Greek Bean Salad (Make Ahead Salad Recipe)
This Mediterranean bean salad is the perfect make-ahead salad because all of the ingredients remain fresh and crisp for a couple of days before serving.
Pre-made salads are the only way I will eat a salad while I’m camping. I hate going through the effort of chopping up a ton of ingredients, and I certainly don’t want to go through the hassle of cleaning up all those prep supplies.
That’s where make-ahead camping salads come in. I store them in ziplock bags in the cooler, and then dump them into a bowl to enjoy.
To be honest, most of the time I just eat this salad straight out of the bag.
This Greek bean salad is full of fresh ingredients that hold well, even with the dressing added, for a couple of days in the fridge or cooler. This makes it the perfect salad for camping, BBQs or picnics.
In this salad you’ll find a base of chick peas with tons of veggies, Kalamata olives, feta cheese and a creamy lemon garlic dressing.
Ingredients in Chick Pea Greek Salad
- Garbanzo Beans: Chick peas (garbanzo beans) form the base of this salad. Canned beans work just fine in the recipe, just be sure to drain and rinse them before assembling the salad.
- Kalamata Olives: I LOVE olives, but kalamata olives can have quite a strong flavor. Substitute black olives for a milder olive flavor.
- Feta Cheese: You can substitute other cheeses, but feta gives a nice tangy flavor. Goat cheese is also delicious in this salad.
- Green onion (scallions): Substitute 1/4 cup of chopped red onions for a stronger onion flavor.
- Orange Bell Pepper: This recipe calls for orange bell pepper because of the color it adds. However, you can use any color of sweet bell pepper in this salad.
- Cucumber: This gives a nice crunch and some freshness.
- Parsley: Adds a bit of flavor, but I’ve made this salad plenty of times without it and it’s still delicious.
- Greek Yogurt: This is the base in the creamy dressing. Be sure to use plain Greek yogurt. The higher the fat content, the richer the flavor. You could also use sour cream instead.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic in the dressing is what makes this salad (at least in my garlic-lover’s opinion). You can use garlic powder in a pinch (1/2 tsp.), but don’t blame me if it doesn’t taste good.
- Lemon: Freshly squeezed lemon adds a delicious flavor to the dressing that bottle lemon juice just can’t match. Of course, if all you have is bottled, you can still use it. It won’t ruin the salad!
a note from Jenny
This salad is my go-to salad when I’m bringing a side to a summer BBQ, picnic or, of course, on a camping trip.
It’s also one that I pre-make to use as lunches during the week. It’s one of my favorite make ahead salads of all time!
Looking for more camping salad ideas? I am working on a post rounding up my favorite salads for camping. I’ll link it here once it’s done!
For now, you can find two other salads to make ahead and pack for camping: Cauliflower “Potato” Salad and Kale Quinoa Salad.
How to make QUinoa Kale Camping Salad
In this section you’ll find a step by step tutorial of how to make this recipe with photos. The full recipe with exact measurements, steps and a printable card can be found at the bottom of the post.
Scroll to see step by step images –>
1. Rinse and drain the chick peas
Drain the chick peas and rinse under cold water. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2. Dice the salad veggies
Chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, parsley, olives and green onions.
Mince the garlic for the dressing.
3. Make the salad dressing
Mix together extra virgin olive oil, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk with a fork to emulsify the liquid.
4. Toss salad with dressing
Toss together all the salad ingredients and then add the dressing to coat. Place the salad in the refrigerator until ready to pack into the cooler or until ready to serve. It lasts 2-3 days in the fridge.
I like to pack my pre-made camping salads in ziplock bags so they lay flat in the cooler.
5. Serve and enjoy!
I’m guilty of eating this right out of the bag when camping. No sense in dirtying up a dish that I’m going to have to hand wash later!
Greek Bean Salad
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 2 15 oz. cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup cucumber, diced
- 3/4 cup orange bell pepper, diced
- 3/4 cup grape tomatoes, diced
- 15 kalamata olives, sliced
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
- 1/3 cup feta cheese
Dressing Ingredients
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Place the rinsed and drained garbanzo beans in a large bowl.
- Dice the cucumbers, bell peppers, kalamata olives, grape tomatoes, green onions and parsley. Add diced vegetables to the garbanzo beans.
- To make the dressing, mince garlic and add it to a small container. Add Greek yogurt, olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, cumin and pepper and whisk together.
- Add the dressing and feta cheese to the salad and toss to combine.
Nutrition
Let me know if you try this salad. You can obviously omit the veggies you don’t love or substitute in others based on your preference. Enjoy!