Cannellini Bean Salad with Leeks and Dill

Looking for an easy way to dress up a few cans of white beans? This Ukrainian-inspired cannellini bean salad is great for speedy dinners and meal prep.

A few years back, I got to help recipe test for Anna Voloshyna’s Ukrainian cookbook, Budmo!. When scanning the recipe list for vegetarian options, I was immediately drawn to the white bean salad thanks to the copious amount of fresh herbs it featured. Anna’s recipe turned out perfectly and I’ve been riffing on her salad ever since.

This is my simplified take on her cannellini bean salad – made with canned beans instead of dried, plus a shorter ingredient list. Here, creamy white beans are punctuated with savory fried leeks (you can also use onion) and tons of dill, and perfumed with garlic throughout. The rich flavors are offset by tangy lemon.

This vegan salad is perfect for meal prep, since it gets even better as it sits, and is great for weekday lunches and dinners alike.

Key Ingredients + Substitutions

• White Beans: Cannellini and great northern beans are best here, but you can also use navy or butter beans. Use canned or fresh home-cooked beans.
• Leek: If leeks are new to you, think of them as giant scallions. They belong to the onion family but have a less pungent, more floral taste than white onions. (In a pinch, feel free to sub with onion.)
• Dill: The hallmark herb of Ukrainian cooking. Feel free to sub with parsley or cilantro here, or a mix of all three. A bit of mint would be nice, too.
• Garlic: Since you won’t be cooking the garlic here, one clove will go a long way.
• Unrefined Sunflower Oil: What extra virgin olive oil is to Italian food, unrefined sunflower oil is to Ukrainian. Pressed from sunflower seeds, it has a delicious nutty flavor and is used for finishing salads, potatoes, and other cooked vegetables. You can find it in Eastern European markets, online, or in the international aisle of some supermarkets. (If the label is written in Ukrainian, look for “нерафінована”, meaning unrefined a.k.a. virgin.) If you don’t have it, extra virgin olive oil will do.
• Lemon Juice: Lends a tangy balance to the richness of the other ingredients.

How to Make Cannellini Bean Salad

Find complete instructions with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Clean the Leeks

Leeks can be quite sandy and should be washed thoroughly before using. The best way to do it is in a salad spinner, but a large bowl of water will work, too. Once your leeks are chopped, add them to the spinner/bowl filled with water and swirl with your hands white separating the layers to release the dirt. Repeat the process with fresh water if your leeks seem extra dirty.

Step 2: Sauté the Leeks

Cook the leeks in olive oil over medium heat until they’re golden brown and a bit crispy, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes.

Step 3: Combine the Salad Ingredients

In a large bowl, combine drained and rinsed beans, dill, garlic, lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper. Add the cooked leeks and toss to combine. 

Step 4: Marinate the Beans

For best results, set the salad aside to marinate for at least 10 minutes before serving. 

How to Serve This White Bean Salad

I personally like this salad slightly warm or at room temperature, though you could eat it cold as well.

It’s great alongside crusty bread, grains like couscous or farro, or roasted veg like roasted potatoes and sweet potato wedges. For a lighter meal, serve with crunchy vegetables like cabbage slaw or pan-fried asparagus. (This salad is great for meal prep and will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days.)

What Else You Can Add

If you feel like tossing some extra stuff into the salad, diced avocado, cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and kalamata olives would all work well here.

More Bean Recipes…

• Vegan Cassoulet
• Cannellini Bean Dip
• Tuscan Beans on Toast
• Sesame Garlic Edamame

Let me know if you try this recipe! Give it a rating below and leave a comment, and don’t forget to tag your creation with @thenewbaguette on Instagram.