Italian Flavor Evident In Minestrone Salad

Minestrone Salad is a cool take on the classic Italian soup. This colorful and filling toss is flavorful with a red wine, basil and fennel vinaigrette that can be kept in your refrigerator for weeks.

Use your favorite small pasta shapes for this salad, such as shells or ditalini. You may substitute any type of bean, although the rustic combination of chickpeas and kidney beans is attractive.

Many people have asked me about using canned beans versus dried ones. Let convenience be your guide; both are excellent sources of cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber. Beans also contain more protein than any other food in the vegetable kingdom.

Canned beans often contain sugar, high levels of sodium and additives, so check the label before buying.

And don’t think of cleaning and cooking dried beans as intimidating. It’s a simple process: Just put the beans in a pot, run water over them and pour off any debris or dust that floats to the surface. Sift through the beans for any foreign objects such as stones that may be left from harvesting.

Almost all dry beans need to be soaked prior to cooking. Presoak them in 3 to 4 times their volume of water overnight (don’t refrigerate). Then drain, add more water and cook them.

For a quicker method, cover beans with water, bring them to a boil over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes and then let them rest off the heat for 2 hours. Drain the water, rinse the beans again and cover them with fresh water.

Either way, after soaking, simmer beans for about 1-1/2 hours (check package for more exact cooking time). Using fresh water for rinsing and cooking the beans will reduce the chance that they’ll produce gas when you eat them.

Minestrone Salad

8 ounces dried small pasta, such as shells or ditalini, cooked according to directions

1/2 cup cooked or drained canned chickpeas

1/2 cup cooked or drained canned kidney or navy beans

1/2 medium red onion, chopped

3 ribs celery, sliced

2 carrots, chopped

1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cup chopped green cabbage

1 medium tomato, chopped

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

6 leaves fresh basil, minced

1 teaspoon anise or fennel seeds, lightly crushed

3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Garnish:

6 cups bite-sized pieces of mixed greens, optional

2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese or 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled, optional

Combine all the salad ingredients in a large nonreactive bowl. Mix all the vinaigrette ingredients in a nonreactive container.

Pour vinaigrette over salad to moisten the vegetables. (If salad is left overnight, it will absorb dressing so the next day it will not be as moist.)

To garnish: On each serving plate, place a portion of greens, if desired. Top with dressed vegetables and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or crumbled feta cheese, if desired.