Charred Corn and Bean Salad ~ everybody’s favorite healthy summer salad gets a delicious makeover with sweet corn that’s been blackened on the grill. There’ll be no rolling back this update!
I get a little obsessive with bean salads. We pick up so many of our food preferences from our parents, and I remember my mom was just crazy about them when I was a kid. Back then I couldn’t stand them, but I’ve grown up…this corn and bean salad is an updated upgraded version of the classic bean salad you might have passed up when you were a kid.
Related: Mediterranean Bean Salad
corn and bean salad ingredients
All I can say is…thank goodness for pop top cans!
- canned pinto beans
- canned garbanzo beans
- canned white beans
- canned kidney beans
- canned black-eyed peas
- canned black beans
- fresh green beans
- frozen lima beans
- fresh corn
- cucumber
- red onion
- marinated peppers
- cherry tomatoes
You can use your favorite vinaigrette to dress this salad, mine is pretty standard and easy to whisk together.
What’s nice about this corn and bean salad is that the natural sweetness of the corn complements the earthy beans, so even if you aren’t a bean salad lover, this one might sway you. I add a little honey in the dressing to seal the deal.
And don’t think bean salads are just for church suppers and potlucks…they make healthy side dishes and lunches, too. Did you know they’re super foods just like kale and blueberries?
How to blanch fresh beans for salads
With fresh beans like green and yellow string beans you want to briefly blanche them to tenderize and bring out the flavor. I do this in the microwave:
- Put the cut beans in a microwave safe bowl and add a little water.
- Loosely cover the bowl and microwave for about 2 minutes.
- Drain and rinse in cold water or an ice bath.
- The beans will be bright green and crisp tender.
how to char corn for salads
The charred corn is even easier to prep ~ I do it right in a cast iron skillet on the stove top, but you can do it on a charcoal grill, under the broiler, or right over the open flame of your gas stove burner using tongs and common sense 🙂 The main objective is to get some charring on the corn, however you do it. Don’t worry about cooking the corn, the kernels will steam a little bit as it chars (great corn doesn’t need much cooking anyway.)
corn and bean salad variations
- Make it a 10 bean salad! Add lentils, cannelini beans, edamame, wax beans…
- Make it for a (bigger) crowd ~ use the whole can of each type of bean, and double the rest of the ingredients.
- Give it a Tex-Mex twist ~ add diced avocado, cilantro, and a lime vinaigrette.
- Spice it up ~ add finely diced jalapeños.
- Top with cheese ~ add crumbled feta cheese.
Featured comment
“I made this yesterday for a picnic and it was a hit! The only thing I changed was omitting the chickpeas ( only because the host does not like them) and added an orange bell pepper instead of the marinated red peppers. I thought the thyme really added I nice flavor to the salad. I will definitely make this again and again……” ~ Brenda
Charred Corn and Bean Salad
3.80 from 10 votes
Level up your potluck game with my colorful charred corn and bean salad!
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Servings: 10
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked or canned pinto beans
- 1 cup cooked or canned garbanzo beans
- 1 cup cooked or canned white beans
- 1 cup cooked or canned kidney beans
- 1 cup cooked or canned black eyed peas
- 1 cup cooked or canned black beans
- 1 cup fresh green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup frozen and thawed lima beans
- 2 ears of corn, charred, kernels removed
- 1 small pickling cucumber, chopped (don’t peel)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup marinated red peppers, I used Bird’s Beak peppers from the olive bar
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp smooth Dijon mustard
- pinch salt and fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
Whisk together the dressing and taste to adjust any of the ingredients. Toss the salad with the dressing. Add salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or two before serving.
Serve garnished with more fresh thyme leaves.
The salad will keep for a week in the refrigerator.
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Course: Salad
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Author: Sue Moran
Keyword: bean salad, healthy, potluck, side dish, summer
Nutrition
Calories: 360 kcal · Carbohydrates: 56 g · Protein: 17 g · Fat: 9 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 6 g · Trans Fat: 0.001 g · Sodium: 243 mg · Potassium: 1021 mg · Fiber: 17 g · Sugar: 5 g · Vitamin A: 248 IU · Vitamin C: 10 mg · Calcium: 115 mg · Iron: 5 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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