This Costco copycat Tuscan Bean & Barley Salad is a delicious take on the store-bought salad! Fresh herbs and a pesto dressing lighten this salad into something special.
I love when I get a prepared salad from a store and think, “Wow, I can probably make this better at home.” This is a riff off of Costco’s Tuscan Bean Salad with a pesto dressing, but I made this version vegan. This is a fantastic salad because its both fresh and really filling.
This Copycat Costco Bean and Barley Salad is:
- Bright
- Herby
- Crunchy
- Tangy
- Healthy
- Protein-packed
- Vegan and Vegetarian
- Gluten Free
I really love using barley in recipes because dried barley is so inexpensive at the store. And its super easy to prepare when you make it in the rice cooker – and as you can see from my Perfect Quinoa in the Rice Cooker, I really love the hands-off nature of making grains in the rice cooker.
This would also be great to make ahead for a party or a BBQ. Or a good way to use leftover pesto in a dressing. The great thing about this recipe is that you can add/substitute any bean or extra salad veggie to the recipe. Its a bit of a free-form salad, but all comes together with the dressing!
How to Make Copycat Costco Tuscan Bean & Barley Salad:
- Rinse the dried barley, and add it and the water to the rice cooker. Cook on ‘Grain’ Mode or ‘High’ for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until the rice cooker auto stops.
- In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, navy beans, parsley, tomato, bell peppers, and chopped onion. Add the barley to the bowl.
- For the dressing, add all dressing ingredients to a blender, and blend on high until smooth. Taste and add additional salt or pepper if needed.
- Pour dressing over salad, and stir to combine.
- Store in an airtight container, and eat within 5 days.
Tuscan Bean & Barley Salad (Vegan, GF, Costco Copycat Recipe)
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 cup dried pearled barley
- 2 cups water
- 1 14 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 14 ounce can of navy beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup parsley finely chopped
- 1 medium tomato diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper. chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped green onion or scallion
For the Pesto Dressing
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- 3 cloves garlic pressed
- 1/2 lemon juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the dried barley, and add it and the water to the rice cooker. Cook on ‘Grain’ Mode or ‘High’ for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until the rice cooker auto stops.
- In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, navy beans, parsley, tomato, bell peppers, and chopped onion. Add the barley to the bowl.
- For the dressing, add all dressing ingredients to a blender, and blend on high until smooth. Taste and add additional salt or pepper if needed.
- Pour dressing over salad, and stir to combine.
- Store in an airtight container, and eat within 5 days.
