Pesto Bean Salad with Almonds and Cranberries

Fresh and flavorful, this pesto bean salad is a perfect quick lunch or dinner! With a homemade spinach pesto, three kinds of beans and dried cranberries, itโ€™s anything but boring. Gluten free and vegetarian with dairy free and vegan options.

A white bowl filled with Pesto Bean Salad with a spoon to the side.

So with it being back to school time and all that jazz, I thought it would be fun to talk about a few lunch ideas.

This coming from the lady without kids.

But, us adults need fun and new lunch ideas too. Iโ€™m more of a whatever leftovers I had from dinner last night become my lunch type person, but I decided I should try to think about lunch a tad bit more.

Give it the attention it deserves.

And so I give you pesto bean salad with almonds and cranberries.

Two bowls filled with Pesto Bean Salad and pita chips.

About This Pesto Bean Salad

A super super easy meal that you can throw together in 20 minutes or less.

And then itโ€™s ready to go for lunches all week. Lunch is served! Especially with lots of crunchy pita chips – my fave.

And the bean salad? Itโ€™s filled with three โ€ฆ count emโ€™ three โ€ฆ kinds of beans, a hint of red onion, some crunchy almonds and dried cranberries for little bursts of sweetness.

And weโ€™ll toss it all in a spinach-based pesto and then finish it with a sprinkle of fresh chives.

Really you can use any kind of pesto that you like โ€ฆ my poor basil plants are dead so spinach it was.

Who manages to kill basil? This girl does. Sigh.

A white bowl filled with Pesto Bean Salad with a spoon in the dish.

Additional Bean Salad Recipes You Might Enjoy:

Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.

Pesto Bean Salad with Almonds and Cranberries | cookiemonstercooking.com

Pesto Bean Salad with Almonds and Cranberries

Yield: about 5 to 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Fresh and flavorful, this pesto bean salad is a perfect quick lunch or dinner! With a homemade spinach pesto, three kinds of beans and dried cranberries, itโ€™s anything but boring. Gluten free and vegetarian with dairy free and vegan options.

Ingredients

For the pesto:

  • 4 cups packed baby spinach leaves
  • ยฝ cup packed fresh basil leaves
  • ยฝ cup raw slivered almonds
  • ยผ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese*
  • ยฝ tablespoon honey**
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ยฝ to ยพ teaspoon salt (to taste)
  • ยผ cup olive oil

For the salad:

  • 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15 ounce) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • ยผ cup minced red onion
  • ยฝ cup raw slivered almonds
  • ยฝ cup dried cranberries
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Instructions

To make the pesto:

  1. Add the spinach, basil, almonds, parmesan, honey, garlic and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
  2. Add in the olive oil and process until smooth. Set aside.

To make the salad:

  1. Add the chickpeas, pinto beans, kidney beans, red onion, almonds and cranberries to a large bowl. Toss to combine.
  2. Add in some of the pesto and mix until combined. Taste and add additional pesto to your liking (I use about ¾ to all of the pesto).
  3. Sprinkle on the fresh chives. Taste and season with additional salt if needed.

Notes

*To keep this dairy free / vegan - omit the parmesan and substitute with 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast.

**To keep this vegan - use maple syrup instead of the honey.

I love to serve this with something crunchy - like pita chips!

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 451Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 713mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 12gSugar: 17gProtein: 19g

Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professionalโ€™s advice.