Bean Pasta Salad
Last Updated on June 6, 2025 by Betty Davies
Simple and delicious, this easy bean pasta salad recipe can be served as a side dish at a cookout or BBQ, or as a tasty family dinner. Tossed in a zingy lemon and herb dressing, with no mayo, this fresh and lively salad is a real crowd pleaser.
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Whenever we host a summer BBQ, I love to serve up several cold side dishes to accompany, and this bean pasta salad is now a constant! Light, refreshing and colorful, hearty and filling, this comes together quickly and easily and is so moreish!
Pasta is tossed with white and red kidney beans, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and feta, and then finished with a lemon and herb dressing. This Mediterranean style salad side dish is bursting with flavor.
Be sure to try my Caprese Pasta Salad and Taco Pasta Salad too!
Why you will love this recipe!
- Easy: This no mayo pasta salad comes together quickly with minimal prep.
- Make Ahead: This is a great dish to serve up when you are hosting. You can easily make it ahead of time and the leftovers are delicious!
- Dietary info: This bean pasta salad is vegetarian and gluten-free, and can easily be adapted to other dietary needs. It has a good balance of protein, carbs and veggies and can be served as a side or a main dish.
Ingredients Notes
Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe and how to make video!
- Pasta: I like to use bowtie pasta for this recipe, but other short pastas like penne or fusilli will work well too.
- Beans: This recipe uses canned red and white kidney beans. Drain and rinse them well before using.
- Olives: Use sliced and pitted black olives. Drain them and toss them in.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: Use ready sliced sun-dried tomatoes drained from the oil.
- Feta: For best results, use fresh feta rather than already cubed. It has a richer flavor and is less dry.
- Red onion and parsley: Finely diced. These are the only ingredients you will need to chop!
- Lemon: Use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
- Oil: I like to use extra virgin olive oil for the dressing.
Recipe Variations
You can easily adapt this recipe to suit your tastes and dietary needs.
- Use a gluten-free pasta if you have an intolerance.
- Make this recipe vegan by omitting the feta cheese.
- You can use other beans if you prefer. Black beans and chickpeas are a great swap.
- Use other fresh herbs like dill, basil or cilantro for a different flavor.
- Add in other veggies like bell peppers, cucumber or celery for added crunch.
- Add in some shredded chicken or crispy bacon if you like.
Make Ahead and Storage
This bean and pasta salad can easily be made the night before you want to serve it. Store it, covered in the fridge, and give it a quick stir before serving. It will keep well for around 3 days and leftovers are delicious. It can be served cold, or warm.
Because the dressing doesn’t have mayonnaise, it travels really well, making it an ideal dish to take to a picnic or pot luck.
Serving Suggestions
This is a great side dish to serve up at a BBQ to accompany burgers, ribs, steaks and hot dogs, serve it with some other salad sides like Spinach, Blueberry and Feta Salad, Potato Salad and a Homemade Coleslaw.
This can easily be served as a main dish as well. Serve it alongside some Garlic Bread and you have a delicious and easy family dinner.
This simple bean pasta salad recipe has quickly become a favorite in our house. It’s so quick and easy to make and bursting with tangy and fresh flavors. You’ll see why we love it so much!
Bean Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the pasta salad
- 1 pound dried bowtie pasta (or another short pasta)
- 1 can red kidney beans (540ml / 19fl oz)
- 1 can white kidney beans (540ml / 19fl oz)
- 1 small can black sliced olives (200ml)
- ½ cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes (30g)
- 7 ounces feta cheese (200g)
- 1 red onion
- ½ bunch fresh parsley
For the lemon and herb dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted boiling water to the boil on the stovetop. Once boiling, cook the pasta according to the package. When ready, drain and toss in a a little olive oil and set to one side.1 pound dried bowtie pasta
- While the pasta is cooking, you can prep the rest of the salad.
- Make the dressing by whisking together all of the ingredients in a small jug or bowl and set to one side.¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, zest and juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Drain and rinse the beans in a fine mesh sieve and set to one side.1 can red kidney beans, 1 can white kidney beans
- Drain the olives and set to one side.1 small can black sliced olives
- Finely chop the red onion and parsley.1 red onion, ½ bunch fresh parsley
- Once the salad ingredients are all prepped, add everything to a large mixing bowl:Tip in the pasta, the beans, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, crumble in the feta and add in the chopped red onion and parsley. Pour the dressing over the top and mix well to combine.½ cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes, 7 ounces feta cheese
Notes
- Cook the pasta al-dente. Take care not to overcook it.
- Drain and rinse the beans well, this will help them stay firm.
- You don’t need to fully drain the sun-dried tomatoes. The oil they are in is flavorful, so just pick them right out of the jar.
- The pasta salad can be built when the pasta is still warm as the dressing is dairy-free.
- Nutritional values are an estimate and can vary depending on ingredients used.
