four bean salad

In my recipe book, I still have this labeled "three bean salad", even though it has 4 kinds of beans in it.

I think the traditional version of three bean salad didn't have the garbanzo beans (chick peas) in it.  In fact, I think garbanzo beans weren't used much (at least in this area) until maybe the last 20 years or so.

Garbanzos are extremely nutritious though, so they make a good  4th bean to add for this salad!


Four Bean Salad
1 can green beans
1 can wax beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can garbanzo beans
3/4 cup diced onion
3/4 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
pepper
1/2 tsp. celery seed

This salad is so much better after it's been in  the fridge for several hours, so put it together early in the day - or the night before you are going  to serve it.

Drain the liquid from all the cans of beans and combine in a large bowl with diced onions and diced green peppers.    I like the onions and peppers to be diced rather small, so that when you are eating the salad, a bit of each might end up on your fork along with some beans.

In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and celery seed. Mix until sugar is dissolved.

Pour over bean mixture and toss to coat.

Chill several hours, stirring once or twice. Serve cold.

This salad was part of  Sunday dinner, along with beef sirloin roast with gravy, mashed red skin-on potatoes, Pillsbury crescent rolls, and fried cabbage.  I also tried a new recipe for honey glazed baby carrots...cooked in the microwave. We didn't care for it...the glaze had brown sugar and corn starch too, which made the carrots look dead and unappealing...and it was too sweet.

Dessert was fresh peach cobbler with vanilla bean ice cream.