Come one, come all, and Meet-the-Classics Salad! May we introduce you to your new favorite pasta and bean salad, with three beans for extra creamy, hearty flavor, and with some oh-so-tender pasta. Can’t forget that tangy and sweet sauce over everything, too! Meet-the-Classics Salad wants to make your taste buds’ acquittance, and they’ll be positively delighted to meet!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces small shell pasta
- 8 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
- 1 (16-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (16-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup chives, optional, thinly sliced
Directions
Step 1 –In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook the pasta to al dente, according to the package directions.
Step 2 –Drain the pasta and rinse it with cold water.
Step 3 –In a pot of salted, boiling water, add the green beans and the celery and cook, while covered, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
Step 4 –Drain the green beans and the celery and plunge them into an ice bath to stop the cooking process, about 4-5 minutes.
Step 5 –Drain the green beans and the celery again.
Step 6 –In a large bowl, add the pasta, the green beans, the celery, the pinto beans, and the kidney beans.
Step 7 –In a medium bowl, add the shallots and the vinegar and let them stand for 5 minutes.
Step 8 –Add the lemon zest, the lemon juice, the Dijon mustard, and the honey to the shallot-vinegar mixture and whisk to combine.
Step 9 –Slowly add the oil to the vinegar mixture, while gently whisking, until well-combined.
Step 10 –Pour the dressing over the bean mixture.
Step 11 –Add the salt and the pepper to the pasta salad and toss to combine.
Step 12 –Serve sprinkled with the chives.
