Cannellini Bean & Cherry Tomato Salad

Ingredients to make pesto are considered essential around my house, because you never know when you might need a batch of the good stuff. Those same flavors from ingredients used in my signature pesto – without getting my food processor dirty – are what dress this otherwise two-ingredient Cannellini Bean & Cherry Tomato Salad. It makes for a quick-and-easy vegetarian lunch or a side dish that tastes like taking a bite out of summer.

Author: Pesto & Potatoes

Category: Vegetarian

Cuisine: Other

Difficulty: EASY

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time:

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 2,060 kcal per serving

Ingredients

1 15.5- ounce can - cannellini beans
1 pt - cherry tomatoes
1 - lemon
2 cloves - garlic
¼ cup - fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp - pine nuts
¼ cup - olive oil
⅛ - Kosher salt
⅛ - black pepper

Instructions

Drain and rinse cannellini beans and set aside.
Wash cherry tomatoes and cut in half. Add to a bowl and sprinkle with about ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
In a small bowl, zest 1 lemon and squeeze in about 2 tablespoons of the juice. Mince garlic cloves and add to the bowl, along with more kosher salt (about ½ teaspoon) and cracked black pepper (about ¼ to ½ teaspoon).
Stir dressing components together and drizzle in olive oil while continuously whisking to bring the dressing together.
Roll up basil leaves and cut into small strips. Sprinkle onto the tomatoes and add the drained and rinsed beans to the bowl. Sprinkle in pine nuts and stir in dressing, until salad is well coated.
Serve immediately at room temperature for optimal flavor.