Garlicky Gigante Bean Salad

This gigante bean salad is doused in an extra-garlicky dressing and tossed with bits of prosciutto, tangy castelvetrano olives, provolone, and fresh parsley. The giant beans soak up all the garlicky goodness and keep you coming back for more!

Have you ever heard of the famous Columbia 1905 salad? My mom tells me it’s all she wanted to eat when she was pregnant with me. And now, having been pregnant 4 times myself, I get it. The sharp vinegar, punchy garlic, salty cheese. It’s crack for a pregnant lady. [Side bar: if you happen to be pregnant, this charred corn orzo pasta salad with creamy lime dressing should also be on your list.]

I decided to make a gigante bean salad riff off of the 1905 salad, with an Italian twist. I love gigante beans like my life depends on it. They’re so beefy and creamy and, really, just breathtaking.

They can handle a ton of flavor, and the garlicky dressing with bits of salty prosciutto, provolone, and briny olives are just so good together.

I usually eat this straight out of the fridge, bean by drippy, garlicky bean. But if you can, let it marinate in the fridge for a bit so the beans get a chance to really soak up the dressing.

You can also scoop the big bean salad over a bowl of crispy lettuce or something bitter, like shredded kale or radicchio. It’s also great spooned over this really herby salad, just skip the dressing and seeds in the recipe. Drizzle the extra bean marinade over top and go to town!

here’s how to make it:

A few recipe notes:

• I love gigante beans (specifically the Royal Corona type) and always prefer to source them directly from Rancho Gordo so they’re extra fresh. Old gigante beans take forever to soften and get really peely skin, which is not good.
• Big beans have a tendency to break and split, so it is very helpful to soak them overnight (not always the case with dried beans). If you’re feeling nervous about bean breakage or peeling skin, you can grab tips from my foolproof method for cooking dried beans.
• You can also use any type of bean you want! Swap in 2 cans of rinsed and drained beans, or cook up ½ pound of any of your favorite dried bean.
• If you love marinated white beans and calabrian chiles, you have to try my spicy marinated cannellini bean recipe.

Print