cooking / salads

Red Bean and Arugula Salad with Mango Balsamic Dressing

serves 4 · 15 minutes · 15 minutes hands on · easy

Why This Works

A whole ripe mango blended with balsamic makes a creamy, oil-free dressing with no added sugar, and the beans carry enough protein that the salad stands alone as a meal. No real cooking — blend and toss.

Ingredients

Dressing (blend smooth)

  • 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, coarsely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp minced scallion
  • 2 tsp minced fresh parsley or cilantro
  • 1 tsp white miso paste
  • 1 (1/4-inch) piece fresh turmeric, grated (or 1/4 tsp ground)

Salad

  • 6 cups chopped arugula (or baby spinach)
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked (or one 15-oz can) salt-free dark red kidney beans or adzuki beans, drained
  • 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

Method

  1. Blend the mango, balsamic, scallion, parsley, miso, and turmeric until smooth. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the arugula, beans, cucumber, and tomatoes. Pour over the dressing and toss gently. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Home-cooked heirloom kidney or adzuki beans are lovely here, but canned work fine.
  • Swap some of the arugula for watercress or red-leaf lettuce for more variety of greens.
  • Dress just before serving — the greens wilt quickly.