White Bean Fennel Salad Recipe (2024)

By: Author Kate

Posted on Published: August 20, 2018- Last updated: July 2, 2021

1 Comment

Jump to RecipePrint Recipe

This White Bean Fennel Salad is a great side dish. Crunchy fennel, tender white beans, and sharp Romano cheese go great with the creamy garlic-lemon dressing. I promise you'll be reaching for seconds!

Fennel for salads

Oh fennel. You are such an underrated vegetable. You sit there in the produce section of the grocery store next to the cabbage, celery, kale. Everyone overlooks you. A lot of people don't know what to do with you.What's this weird celery thing??

If you've ever had fennel you can vouch for its awesomeness. It has such a great crunch and fennel salad is a great alternative to cole slaw. It has a subtle anise flavor, but without being overpowering. In fact, I don't even like anise and Ilovefennel.

Next time you're in the grocery store, I urge you to slow down and look for this wonderful bulb instead of immediately reaching for your go-to vegetables. Give this White Bean Fennel Salad a shot.

How to prepare thisWhite Bean Fennel Salad

This fennel salad recipe couldn't be simpler. You start by making the dressing - just mix fresh garlic and lemon juice together and let it marinate. While the garlic infuses its flavor into the lemon juice, you prepare the salad: thinly slice the fennel, open and drain a can of beans, dice the scallion and fresh herbs.

Next step is to finish the dressing by stirring in some mayonnaise, and mix all the ingredients together. Don't forget to add freshly shaved Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese!

Related recipe:Chickpea Pea Shoot Salad

I absolutely love crunchy salads instead of leafy salads. Things like cole slaw and zoodle salads are right up my alley. So that's exactly why I love fennel salads: they're healthy, tasty, and so fun to eat thanks to the crunch.

Fennel salads don't get soggy if you leave them overnight. In fact, I sometimes find that they taste even BETTER the next day because the flavors do wonderful things in the fridge overnight.

If you like fennel, you'll LOVE my other fennel salad recipe: the 4 Ingredient Fennel Salad with Dill. It's loaded with fresh dill, crunchy fennel, and yummy Parmesan cheese right in the dressing. It is just as addicting as this White Bean Fennel Salad. I really can't tell you which of these two is my favorite, I love them both and both fennel salads make a regular appearance at our dinner table.

Don't forget to save this recipe for later and give it a rating in the recipe card below!

Print Recipe

4.67 from 18 votes

White Bean Fennel Salad

This White Bean Fennel Salad is a great side dish. Crunchy fennel, tender white beans, and sharp Romano cheese go great with the creamy garlic-lemon dressing. I promise you'll be reaching for seconds!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4

Author: Kate

Ingredients

1 garlic clove - , minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice - (from ½ lemon)
zest of 1 lemon
1 fennel bulb
1 scallion - , diced
2 tablespoons parsley leaves - , diced
2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 cup cooked white beans - , such as navy or great northern
salt & freshly ground black pepper - , to taste
¼ cup freshly shredded or thinly sliced Parmesan or Romano cheese

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine the minced garlic and lemon juice (reserve the lemon zest for later!). Set aside while you prepare the salad.
Thinly slice the fennel bulb. (Detailed instructions for how to do this: Remove the upper stems from the fennel bulb and discard or save these for soup or broth. Cut the bottom "root" part off the fennel bulb and discard. Slice the fennel bulb in half from the top, and carve out the center stem. Thinly slice the layers of the fennel bulb).
Combine the sliced fennel, lemon zest, diced scallion, diced parsley leaves, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, white beans, and the garlic-lemon juice mixture. Mix well and season with salt and pepper, to taste (a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper will do!). Add 1 more tablespoon of mayonnaise, if desired (you might need this if you have a large fennel bulb). Gently stir in the shredded or sliced Parmesan or Romano cheese. Serve immediately or keep chilled in the refrigerator up to 24 hours before serving.

Notes

This salad is great when served immediately because it retains all the crunch of the fennel. However, it is also really good after sitting in the refrigerator overnight - all the flavors meld together and the fennel softens.

Nutrition

The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.

FAQs

When a recipe calls for white beans? ›

If a recipe calls for white beans, you can use Great Northern beans, navy beans, or white kidney beans (also called cannellini beans). Black Beans are medium-size, oval-shaped beans with matte black skin.

Tell Me More ›

How to prep fennel for salad? ›

To prepare the fennel, first slice the stalks and fronds away from the top. Use the fronds to sprinkle over the salad before serving. Give the bulb a wash with cold water, dry it and lie the bulb on one of its wider sides. Carefully slice it in half from the top (where the stalks were) to the base.

Show Me More ›

What part of fennel can you not eat? ›

Technically speaking, all parts of the plant are edible, but most people will find the stalks too tough and fibrous to eat. The leaves can be chopped and used to flavor salads, dressings, marinades and sauces. They tend to have a slightly more citrusy flavor than the base. The base (or bulb) is delicious raw or cooked.

Keep Reading ›

What is the healthiest white bean? ›

All beans are rich in fiber, but the top-ranking variety is the navy bean, allegedly named for its popularity in the U.S. Navy in the early 20th century. These pea-sized, cream-colored beans provide 10 grams of fiber per half-cup serving.

See Details ›

What is the best white bean? ›

Great Northern Beans

But if you're looking for just one bean to keep on your pantry shelves, you'll want to go with the great northern white bean. With its nutty flavor, firm flesh and medium size, great northern beans work in almost any application. Bean salad? Perfect.

Discover More Details ›

What are the 4 types of white beans? ›

What Are White Beans? White beans as a category includes navy beans, great northern beans, cannellini beans, baby lima beans, butter beans, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, etc. These are the most popular types of white beans (cooked white beans), however each type has its own unique peculiarities and features.

Discover More Details ›

How do you prepare fennel for eating? ›

If I'm craving raw fennel, I almost always thinly shave the bulb on my mandoline, removing any tough core pieces. Then, I marinate it in lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. This crisp, thinly sliced fennel is delicious on its own or in a larger salad.