• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Andrea Meyers logo

  • About
  • Photography
  • The Farm Project
  • Cooking with Kids
  • Grow Your Own
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Flickr
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Photography
  • The Farm Project
  • Cooking with Kids
  • Grow Your Own
    • Flickr
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Photography
    • The Farm Project
    • Cooking with Kids
    • Grow Your Own
    • Flickr
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Salads

    Mediterranean Spinach and Bean Salad

    Aug 31, 2013 · Modified: Jan 1, 2022 by Andrea · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 12 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Mediterranean Spinach and Bean Salad - Andrea Meyers

    A few weeks ago, after a good treadmill workout at the gym, I stopped in the café to grab a quick and healthy smoothie for lunch. They had some prepared salads in the cooler and I stopped to check out the selection, and this bean and spinach salad caught my eye. I adore garbanzo beans and spinach, and all the other Mediterranean flavors in it were right up my alley, so I got that instead of the smoothie, and it was a very good decision. As I sat at the table, nibbling away, I took a quick photo of the ingredient list, then when I got home I went to work trying to recreate that delicious salad.

    The ingredient list included things like “oil blend” and their own version of pesto sauce, so I had to approximate some things using what I keep in my pantry. I used extra virgin olive oil plus a little drizzle of the leftover oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, and then added our homemade basil pesto, which is slightly different from their recipe.

    It’s not exactly the same flavor as the one I tasted at Lifetime, but it’s pretty darn close. Theirs seemed a bit more salty and had some spice in it, making me wonder if there were some crushed pepper flakes in there somewhere. I served the salad at dinner, and Michael and the boys really liked it. I’ve made a couple more batches since then, because it keeps well and is so easy to pull out for a quick lunch.

    Mediterranean Spinach and Bean Salad - Andrea Meyers

    Recipe Notes

    Regular spinach or baby spinach work equally well, just remove the stems from the regular spinach and tear the larger leaves. I haven’t tried it it with baby kale or chard, but I imagine both would also work nicely. I like this with home cooked beans, but a can of garbanzo beans will do in a pinch. When peppers are in season, roast your own in the oven or over a hot flame on the stove, or you can purchase roasted red peppers in jars.

    Make it vegan with a cheese substitute or skip the cheese altogether.

    Mediterranean Spinach and Bean Salad - Andrea Meyers
    Print Pin

    Mediterranean Spinach and Bean Salad

    Inspired by the Lifetime Fitness LifeCafe.
    Prep Time15 mins
    Resting Time30 mins
    Total Time45 mins
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: Mediterranean
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: beans, feta cheese, gluten free, spinach, sundried tomatoes, vegan, vegetarian
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 228kcal
    Author: Andrea Meyers

    Equipment

    • large serving bowl

    Ingredients

    • 1½ cups cooked garbanzo beans (or 1 can (15 ounces/425 g) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed)
    • ½ cup crumbled Feta cheese (or vegan alternative)
    • 1 roasted red pepper (fresh or from a jar, finely chopped)
    • ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil (thinly sliced)
    • 2 tablespoons basil pesto
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    • 1 clove garlic (minced)
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or more to taste)
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    • 6 ounces fresh baby spinach
    US Customary - Metric

    Preparation

    • In the large bowl, stir together the beans, Feta, red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, olive oil, lemon juice, pepper, and salt. Toss with the spinach and allow to rest in the refrigerator or at room temperature for at least 15 minutes, then serve. Add more fresh black pepper to taste.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 781mg | Potassium: 494mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 4384IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 176mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Share in the comments!

    More Salads with Beans or Lentils

    Cannellini Bean Salad with White Balsamic Vinaigrette - Andrea Meyers
    Cannellini Bean Salad with White Balsamic Vinaigrette
    Salmon and Lentil Salad with Spinach and Lemon Dill Dressing - Andrea Meyers
    Salmon and Lentil Salad with Spinach and Lemon Dill Dressing
    Warm Green Lentil Salad with Caramelized Onions, Feta Cheese, and Pears - Andrea Meyers
    Warm Green Lentil Salad with Caramelized Onions, Feta Cheese, and Pears

    More Salads with Beans From Other Blogs

    • Kalyn’s Kitchen - Spicy Cannellini Bean Salad with Tuna, Peperoncini, and Parsley
    • Pickled Plum – Warm Chickpea Fennel Salad
    • The Perfect Pantry – Farro and Kale Salad with White Beans and Slow-Roasted (or Sun-Dried) Tomato
    « Grilled Jerk Pork Chops with Mango and Rum Sauce
    Moroccan Roasted Salmon with Mango Salsa and Quinoa Spinach »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chris says

      September 08, 2013 at 7:56 pm

      I made your Mediterranean Salad today. Oh my goodness it is delicious! My daughter stopped by and I gave her a taste, she loved it and asked me to forward the recipe. Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        September 09, 2013 at 2:26 pm

        Thanks Chris, so glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
        • Blair says

          July 23, 2016 at 9:20 pm

          Lifetime used CUMIN as a spice!

          Reply
    2. Nikki says

      May 31, 2014 at 12:53 pm

      Thank you so much for this recipe. I also tried it first at Lifetime and wanted to replicate it so I brought home the label. I was so relieved to have found your recipe because it took all the guesswork out! I am so pleased with the results. I'm serving it today at a small dinner party. One thing I found on the Lifetime label, which i didn't see on your list, was 'cumin'. Perhaps that might be the missing 'spice' you were talking about. Thank again for the great recipe!

      Reply
    3. Maggieor says

      June 02, 2016 at 1:19 pm

      My question is at lifetime the Spinach almost looks like it's been cooked first because it's quite limp...what did you do with yours so the consistency was the same ?

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        June 03, 2016 at 11:53 am

        Hi! I do not cook the spinach, it wilts slightly from the tossing with the other ingredients.

        Reply
        • Margo says

          September 26, 2016 at 5:50 pm

          How long will this last in the fridge? Is it best if prepared the night before?

          Reply
          • Andrea says

            September 27, 2016 at 7:37 am

            Hi Margo. Yes, you can make this a day before and it will be perfectly fine.

    4. Jana says

      May 09, 2018 at 6:03 pm

      Do you find that it gets too soggy after a day or two in the fridge? This looks like a great lunch and I’d like to make a big batch and have it for a few days if possible.

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        May 18, 2018 at 9:20 pm

        Hi Jana. I've made large batches before the same reason, and I find the spinach will only last up to 48 hours once the salad is mixed. It does make a tasty lunch!

        Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. 71 Food Bloggers Choose Their All-time Favourite Recipes - LuxPad says:
      June 9, 2016 at 6:02 am

      […] Mediterranean Spinach Bean Salad by Andrea Meyers  […]

      Reply
    2. 71 Food Bloggers Choose Their All-time Favorite Recipes - LuxPad says:
      June 9, 2016 at 6:43 am

      […] Mediterranean Spinach Bean Salad by Andrea Meyers  […]

      Reply

    Thanks for visiting! Let me know what you think! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Andrea Meyers photo

    Hi, I'm Andrea Meyers: educator, photographer, tea drinker, avid cook, and gardener. I love helping people learn how to do great things.

    More about me →

    Seasonal Favorites

    • Slow Cooker Cuban-Style Black Beans with Rice
    • Baked Boston Brown Bread
    • Slow Cooker Boston Baked Beans (Kids Cook Monday)
    • Slow-Cooker Chicken Korma
    • Roasted Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
    • Country Captain Chicken

    Trending

    • Southern Buttermilk Cornbread
    • Dry Beans and Legumes Cooking Chart (From the Pantry)
    • Colombian Hot Chocolate
    • Cincinnati Chili
    web hosting

    Footer

    Return to the top


    About

    • About Andrea
    • Contact
    • Advocacy
    • FAQs
    • As seen in
    • Work with me

    Policies

    • Privacy Policy
    • Nutrition Disclaimer
    • Comment Policy
    • Accessibility
    • Copyright Policy

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

    ALL PHOTOS AND ORIGINAL TEXT COPYRIGHT © 2005-2022 ANDREA MEYERS PRODUCTIONS LLC
    YOU MAY NOT USE ANY PHOTOS OR ORIGINAL TEXT WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION.