Pickled Three Bean Salad

Black-eyed peas, edamame, and green beans with a slight crunch are saturated in a tangy and savory brine making this summer side a must. Pickled Three Bean Salad is perfect for barbecues and makes plenty for canning (directions below).

Why This Recipe Works

Macaroni salad and coleslaw are practically a must at any summer gathering, but sometimes you’re looking for something different, or even something healthier. This side dish is an old-fashioned recipe that’s now a classic.

Nutrient and vitamin dense, this side is not only delicious it’s healthy. Made with edamame beans, black-eyed peas, and green beans that marinate in a tangy lemon vinegar and sweetened olive oil brine.

This recipe makes enough for a crowd or for canning making it a great option for backyard barbecues or potlucks. Maybe you’ll want to give some away or save some for enjoying later on, which is why it’s also great for canning and I’ve got step-by-step instructions below.

While it’s not as famous as other pickling sides such as bread and butter pickles it’s equally delicious and still easy to make. Pickling vegetables is a simple process of preserving vegetables in vinegar-based brine, and this recipe is designed for canning. It’s not at all necessary though. Skip the canning and place the jars straight in your fridge if you like.

Ingredients Needed

• Black-Eyed Peas: for this recipe I used dried beans, however, if you’d like to cut some time you can use canned black-eyed peas, just make sure to drain and rinse them.
• Green Beans: I prefer to use fresh green beans because they’re a bit crispier in the mixture. You’ll want to trim and cut them into 2-inch-sized pieces.
• Onion: You’ll want to use a sweet onion such as a Walla Walla or a Vidalia onion to help balance the other flavors. You could also swap it out for a sweet yellow pepper.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow the instructions below for preparing the salad as well as canning it, but canning is completely optional.

Prep Instructions

• Boil black-eyed peas: Fill a large pot with 4 cups of water and drain and rinse the black-eyed peas. Add them to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for 40 minutes. Drain, rinse, and place in a bowl to the side.
• Boil green beans: Using the same pot fill it again with 4 cups of water and bring the water to a boil. Trim and cut the green beans into 2-inch sized pieces and add to the boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse, and pour them into the same bowl as the peas.

• Heat the brine. Place the pot back on the stove and the vinegar, sugar, 1 ½ cups of water, lemon juice, olive oil, and the salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved add the black-eyed peas, green beans, edamame, onion, and minced garlic.
• Fill the jars. If you just want to make the salad you can stop with this step, but if you plan on canning the jars then follow the canning instructions as well. Wash the jars with warm soapy water and rinse. Ladle the hot liquid into the jars using a canning funnel and place the lid and band on.

Canning Instructions

• Sterilized the jars. While the beans are cooking, wash and rinse your jars and lids with warm soapy water. Then fill the water bath canner with water and bring the water to a boil.
• Can the mixture. Use a ladle and a canning funnel to pour the mixture into 10 half-pint or 5 pint canning jars, leaving a ½-inch headspace. Remove the air bubbles using a small spatula.

• Clean the jars. Use a damp cloth to wipe the jar rims and place the lid in the middle. Screw the band on to fingertip tight.
• Process. Bring the water in the water bath canner to boiling and use tongs to add the jars to the water. Submerge into the water making sure the jars are covered by 2 inches. Process for 15 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Helpful Equipment

• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Large Pot: you will need a nonreactive heavy pot to heat the brine, which refers to the material the pot is made of, such as stainless-steel, enamel, or non-stick. Other types of metal pots such as alluminum may react with the acidity in certain recipes and alter the taste in a bad way.
• Mixing Bowl: a large one will work.
• Ladle: my favorite is this metal ladle.
• Canning Kit: even if you don’t plan on canning this recipe I recommend using a canning kit that has helpful equipment you’ll need such as a funnel and small spatula to remove air bubbles. If you do plan on canning the beans though you’ll need these tools.
• Water Bath Canner (if canning): If you plan on canning this recipe then you will need a water bath canner to process the jars after they’re filled.
• Pint Jars with Lids: for this recipe you will need either 5 pint jars with lids or 10 half-pint jars with lids.

Bean Salad Variations

There are many different bean salad recipes with different combinations of beans so this recipe is just the beginning of options you could make. Pickling the beans adds a unique, tangy, and overall delicious flavor that works with any beans. You’ll want to use around 6 cups of beans, but try combining some of the beans below for something different.

• Cannellini Beans
• Kidney Beans
• Garbanzo Beans
• Wax Beans
• Lima Beans
• Pinto Beans

Recipe Notes and Expert Tips

• Save time and buy minced garlic. I keep this in my fridge at all times to help cut down prep time for recipes.
• When preparing this recipe I like to use the same large non-reactive pot, which cuts down on time and dishes.
• If you plan on serving this right away it’s best to prepare it 2 hours prior to serving it, which allows the beans to marinate and soak up the tangy brine.
• Try adding some protein for extra flavor before you plan on serving it by mixing in some cooked.

Frequently Asked Questions

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