It's late summer and harvest time. Fresh borlotti beans straight from the pod and heirloom tomatoes picked from the vine take centre stage in the borlotti bean salad with heirloom tomatoes and a whole-grain mustard dressing. The borlotti beans soak up the flavours of lemon peel, bay leaf and garlic in the aromatic cooking water.
A cacophony of flavour and texture awaits you: juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, sharp red onion, serrano chill heat, and punchy whole-grain mustard dressing.
This salad is low fuss - the only cooking is the beans - everything else is chopped raw and tossed. Naturally vegan, this salad works as a side, a light lunch, or a barbecue bring-and-share bowl.
Why You'll Love This Heirloom Tomato and Borlotti Bean Salad
- Uses fresh borlotti beans and heirloom tomatoes, straight from the vine.
- The beans are cooked in water infused with lemon peel, bay leaf and garlic, absorbing the aromatic flavours.
- The heirloom tomatoes have a lovely range of shape and colour.
- This salad has a little kick, thanks to the Serrano chilli.
- Minimal cooking - only the beans; everything else is chop-and-toss.
- Vegan and versatile - as a light lunch or a side.
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Key Ingredients & notes
- Borlotti beans - Add a bit of protein and texture
- Heirloom tomatoes -Bring in all the flavour
- Cucumber, red onion, Serrano chilli - crunch, sharpness and heat to give the salad texture and flavour.
- Wholegrain mustard, red wine vinegar & lemon juice - These ingredients make up the punchy dressing. Add to a jar and shake well to emulsify.
- Lemon peel, bay leaf and garlic - added to the cooking water to infuse the beans with aromatic flavours while they cook.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Heirloom Tomato and Borlotti Bean Salad
- Cut the cherry and plum tomatoes in half.
- Halve the cucumber lengthwise and slice it to about 4mm thick.
- Thinly slice the red onions and Serrano chilli.
- Roughly chop the parsley, leaves and stems.
- Prepare a bowl of ice-cold water to plunge the cooked borlotti beans in.
- Bring a pan of water to the boil with the lemon peel, garlic, bay leaf and salt added.
- Cook the beans for 10 minutes.
- Immediately plunge the beans into the cold water. Set aside.
- Place the whole-grain mustard, red wine vinegar, olive oil, grated garlic, salt and pepper in a jar.
- Secure the lid and shake the jar vigorously to combine all the dressing.
- In a bowl, add the cooked borlotti beans and the mustard dressing and mix well.
- Then add the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and chilli and mix well.
- Add the chopped parsley and toss everything together.
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Substitutions & variations
Beans
- If you don't have access to fresh beans in the pod (basically out of harvest time), you can use tinned beans. Use a 400g tin and drain the beans. They don't need cooking, so skip that step; just rinse them quickly and add.
- Alternatively, buy dried borlotti beans. About 90-100g of dried beans yields 220g cooked. Soak them overnight and boil until tender. You can add the aromatics while boiling.
tomatoes
- Heirloom tomatoes are often available at farmers' markets if you don't grow them. Any ripe tomato works in this recipe, though.
Chilli
- Alternatives to the Serrano chilli are jalapeño or green finger chilli. De-seed for a milder taste. For a family-friendly salad, you can omit the chilli altogether.
Mustard
- Dijon mustard will give a smoother, sharper dressing. You may want to use a little less Dijon mustard.
Red Wine Vinegar
- You can replace this with white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar.
Vegetables and herbs
- For a milder bite, use shallots instead of red onions.
- Any type of cucumber works. I use Crystal apple, which is very crunchy and needs to be de-seeded. You can use a common green cucumber that doesn't need to be de-seeded.
- Mint or basil are good replacements for the parsley. Or you could use all three mixed together.
Add-ins
- For a more substantial salad, you can add feta or ricotta cheese, but it will no longer be vegan.
Equipment
Minimal equipment is required for this salad:
- A saucepan to cook the borlotti beans.
- Digital scales for accurate measurements.
- A jam jar or similar receptacle to mix up the dressing.
Storage
This salad gets better with time. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days.
Recipe Tips
- Test the beans are done by bite, not time. They should have no chalky centre when you bite into them.
- Keep the beans cooking at a rolling boil, not at a simmer.
- Don't skip the ice-water plunge at the end of cooking; it stops the beans from cooking any further. Drain the cold water once the beans are cold to the touch.
- Dress the beans first, as directed in the method, to ensure they absorb the dressing.
- Pat the vegetables dry after washing to avoid a watery salad.
- Shake the dressing hard to ensure it emulsifies fully.
- Use the tomatoes at room temperature for full flavour.
FAQ
Can I prepare this salad ahead of time?
Yes, you can prep the vegetables and store them in the fridge. Do the same with the dressing and the cooked beans. Only bring them together when ready to serve to avoid a watery salad and experience the ingredients' textures at their best. That said, if you store the finished salad in the fridge, the flavours do develop nicely.
📖 Recipe
Heirloom Tomato and Borlotti Bean Salad
Fresh borlotti beans cooked with lemon peel, bay and garlic, then tossed with heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, serrano chilli and parsley in a whole-grain mustard and red wine vinegar dressing.
Equipment
- Digital scales for accurate measurements
- Jam jar to mix the dressing
- Saucepan to cook the borlotti beans
Ingredients
Salad
- 375 g Heirloom tomatoes mix of plum and cherry tomatoes
- 350 g Borlotti beans in pods yields 220g of beans
- 290 g Cucumber
- 90 g Red onion
- 5 g Garlic whole
- 17 g Serrano chilli 1 chilli
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 Lemon For peel and juice
- 25 g Parsley
- ½½ teaspoon Salt
Dressing
- 1 tablespoon Red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon Whole-grain Mustard
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- ½ Lemon For the juice
- 5 Garlic grated
- ½ teaspoon Sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon Crushed Black pepper
Instructions
Salad
- Prepare a bowl of ice water to plunge the cooked borlotti beans into.
- Remove the borlotti beans from the pods.Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the lemon peel, bay leaf, salt, and garlic, then add the beans and cook for 10 minutes. Once cooked, immediately plunge into the cold bath to stop them from cooking any further.
- Wash and pat dry the tomatoes, cucumber, chilli and parsley
- Cut the cherry and plum tomatoes in half.
- Halve the cucumber lengthwise and slice thinly. If you are using regular cucumbers, no need to remove the seeds.
- Thinly slice the red onions and chilli.
- Roughly chop parsley, leaves and all.
Dressing
- In a jar, add red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, mustard, grated garlic and lemon juice. Close the lid and shake well to emulsify the dressing.
Assembly
- In a bowl, add the drained borlotti beans and pour the dressing over. Mix well. Then add the cucumber, tomatoes, red onions, and chillies and mix well. Finally, add the chopped parsley and toss. Serve immediately.
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