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Bean and Bell Pepper Salad – Delicious and Healthy Salad
Instructions
Soak the beans overnight in cold water, then boil them for 40–50 minutes until soft. Salt them 10 minutes before the end of cooking – salting at the start makes the beans tough. The cooked beans should be soft but still hold their shape. Drain them in a colander and transfer to a bowl while still hot.
In a small bowl, mix the tomato paste, olive oil and apple vinegar 6%. Stir thoroughly until smooth – you should get a thin red dressing.
Add the dressing to the hot beans and mix thoroughly. It is the hot beans that soak up the sauce perfectly – on cold beans it would simply run off. This is an important cooking trick.
Slice the onion into thin half rings 3–4 mm thick and add to the beans. If the onion is too sharp, you can scald it with boiling water – this removes the bitterness.
Remove the seeds and stalk from the bell pepper, cut it into thin 5 mm strips and add to the salad. Use red or yellow pepper – they give a lovely bright colour.
Add finely chopped fresh herbs – parsley, dill or cilantro to your taste. The herbs give a «summery» aroma and bright green accents.
Add the garlic, crushed through a press, and salt to taste. I add the garlic at the very end for maximum aroma.
Put the salad in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to infuse – during this time the flavours come together into a harmonious whole.
The fresh and filling bean and bell pepper salad is ready!
Tips
- 1
You can use canned beans – then you will make the salad in minutes instead of 1 hour. Drain off the brine and rinse with water.
- 2
Home-cooked beans are healthier than canned (no preservatives or sugar) and tastier – they are «your own».
- 3
Choose herbs to your taste – parsley (the all-purpose option), dill (a Russian character) or cilantro (an Asian touch). A similar approach is used to make red bean salad.
- 4
Let the salad rest for 30 minutes – the flavours will come together and the salad will become far richer.
FAQ
Which beans are best to use? +
White beans work well (more tender and neutral in flavour), red beans (give a bright burgundy colour and a more «meaty» character), speckled beans (a decorative option) and black beans (an exotic Mexican option). Each variety gives the salad its own character: white is all-purpose, red adds a burgundy accent, speckled gives a summery mix of colours. For the classic Soviet-style version, white beans are the choice. You can mix 2–3 kinds in equal proportions for an interesting combination.
Can the tomato paste be replaced? +
Yes – use ketchup (but reduce the salt and sugar, as it already contains them), fresh tomatoes with the skin removed and minced (200 g), ready-made tomato sauce for pasta, or tomatoes in their own juice. Each one gives the dressing its own character. The salad will also turn out without any tomato component, but it will be less bright in colour and flavour. For a vegan version without tomato, use balsamic vinegar with mustard and olive oil.
How long does the finished salad keep? +
In the refrigerator in a tightly closed container – up to 2 days. On the second day the flavour becomes deeper as it soaks in. Without the dressing, the beans with vegetables keep longer – up to 3 days, and the dressing keeps for up to a week in a separate jar. If you plan to store it for more than a day, it is better to dress the salad in portions as you serve it. I do not recommend freezing the finished salad – the pepper and onion will become watery after thawing. The best strategy is to make it in portions for 1–2 servings.
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