White Bean and Asparagus Salad with Tarragon-Lemon Dressing

White Bean and Asparagus Salad with Tarragon-Lemon Dressing
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
20 minutes, plus soaking and cooking time if using dried beans
Rating
5(896)
Comments
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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 8ounces dried white beans or 2 (15-ounce) cans Great Northern or cannellini beans
  • Salt
  • 2bay leaves, if using dried beans
  • 1pound asparagus
  • ½cup tarragon leaves
  • 1teaspoon packed finely grated lemon zest
  • 2garlic cloves, peeled
  • ¼teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1large lemon, juiced, plus more to taste
  • ½cup olive oil
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

319 calories; 19 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 359 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    If using canned beans, drain and rinse. If using dried beans, soak in plenty of water for 6 hours or overnight. Drain beans and transfer to a medium pot. Cover beans by 2 inches with water and add 1½ teaspoons salt and the bay leaves. Simmer until just tender but not at all mushy, about 45 minutes to 1½ hours, depending upon what kind of beans you’re using. Drain.

  2. Step 2

    Break off tough ends of the asparagus. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and prepare a bowl with ice and cold water. Blanch trimmed asparagus for 1½ minutes, or until just cooked through but still firm, then plunge them into the ice bath. Let sit for 5 minutes, then drain. Pat dry and slice diagonally into ½-inch pieces.

  3. Step 3

    In a blender or food processor, combine tarragon, lemon zest, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, the black pepper and the lemon juice, and process until garlic is chopped. Pour in olive oil. Process until mixture is well blended and bright green, about 1 minute.

  4. Step 4

    In a large mixing bowl, gently toss together beans, asparagus and dressing. Taste and add more lemon juice and salt if needed.

Ratings

5 out of 5
896 user ratings
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Comments

An excellent salad with a bonus shortcut of using canned beans.
Needs more dressing as the beans absorb a lot. Used parsley instead of tarragon. Tastes better if made a couple of hours ahead . Next time I will add canned tuna for a great picnic salad.

I loved this simple, easy, summery recipe. I found the instructions in the first step confusing for those using canned beans. If you do used canned beans, they just need to be rinsed -- no need for any cooking.

This is delicious and stays delicious even after being refrigerated for days. I don't know why some people found it bland, but substituting parsley for fresh tarragon would surely take it down several notches. When a recipe calls for any quantity less than a tablespoon of lemon zest less, I microplane an entire lemon and throw it in. If that's more than a packed tsp, it could account for why I loved this dish so much.

Do NOT use a blender to make the dresser since all the ingredients get stuck on the bottom. They need to remove blender from the recipe. I also use 1/4 cup parsley and 1/4 cup tarragon since tarragon has a strong flavor and scent.

Make extra dressing and use it on salad or a white fish. Delish. Has been a fave for a while.

Well. Didn't not have cannellini. Subbed garbanzo. Did not have lemon. Subbed 3/4 of a lime. Did not have tarrgaon. Subbed scallion. Eyeballed olive oil and used much less. So...I didn't make this recipe at all and it STILL came out completely delicious.

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