Backyard picnics take all forms in our family. Some are grand, planned and well attended events. Some are spontaneous and spur of the moment. The picnics that are planned out in advance usually have a variety of dishes served. People bring their best, secret recipe. We all eat well at those picnics.

The spontaneous picnics are usually a bit haphazard. Meaning, you never know what will be on the menu, and be glad for anything. It was an evening picnic of this sort that prompted this recipe. I was digging through the cupboards looking for ingredients to make a side dish.

I found a couple of pantry staples and the result was a tasty but simple bean salad. I will admit that what I consider a pantry staple might be different that what other folks have on the shelf in their pantry. I always have canned beans on hand; they are versatile and nutritious. I always have Italian spice mix, as it seems like we eat some sort of pasta once or twice a week.

Simple Bean Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

1 (14 oz) can of white kidney beans
1 (5 oz) jar diced pimiento
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp Italian spice mix

Recipe Directions:

Drain and rinse the beans. Drain the pimientos. Place in a small bowl and add balsamic vinegar and spices. Stir to mix ingredients. Chill for 2 hours or overnight. Serve cold.

Make it a meal:

A nice side dish along grilled chicken or steak. Also this is a good topping on tossed salad.

Approximate Nutritional Value per serving:

Servings per Recipe: 4, Calories: 160, Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 593mg, Total Carbs: 30g, Protein: 10g.

Variations:

Mix in some chopped red onion or green pepper for some crunch.

This simple bean salad is a quick menu item to fix when you are in a hurry to put something on the table. We all have those days that fill up with activity and leave us little time for meal preparations.

If you are watching your sodium content, you will want to make sure you use low sodium canned or home cooked beans. The home cooked variety slows down your prep time, unless you prep them ahead of time and keep a supply in your freezer.

I prepare one pound bags of dried beans in a crock pot; cooking them overnight. Then cool, portion the beans into zip top plastic bags and freeze.

The ingredients are easily found at your local grocer, if you don’t keep them in your pantry. I have seen the ingredients at three local grocery stores and two dollar store locations. If you don’t have balsamic vinegar, or don’t care for the flavor, you may substitute white or apple cider vinegar.

Interested in one of the books pictured above? You can purchase on Amazon here.