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This Costco copycat Tuscan Bean and Barley Salad is a delicious take on the store-bought salad! Fresh herbs and a pesto dressing lighten this salad into something special.

It makes a great side dish or a light lunch – loaded with vegetables and a light pesto dressing.

I love when I get a prepared salad from a store and think, “Wow, I can make this just as good at home.” And this salad meets and exceeds the original! 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.

I absolutely love Costco Salads, but don’t always love all the ingredients in them (preservatives, too much sodium, etc). This Bean and Barley salad recipe was right up my alley: it has everything I love! The version in the store contains cheese, so it’s not vegan, but I made a veganized version below. Costco runs are a real treat for us, we only go when we are in Canada with Brett’s mum. This is a totally recreatable salad you can make anytime, no membership card required.

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 Copycat Costco Bean and Barley Salad is:

Bright
Herby
Crunchy
Tangy
Healthy
Protein-packed
Vegan and Vegetarian
Gluten Free

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!

What’s In This Costco Tuscan Bean Salad Recipe?

I get all the fresh produce for my recipes from my garden and from Misfits Market – they sell all organic produce at a super discounted price, and it’s purchased direct from the farmers. We get Misfit Market boxes every other week and love picking out our favorite seasonal produce for delivery. You can get $10 off your first $30 box by clicking here!

If you think organic produce is too expensive… think again, and give Misfits Market a look!

Pearled Barley: a fantastic grain for soups or salads, this pearled barley is a hearty and satisfying addition to any dish! I always keep a few bags of this barley in our pantry when I need to bulk up a recipe.
No Salt Added Chickpeas: my favorite pantry staple protein! You can use canned chickpeas (I’d highly recommend a low sodium or no salt version), or you can make your own chickpeas from scratch in the Instant Pot.
Low Sodium White Beans: you can use these low sodium canned beans or make them yourself from dried beans. I usually always cook my beans from scratch as they have lower sodium and is really easy to do in the Instant Pot. If you do use canned beans, I would highly recommend using low or no sodium canned beans like these, which won’t alter the taste of this recipe.
Parsley
Tomato
Bell Pepper: If you don’t have fresh peppers, these sweet roasted red peppers are a great substitute! I love adding them to breakfast bakes, sandwiches or wraps, and soups.
Green Onion

For the Pesto Dressing

Vinegar
Olive Oil: I like to use this fruity Zoe olive oil which has a fantastic flavor and deep color- it’s really inexpensive online here, so I keep a few liters stocked up in my pantry. For the quality of oil you get, it’s an excellent value, I would highly recommend!
Basil
Garlic: I use fresh garlic when I have it, and this great jarred organic garlic when I don’t have fresh. It’s actually super convenient to have pre-chopped garlic on hand for quick and easy meal prep.
Lemon Juice: Use fresh lemons if you have it, or this really great bottled lemon that you can keep in your pantry if you don’t have fresh lemons. This lemon is great for dressings, dips, and even cocktails.
Pink Himalayan Sea Salt: I like to use a pink Himalayan Sea Salt in my kitchen, which has more natural minerals than plain processed table salt. It’s fairly inexpensive, so I’d recommend this salt if you’re looking for an easy way to level up your spice pantry.
Tellicherry Peppercorns: Like the salt, it’s amazing the flavor difference you can get with really good tellicherry black pepper. Amazon has a generic brand tellicherry peppercorn which is the same price is buying pre-ground, and has a million times more flavor… so I use these really great tellicherry peppercorns, which I would definitely recommend.

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.

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 larger 7.5-Quart Instant Pot which is larger 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 fast, no soaking required! While canned beans are super 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 the canned beans, think about 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.

Get the Same Ingredients I Use for My Costco Tuscan Bean and Barley Salad

As always, if you make this vegan and gluten free sheet pan hash browns recipe be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag me @theherbeevore on Instagram so I can feature you. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

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costco bean barley salad recipe copycat tuscan bean salad cosco recipe healthy plant based barley salad with pesto dressing vegan gluten free vegetarian plant based healthy summer salads

Costco Tuscan Bean and Barley Salad

Kelly Jensen

This Costco copycat Tuscan Bean Salad is a delicious take on the store-bought salad! Fresh herbs and a pesto dressing lighten this salad into something special. This salad is bright, fresh, and vegan - a perfect summer salad for your next party, potluck, or BBQ.

5 from 9 votes

Print Recipe Pin

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Servings

Calories 216 kcal