This vegetarian white bean salad with grilled romaine is easy to make and perfect for your summer barbeque!
This post is sponsored by USA Pulses.
Lightly charred romaine topped with seasoned cannellini beans and a creamy tahini dressing, this salad is an easy barbeque recipe for vegetarians. With just a few ingredients and a hot grill, this satisfying salad is ready in minutes!
What you’ll need
This healthy grilling recipe has a few easy steps but might be the easiest thing to mix up for a cookout.
- Cannellini beans
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Steak seasoning
- Whole romaine lettuce
- Tahini
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper
- Optional but highly recommended: parmesan cheese and crusty bread to grill!
Benefits of Pulses
I take any opportunity to add pulses to my plate. Here’s why:
Packed with plant protein and fiber, pulses are so versatile and help me create easy, healthy meals with endless combinations. I’ve used them in all possible ways from skillets to veggie burgers, stir fry to fritters and even brownies!
If you haven’t heard the term before, pulses are defined as dry peas, chickpeas, lentils and beans and have been protein staples around the world for thousands of years. Shelf-stable and nutritious, they’re essential pantry staples – great for a variety of sides, entrees, or even desserts this summer!
And yes, even grilling! Though attention often turns to baked beans or veggie burgers at a barbeque, this white bean salad is an easy vegetarian recipe to add to your summer spreads.
- Pulses are a convenient way to add a punch of protein and fiber to a summer barbeque.
- Pulses are also a great way to save a little money since they are significantly less expensive than meat.
Whether you are used to eating pulses (I eat some daily) or just getting started, I encourage you to visit pulses.org for lots of tips and recipe ideas!
Best substitution for cannellini beans
Cannellini beans (also called white kidney beans) have a mild but earthy and nutty flavor. If you cannot find them, try great white northern beans or navy beans in a pinch. Remember that you can buy and cook dried beans or use canned ones to get the same nutrition.
You can also use chickpeas or do a mix of different types of beans. This is a versatile salad recipe – use your favorites. Whatever works for you!
How to grill lettuce?
It seems like an odd thing to throw on the grill but I promise – it’s worth it! It takes just a few minutes to infuse incredible smoky flavor into your salad. Plus, the romaine develops a slightly sweet flavor in the grilling process.
Allow half a head of romaine for each person. You’ll trim the root, then slice lengthwise allowing the head to stay together. Brush with oil and grill just until charred.
No romaine? You can grill green lettuce or firmer ones like endive or radicchio. The last two will change the flavor of the salad but still works.
Grilled Romaine White Bean Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked cannellini beans (about 1-15 oz can, rinsed and drained)
- 1 teaspoon steak seasoning
- 2 whole heads romaine lettuce
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
- Coarse salt to taste
- Parmesan cheese (optional)
- Grilled bread (optional but highly recommended)
For the dressing:
- ¼ cup creamy tahini
- ½ juice of one lemon
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoon or more warm water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to high heat.Prepare the beans: Place the beans in a medium bowl. Toss with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and the steak seasoning. Set aside. (Optional: To warm the beans and infuse extra grilled flavor, place the cannellini beans in a vegetable basket over medium heat on the grill. Let heat up about 5 minutes, turning once.)
- Make the dressing: Add tahini, lemon juice, dijon mustard, garlic, water, salt and pepper to a small blender. Blend until creamy, adding additional warm water 1 teaspoon at a time if needed. Set aside.
- Grill the romaine: Rinse the romaine to remove any visible dirt. Leaving the root intact, trim off the bottom of the root ends and remove any wilted or old leaves. Slice each head of lettuce in half lengthwise, again, keeping the root intact to hold the leaves together.Just before serving the salad, brush the lettuce with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Place cut side down onto the grill. Cook 2-3 minutes per side or until you get a nice char but before the lettuce starts to wilt. Serve the lettuce whole or chopped.
- Assemble the salad: Plate the lettuce, top with the seasoned beans and drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle on extra parmesan cheese and serve with grilled bread, if desired.
Karla
I don’t have a barbecue so I broiled the romaine, brushing it with oil first as instructed. It turned out just fine. I didn’t have steak sauce, so I simply marinated the canned beans with oil, salt and pepper. Worked fine. The winner is the tahini sauce, I made as directed with an immersion blender. It was perfect. Fabulous. I can imagine using it on all sorts of roasted veggies. Thanks for great recipe.
Marisa
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! And I agree, the dressing goes well with lots of things!
Erika
So good! I grilled some halloumi cheese with it, and it was a very filling and satisfying meal!
Samantha
Very delicious and easy recipe. My husband who usually skips out on any bean dishes I make was loving this salad. I’m looking forward to making this all summer long. I highly recommend not skipping the step of grilling the beans. It was a genius idea! Also I used some great northern beans as that’s what I had on hand.