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These easy marinated white beans are an incredibly simple plant-based appetizer, snack, or meal. Marinated in extra virgin olive oil, salt, and herbs, they become extra flavorful -- the perfect topping for toast, crostini, pita chips, salad, or your favorite crackers!
These easy marinated white beans are not only delicious, but also packed with plant-based sources of protein, fiber, and nutrients (read more about how healthy white beans are!). Marinating beans basically means we soak them in delicious extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, lemon, and Mediterranean herbs and spices for a flavorful appetizer or snack. And honestly, you can even make these into a meal by piling them onto toast or putting large scoops into a salad...yum!
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Ingredients
For the most part, the ingredients in these marinated white beans are probably ones you have in your pantry already!
- Cannellini beans - These make up the main ingredient: white beans!
- Red onions - For a zesty, crunchy flavor.
- Garlic - Garlic will add flavor and a slight bite, though we'll let it sit in some lemon juice for a few minutes to mellow it out.
- Fresh parsley - Parsley adds a light and fresh flavor and complements the lemon.
- Extra virgin olive oil - For a smooth and classic Mediterranean flavor... plus we'll get our dose of healthy fats!
- Sherry vinegar - Aged, if possible, for a naturally sweeter vinegar; we're going for any light, mild vinegar here.
- Agave or honey - A little sweetness to balance out the vinegar.
- Lemons - For fresh lemon juice.
- Dried oregano - Another Mediterranean herb, which kinda reminds me of pizza when I eat these marinated white beans.
- Salt - Flavor enhancer.
- Pepper
Instructions
Marinated white beans are SO easy to make. With just a few minutes of hands-on time in the kitchen, and some down time while these beans marinate in the fridge, you'll have a delicious appetizer or snack, possibly for days (depends on how hard you snack ;)).
To start, add finely minced garlic and red onions to some lemon juice in a bowl. Since garlic and onions can taste a bit sharp, we'll let those sit in the acidic lemon juice for a few minutes to take the edge off. Then, add the sherry vinegar, agave, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, and whisk it all together vigorously to combine.
Next, add in your cannellini beans and finely chopped parsley, and stir to combine, ensuring the beans are thoroughly coated in the olive oil mixture.
And that's it! Allow the beans to marinate in the fridge for at least two hours before serving on top of crostini, toasted sourdough, pita chips, or even scooped into salads. My favorite way to serve these is on a thick piece of toasted whole grain sourdough.
Hint: After olive oil sits in the fridge for more than a day, it starts to solidify. To get back to a liquid state, let the beans sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and stir well before serving.
Substitutions & Variations
There are a few ingredients swaps or additions you can make to adapt these easy marinated white beans.
- Beans - Any white bean will work in this recipe! Try Great Northern beans, garbanzo beans, navy beans, or a mix.
- Infused olive oils - Infused olive oils are so delicious! For extra flavor, you can try a garlic or basil infused olive oil, or any infused oil you can find or make.
- Herbs - Add in fresh basil, fresh oregano, or other fresh Mediterranean herbs, especially when they are in season.
- Sun-dried tomatoes - Dice up some sun-dried tomatoes for a delicious flavor addition.
- Roasted red peppers - Add in some small-diced roasted red peppers (the kind from the jar work just fine!) for a delicious smoky flavor. Roasted red peppers and sun-dried tomatoes would be EPIC.
- Slightly spicy - A pinch of red pepper flakes will add a little bit of heat.
Storage
Store the marinated white beans in an airtight container for up to five days. Once the olive oil starts to solidify a little bit, allow the beans to come to room temperature before serving.
Marinated White Beans FAQs
I don't recommend freezing marinated beans, as this will compromise the texture.
Marinated beans are particularly delicious on crostini, toasted bread (such as sourdough), or other crispy crackers (such as pita chips, or your favorite crackers). You can also enjoy these beans scooped onto a salad with fresh greens and other veggies, as the bean marinade works like a salad dressing itself.
More Bean Recipes to Love...
If you like these marinated white beans, you'll love:
- Modern three bean salad (basically marinated beans, with a creamy twist)
- Simple homemade baked beans (healthy comfort food & ultimate toast topper)
- Cheesy black bean quinoa bake (vegetarian comfort food)
Easy Marinated White Beans
These easy marinated white beans come together so quickly and make the perfect plant-based appetizer, snack, or light lunch. The beans are soaked in Mediterranean flavors for a couple hours or overnight for incredible flavor. Top crostini, toast, pita chips, or salads!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: ~3 cups
- Category: Snack/appetizer
- Method: Combine
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons red onion, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (aged, if possible)
- 1 teaspoon agave (or honey, or maple syrup)
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Dash of black pepper
- 2 14-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
- Macerate garlic & onions. Add the garlic and red onions to a medium-large bowl with fresh lemon juice. Allow to soak for 3-5 minutes.
- Add oil, vinegar, and spices. Add the olive oil, vinegar, agave, fine salt, oregano, and pepper. Whisk together to combine thoroughly.
- Add beans and parsley. Add in the beans and fresh parsley, then stir together all ingredients until the beans are evenly coated.
- Marinate. Place the beans in an airtight container in the fridge, and allow them to marinate for at least two hours before serving.
Notes
- Storage: Store your white beans in an airtight container for up to five days in the fridge. I don't recommend freezing these white beans.
Keywords: marinated white beans with oregano, easy marinated white beans
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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Sandra
I had marinated white beans in a restaurant recently. We loved them so I decided they would be easy to make and that is how I ended up with your recipe. It was great, when we ran out of bread we ate it with a spoon! The only change I am making today is I prefer red wine vinegar for this particular dish because it has more of a bite It was also excellent with the aged sherry vinegar, just thought I would change it up today and see. Thank you for your hard work ahead of time!
★★★★★
Tera
That sounds delicious! I'm so glad you liked them. It's always fun to change it up to fit what you're in the mood for (or sometimes, what you have in your pantry!).