigerate it promptly rather than leaving it out.
