Creamy Pasta Bean Salad Recipe
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Jump to RecipeThis pasta bean salad recipe is loaded with fresh vegetables, hearty beans, and dressed in a sweet and tangy dressing! It’s a great vegetarian and high protein side dish for your next summer BBQ, party, or potluck.
This recipe is the perfect combination of creamy macaroni salad and three bean salad for a bright and tangy side dish you’ll love. Serve alongside my creamy Greek Yogurt coleslaw, baked beans, and corn on the cob!
I’m always looking for new ways to enjoy fun summer side dishes with easy plant based ingredients. This three bean pasta salad is a combination of two of my favorite summer salads: creamy macaroni salad and tangy three bean salad. Put them together… and you have a fun and fresh side dish recipe that’s both hearty and satisfying.
The creamy dressing gets a kick from apple cider vinegar, and the salad is loaded with crisp and crunchy veggies. This easy bean macaroni salad is a fun twist on two classic dishes.
Why This Recipe Works
- Bright, fresh, and hearty!
- It has wonderful crunchy vegetables, soft beans, and a creamy dressing.
- A great side dish for entertaining.
- A fun twist on pasta salad and bean salad.
Simple Bean and Pasta Recipes
This bean pasta salad is the tastiest, freshest side dish recipe. It’s perfect for a hearty side for the family, and also great to make for company if you are having guests for dinner.
It makes a great BBQ pasta side dish as well – a simple vegetarian recipe to serve with a salad. Pasta is a fast and inexpensive meal. It takes only 20 minutes to cook, so you can enjoy extra time to prep sides or a salad.
Browse all our pasta recipes to find your next favorite!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Green Beans, Onion, Parsley, Celery, Bell Pepper
- Macaroni Noodles
- Canned Chickpeas: You can use canned chickpeas/garbanzo beans, or you can make your own chickpeas from scratch in the Instant Pot.
- Canned Kidney Beans
- Mayonnaise: you can use regular mayo, or substitute a vegan version if desired.
- Sweet Relish: which gives this dish a little extra flavor boost and a nice added sweetness.
- Apple Cider Vinegar, which gives this dressing a little extra tang which is really fantastic! I love using apple cider vinegar with the mother which has a great flavor.
- Garlic Powder – for a little extra kick
- Sea salt & black pepper
Be sure to visit the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!
Canned Beans Versus Homemade
While I love the convenience of canned beans, I usually cook dry beans from scratch in my pressure cooker – the texture is better and it’s more affordable. I use a large 7.5-Quart Instant Pot which is bigger than the standard model so I can batch cook more at a time.
If you don’t already have one, the Instant Pot works wonders for cooking dried beans quickly, with no soaking required! While canned beans are convenient, they are often loaded with sodium. If you buy canned beans, I always recommend using a no-salt-added variety so you can control the amount of salt in your dish.
Next time you reach for canned beans, consider investing in a pressure cooker instead! Homemade beans are incredibly cost efficient, and you can add seasonings and spices to the beans while they cook for extra flavor.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: Cook macaroni noodles according to package instructions. Drain, rinse under cold water, and add the noodles to a large bowl.
Step 2: To the cooled macaroni, add the chopped carrots, bell peppers, chickpeas, kidney beans, green beans, celery, and onion.
Step 3: In a small mixing bowl, add the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sweet relish, sugar, salt and pepper.
Step 4: Mix the dressing well to combine, and pour it over the macaroni and vegetables.
Step 5: Stir well to combine the dressing, making sure it coats all of the macaroni and vegetables.
Step 6: Taste, and adjust seasoning as needed, adding more salt or pepper if desired. Stir in the fresh parsley and chill before serving.
Recipe FAQs
This recipe is a combination of three bean salad and macaroni salad, all together in one delicious dish! It has kidney beans, chickpeas, and green beans with macaroni, onion, bell pepper, carrots, and celery. The dressing is a creamy mix of mayo, spices, and apple cider vinegar.
Store any leftover salad you have in an airtight container, and refrigerate. Enjoy within 3 days. Make sure to give the pasta and bean salad a good stir before enjoying, as the dressing may have settled to the bottom of the container.
Absolutely – using a creamy bottled dressing like creamy Italian vinaigrette, ranch, or a creamy garlic dressing would also be delicious if you don’t want to make one from scratch.
More Easy Pasta Salad Recipes
- Low Sodium Pasta Salad Recipe
- Vegan Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- Macaroni and Pea Salad Recipe
- Sweet Deli Macaroni Salad Recipe
- Amish Macaroni Salad Recipe
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Pasta Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounces macaroni use gluten free version if GF
- 1 (14.5 ounce) Can dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 ounce) Can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 cup green beans sliced
- 1/2 sweet onion finely diced (about 1/4 cup)
- 2 stalks celery finely diced
- 1 carrot chopped
- 1/2 bell pepper finely diced
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise substitute vegan version if needed
- 1/4 cup sweet relish
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
- Fresh parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Cook macaroni noodles according to package instructions. Drain, rinse under cold water, and add the noodles to a large bowl.
- To the cooled macaroni, add the chopped carrots, bell peppers, chickpeas, kidney beans, green beans, celery, and onion.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sweet relish, sugar, salt and pepper.
- Mix the dressing well to combine, and pour it over the macaroni and vegetables.
- Stir well to combine the dressing, making sure it coats all of the macaroni and vegetables.
- Taste, and adjust seasoning as needed, adding more salt or pepper if desired. Stir in the fresh parsley and chill before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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