Balkan Roasted Pepper White Bean Salad with Walnut Garlic Dressing 🫑✨

Description

Balkan Roasted Pepper White Bean Salad with Walnut Garlic Dressing is a bold rustic salad made with creamy white beans, smoky roasted peppers, red onion, cucumber, parsley, toasted walnuts, garlic, lemon, olive oil, and sweet paprika. It is fresh but hearty, simple but full of flavor, and perfect as a side dish, light lunch, mezze plate, or make-ahead salad for a family table.
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Hook ✨
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Creamy white beans, smoky roasted peppers, crunchy walnuts, garlic, lemon, parsley, and olive oil make this Balkan salad rich, bright, and deeply satisfying. 🥗

Ingredients

• Salad base 🫘
• ‌
• 🫘 500 g cooked white beans, drained and rinsed (3 cups / 17.6 oz)
• 🫑 300 g roasted red peppers, peeled and sliced (2 cups / 10.6 oz)
• 🧅 120 g red onion, thinly sliced (1 small / 4.2 oz)
• 🥒 200 g cucumber, diced (1½ cups / 7 oz)
• 🌿 25 g fresh parsley, chopped (¾ cup loose / 0.9 oz)
• 🌰 80 g walnuts, lightly toasted and roughly chopped (¾ cup / 2.8 oz)
• 🧂 5 g fine sea salt (¾ tsp / 0.18 oz)
• ⚫ 2 g black pepper (1 tsp / 0.07 oz)
• ‌
• Walnut garlic dressing 🌰
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• 🧄 3 garlic cloves, finely grated (3 cloves / 0.5 oz)
• 🍋 35 ml lemon juice (2 tbsp + 1 tsp / 1.2 fl oz)
• 🫒 60 ml olive oil (¼ cup / 2 fl oz)
• 🍯 7 g honey or date syrup, optional (1 tsp / 0.25 oz)
• 🌶️ 3 g sweet paprika (1 tsp / 0.1 oz)
• 🥄 15 ml roasted pepper juice or water (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• ‌
• To serve ✨
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• 🍞 Crusty bread or warm flatbread
• 🥛 Thick yogurt or garlic yogurt
• 🌿 Extra parsley
• 🍋 Lemon wedges

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Toast the walnuts 🌰
2. ‌
3. Place the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat and toast for 4 min, shaking the pan often, until fragrant and lightly golden. Transfer them to a plate and let them cool.
4. ‌
5. 2️⃣ Prepare the vegetables 🫑
6. ‌
7. Slice the roasted peppers into thin strips, dice the cucumber, thinly slice the red onion, and chop the parsley. Keep the vegetables chunky enough so the salad feels rustic and fresh.
8. ‌
9. 3️⃣ Soften the onion 🧅
10. ‌
11. Place the sliced red onion in a small bowl with 10 ml lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Rub gently with your fingers for 30 sec, then leave it for 8 min to soften and mellow.
12. ‌
13. 4️⃣ Mix the dressing 🧄
14. ‌
15. In a small bowl, whisk grated garlic, remaining lemon juice, olive oil, honey or date syrup if using, sweet paprika, roasted pepper juice or water, salt, and black pepper until glossy.
16. ‌
17. 5️⃣ Combine the salad 🫘
18. ‌
19. Add white beans, roasted peppers, cucumber, softened onion, parsley, and most of the toasted walnuts to a wide serving bowl. Pour over the dressing and toss gently so the beans stay whole.
20. ‌
21. 6️⃣ Rest for flavor 🛋
22. ‌
23. Let the salad rest for 20 min at room temperature. This helps the beans absorb the lemon, garlic, paprika, and roasted pepper flavor.
24. ‌
25. 7️⃣ Finish fresh 🌿
26. ‌
27. Taste and adjust with a little more lemon juice, salt, or olive oil if needed. Scatter the remaining walnuts and extra parsley over the top.
28. ‌
29. 8️⃣ Serve rustic 🍋
30. ‌
31. Serve with crusty bread, warm flatbread, garlic yogurt, or lemon wedges. The salad is best slightly rested, not fridge-cold.

Total Time

⏱ Prep: 18 min
🔥 Cook/Bake: 4 min
🛋 Rest: 20 min
⏰ Total: 42 min

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