This Honey-Mustard Bean Salad takes a classic dipping sauce and turns it into a salad—a win for honey mustard–lovers! Packed with plant protein, cannellini beans and chickpeas bring a hearty earthiness to this salad, while sweet red bell pepper adds a nice crunch. Zingy shallots balance the tangy-sweet dressing that brings the salad together. Keep reading for our expert tips, including what ingredient swaps you can make.

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! 

• This is a perfect salad for potlucks and year-round entertaining, especially during warm weather. Because it doesn’t contain mayonnaise, it’s safer to leave it out of the fridge longer.
• We recommend making this recipe with cannellini beans or chickpeas, but it’s just as flavorful with black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans or lentils. We use canned beans for convenience, but you can cook up a batch on your own if you prefer.
• If you plan to add ingredients, remember that achieving the right balance of textures and flavors is essential for creating a good salad—no single element should overwhelm another.

Nutrition Notes

• Cannellini beans are a type of legume and, like all legumes, are a great source of plant protein, fiber and antioxidants. Eating more legumes has been linked to a healthier heart and reduced risk of heart disease.
• Chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans, are another type of legume. Like cannellini beans, they also bring plant protein, fiber and antioxidants to this salad. In addition, they’re loaded with folate and add iron and some potassium. 
• Red bell peppers are loaded with vitamin C, which will help your body better absorb the iron in the legumes. They also provide a nice shot of vitamin A, which when combined with the vitamin C, will support your immune system. The fiber in the bell pepper and the legumes feeds your beneficial gut bacteria, helping them thrive and multiply.