Carrot, Dill & White Bean Salad
Warm, coin-shaped slices of pan-fried carrots, white beans, and herbs tossed with a tangy-sweet lemon shallot dressing. It tastes good the day you make it, even better the day after.
I bought a single bunch of bushy-topped carrots the other day. At first glance it was a good looking cluster - bright orange in color with vibrant greens still attached. But it was on second glance that I noticed the tiny carrots nestled beside their larger brothers and sisters. Some of the smallest carrots were no thicker than a knitting needle, not much longer than my pinky finger. I snacked on those after a quick rinse. The bigger guys I put to work in this skillet-tossed, herb-flecked white bean salad.
A Simple Skillet Bean Salad
This recipe isn't complicated. Warm, coin-shaped slices of golden, pan-fried carrots, white beans and chopped herbs are tossed with a tangy-sweet lemon shallot dressing. It tastes good the day you make it, even better the day after. And although it's certainly not as pretty, in my opinion, it might taste best on day three as the shallots infused the beans and the lemon mellowed.
The Details
- Carrots: When shopping for carrots, look for young carrots with their greens still attached. This is one way you can get a good sense of whether the bunch is fresh or not. Can you use standard grocery store carrots? Sure! Look for bunches with smaller carrots if possible. Or if those aren't available, trim your carrot coins into half moons.
- Beans: On the bean front, I tend to cook the beans from scratch. I like a creamy, smallish white bean for this salad. Alubia beans, Peruano beans, and cannellini beans have all worked great. And yes! You can use well-drained canned white beans if you want to throw this together on a whim. Also, heads up, I included this recipe in my list of best bean recipes, so be sure to browse it if you're looking for more bean-centric inspiration.
- Herbs: I starting making this bean salad with dill. I like how dill is always a bit unexpected, and it works beautifully to cut the creaminess of the white beans, while maintaining an ability to stand up to the shallots and lemon juice. Basil is a nice alternative if you're out of dill. Cilantro is great. I mean it's hard to go wrong with your herb component. Use what you have.
Make a Meal of It
This recipe has now been in our repertoire for a few years. One of my favorite things to do is make a double batch. It can hang out in the refrigerator for a couple days, no problem, and makes a great side to many meals. That said, I often turn it into a favorite dinner. Tossing the bean salad with any short pasta like penne, radiatore, or rigatoni and a bit of goat cheese is fantastic. To get a bolt of green into in the mix I often add broccoli florets, or asparagus segments to the pasta water at the last minute. Re-season with salt and lemon juice if needed.
Variations
There are so many different ways to re-mix this bean salad. Once you have the base of skillet beans and carrots, playing around with the dressing can take it in dramatically different directions. For example, you can skip the lemony-shallot dressing and use a thinned out pesto instead. The crushed walnut sauce I use here is another option. I've also done a roasted red pepper puree thinned out with olive oil and boosted with cayenne for another twist.
Rachel D. mentioned in the comments, "...I added fava beans that I found at the UN Plaza farmers market (I thought fava season was over but I guess not!) and some preserved lemon. Also added less than the 2 tb sugar and it was sweet enough." Love this idea.
Premium Ad-Free membership includes:
-Ad-free content
-Print-friendly recipes
-Spice / Herb / Flower / Zest recipe collection PDF
-Weeknight Express recipe collection PDF
-Surprise bonuses throughout the year
Carrot, Dill & White Bean Salad Recipe
I like to buy young carrots at the farmers' market - slice them slightly thicker than a banana chip for this salad. And if you don't have dill, use whatever favorite herbs you have - basil, cilantro, lemon verbena, chives, and marjoram all work great.
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain salt
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
- more olive oil (or ghee) for cooking
- 2 cups sliced carrots, cut 1/4-inch thick on deep bias
- 3 cups cooked white beans
- scant 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (or basil)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or honey)
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
-
Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and shallots in a small bowl. Stir and set aside.
-
In your largest skillet over medium high heat, toss the carrots with a splash of olive oil or a spoonful of ghee (I love ghee with carrots). Let them cook in a single layer - they'll give off a bit of water at first. Keep cooking, tossing gently every three or four minutes until the carrots are deeply browned. All told, about twelve minutes.
-
Add the beans and dill to the skillet and cook for another five minutes, or until the beans as well heated through. If you are using beans that weren't canned you can allow them to brown a bit as well (just cook a bit longer, and stir less frequently) - they can handle this in a way that most canned beans can't. If you need to add a bit more olive oil to the pan - do so.
-
Place the contents of the skillet in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle with the brown sugar and pour the 3/4 of the lemon-olive oil mixture over the top. Toss gently. Let sit for ten minutes. Toss gently once again, taste and adjust with more salt or sugar or lemon juice if needed to balance the flavors.
-
Serve warm or at room temperature and finish by sprinkling with the almonds just before serving. If you have any herb flowers add them now too.
Serves 6 as a side.
Related Recipes
12+ Best Bean Recipes
A round-up of the best bean recipes on my site. I've cooked a lot of beans over the years, and these recipes are ones I often circle back to.
50+ Best Salad Recipes
A list of fifty of the best salad recipes I’ve prepared over the years. You’ll see a mix of green salads, chopped salads, grain and pasta salads. They all have an emphasis on fresh, whole, seasonal, plant-based ingredients.
How to Cook Beans that are Tender, Creamy, and Nearly Perfect
The best way I know to cook beans, and the one I always return to. A version of the much-loved Tuscan bean recipe - fagioli al fiasco. Traditionally, beans were baked overnight in a Chianti bottle placed near the embers of that night's fire. While not exactly authentic (no fire here), I do a riff on the general idea, using a low-temperature oven and enamel-lined pot.
Heirloom Bean and Mushroom “Carnitas” Casserole
A favorite Rancho Gordo heirloom bean casserole recipe. The smell of garlic and herbs baking alongside the beans, simmering tomatoes, and mushrooms will bring neighbors in off the sidewalk.
Fregola Sarda, the Perfect Lunchy Brunch Dish
Fregola is a beautiful, tasty Sardinian pasta made from hard durum wheat flour - rolled, sun-dried, and toasted to a mix of shades of yellow, gold, and brown. It's so good.
Diana Henry’s Uzbeki Carrots
The most interesting carrot recipe I've attempted in a long time - infused with fragrant spices like saffron, cumin, and cinnamon. Punctuated by dried fruit, savory from caramelized onions and tomatoes, with spots of fresh, green herbaceousness from mint, and chiles, and cilantro. Things just get increasingly delicious from there.
Post Your Comment
Comments
Divine! I made this on a day when i was desperate to not have to go to the store. Instant pot rancho gordo coronas, fresh parsley/cilantro and dried dill (all i had in the pantry). added a touch of mustard to the dressing and had it on whole wheat toast with some goat cheese. divine!
Sounds delicious Livi!
This recipe is fantastic! I was inspired after seeing it in Heidi’s newsletter and since I had dried cannellini beans on hand and was going to the farmer’s market the next day decided to make it.
After it was first done, I wasn’t so sure about it — it was ok — but as Heidi said, after marinating for a few hours it was seriously incredible! Like a magical recipe. We ate it about 6 hours after I made it and it sat at room temp that whole time. I just had a bite out of the fridge (a day later) and it was delicious.
I subbed chives and parsley for the herbs and toasted walnuts instead of almonds and those were great. Thanks Heidi!
Thanks Caitlin – so happy you liked it! So, if we’re going to eat it immediately, I usually give it an extra jolt of lemon juice and a bit more salt, and it’s really good. In general, the key is taste and re-season if needed. xx! h
The wild world of Heidi’s spectacular and glorious bouquet.
I have been following you from your beginnings as I had about as many cookbooks, modern and vintage, which sadly I released.
More than you can know, we truly love receiving your thoughtful and beautiful cornucopia of delicious and nourishing recipes.
Your bouquet has made my day 101 times over. Thank you Heidi. You truly bring joy to our lives in all that you do and share.
Thank you for the kind note! 🙂 xx!
I made this last week and just went to the store for the ingredients to make it again. This is a PERFECT recipe. I like it warm, and it reheats beautifully. Served with fresh fruit, sourdough bread and a glass of wine, it becomes the ultimate summer meal.
At first the sound of this didn’t appeal to me, but when I saw your picture, I knew I would LOVE this dish. You are a wonderful cook!
thanks for the wonderful recipe! I made it tonight with a couple changes. I added fava beans that I found at the UN Plaza farmers market (I thought fava season was over but I guess not!) and some preserved lemon. Also added less than the 2 tb sugar and it was sweet enough.
It was really delicious! My boyfriend noted it would be a great bed for some sauteed halibut or other fish.
I’ve been making recipes from this site for months, and I’m never disappointed. I’ve told so many friends about it – I’m like a Heidi Swanson evangelist. I love food and I’m not into counting calories, and your site helps me find new ways to eat healthy and enjoy it.
Oh, wow. I made this tonight — substituted canned soybeans and pine nuts instead of the almonds — and it was wonderful and the flavors were sublime. I’m thrilled that I have more for tomorrow.
By the way, reading your blog has given me more courage in improvising and switching out what I have for the ingredients that are called for in the recipe. I used to be terrified of messing with the recipe for fear of ruining the outcome, but reading you over the last few years has taught me to improvise with abandon! 🙂
Even though I’m more of a practical eater in general, I love good looking food, especially salads! The way you serve your food is beautiful, and your plates too 🙂
I just made it this afternoon and it’s delicious! Flavorful and well-balanced. I’m looking forward to leftovers tomorrow…
I am eating this right now – and it’s fabulous! Made enough for myself as meal tonight and for my lunch at work tomorrow! Wonderful!
I tried it with canned beans and carrots and dill from the garden. It’s fabulous. Thank you!!!
I’ve made this twice now and it is fantastic! Thank you, Heidi!
This vegan recipe sounds simple but very tasty.
roasted carrots , and beans and dill !!! i want the salad now!
Carrot Tops! Last night I made a pesto with a bunch of parsley from my CSA box, the carrot tops (minus center stem), one garlic scape, one garlic clove, romano cheese, pine nuts, and sea salt. YUM! Slightly bitter, but it was nice on a sweeter cracker, and absolutely wonderful on my mesclun, tomato, edamame and boiled potato salad today.
I have been reading your blog for several years now and I don’t comment often, but I wanted to let you know how pleased my husband and I are with this recipe. I had chick peas & great northern beans on hand so that is what I used, along with finely diced red onion in place of the shallots. It was so hard for me not to eat the entire recipe by myself, I loved it so much. Thank you for sharing this and all your other wonderful recipes. I’ve liked every one I’ve tried.
I made this on Sunday and it was fantastic!
I loved this. I made it with a combination of cannelloni & garbanzo beans. I also used vidalia onions that I threw in with the beans. I will be making this again for sure.
Mmmm…this recipe looks wonderful and simple…and look at those lovely little white beans! Like pearls!
Thank you, Thank you.
I made this as written. My children and husband thought they had gone to heaven when I made this tonight as a “vegetable dish” . They ate it all and wanted more. I thought it a tiny bit sweet and for me would decrease the amount of honey, but will probably will be outruled. Very good. I don’t think we will ever have left overs.
I made this because I had two bunches of carrots to use up from my CSA and two big bags of this bean, also from Rancho Gordo. I didn’t want to completely pillage my dill plant, so I also used some parsley and tarragon, and didn’t have any almonds so used some toasted hemp seeds for a bit of nutty crunch. Delicious.
I’m not a huge fan of carrots running around in my cooking, but I can’t resist “bunny carrots”, as my mom calls them. I’ll definitely have to try this with some fresh dill from the garden!
Looks excellent. White bean salads are always delicious. Your carrots are beautifully carmelized!
This was real good, and quick and easy too. The crunchiness of the extra toasted almonds provides a delightful contrast to the other ingredients, IMHO.
My only disappointment was the mushiness of my beans, which turned it into more of a stew. I used canned cannellinis. Maybe non-canned beans would have held their firmness better (?). Or maybe I overheated the beans.
Heidi, you’re a genius!
I made this Friday night with Great Northerns, fennel in place of dill and baby onions in place of shallots (CSA items along with the carrots). No sugar needed. It was a big hit among family and guest.
Then, Sunday, got invited to a potluck. So I used the rest of the carrots in our fridge and a can of Progresso Cannelini beans (which held up better on the stove…it’ll be sooo good with dry beans). Again, met with great success.
Thanks!
Stunning photos. I can’t wait to try this! Will wait until I can get my hands on some farmers market carrots. I’m new to your site and am absolutely loving it! Thanks for the great stuff…
so healthy and so yummy!
Wow… just made this for a group of high school girls and they all loved it! Absolutely fantastic! Made with canned navy beans; drained and washed them before I threw them in the pan.
Served with homemade veggie burgers on buns made of the Big Sur hide bread you posted a couple days ago. Yum!
I just made (and then wolfed) this salad. It was really, really good. I used Cannellini beans, with a really excellent olive oil (important, I think, for dressings). Had a cold white beer with it, some cheese for desert, and I am a happy clam.
Always looking for fresh new ways to eat more beans. This looks wonderful.
I love the idea of combining carrots with white beans. It seems like something that can be served year-round, and can stand on it’s own as a hearty lunch salad.
And the dill! It’s all over the yard. I guess they don’t call it dill weed for nothing.
Another winner! Was having such a hard day yesterday but read this recipe on the bus home… and when I got off the bus, there was the Queen Anne Farmer’s Market with carrots and shallots. So I made the recipe (using canned cannellinis – they were fine) and without the almonds and it was great – and indeed even better today – but I won’t get to test day 3. One funny thing is the part about 3/4 of the dressing. After tossing with 3/4 of the dressing and waiting 10 minutes – ? I threw on the other 1/4. 😉 Thanks for brightening my day!
Always enjoy the way you integrate white beans. Thanks for the repeat inspiration, Heidi.
I’m planning to make this tonight, as I got a bunch of carrots in my CSA box yesterday. I got fennel, too, so I’m considering replacing the dill with it. (or might go with some thyme or tarragon from the garden…hmm….) My daughter eats only white beans, and likes her carrots cooked, so this is perfect!
BTW, definitely get those carrot tops cut off right when you get home, BUT don’t toss ’em! Pull the feathery leaves off the tougher stems and throw them into a salad or smoothie. Very Very healthy. And what’s left goes into the compost, of course!
Your compost bin is a great place for the carrot tops – they can help grow next year’s carrots! 🙂
I actually made this last night! Delicious. I get your email posts and file the recipes, in the hopes of making them, but yesterday, this one popped into my email… and we had carrots, dill and white beans handy at home. We made this as a side to an herb-laden garlic shrimp and the two were great together. Thanks!
This looks simply delicious…perfect for a side dish that you don’t want to fuss with when you’re busy getting everything else together. You could fix it and forget about it until time comes to serve it. And the carrots and dill? Yum!
Saw this today and realized it’d be an AMAZING way to use up the carrot bunch I bought earlier this week at the farmers market– figured I had white beans in the pantry at home (as I usually do). I was excited– I got home and checked the pantry. No dice. But I did have hella cans of garbanzo beans, so I switched it up– DELISH! I can’t wait to try it with white beans! Thanks so much! Between this and your simple cauliflower recipe, I’m pretty set! Thanks!
This looks so simple and tasty… what a great combination of flavors!
looks sublime….going to try it with some ‘Purple Haze’ carrots that are ready to harvest out in the garden – their orange/purple color should be dazzling and pick up the bit of purple from the shallots!
Butter + carrots + thyme is one of my all time favorite combinations. I think thyme instead of dill in this salad (and maybe cider vinegar instead of lemon juice) could take it in a wonderful fall/winter direction.
It is obviously too hot here in Texas… I’m dreaming about winter already!
HS: Love the cider vinegar idea Amy.
I love it when food tastes even better the second day. This looks fresh and delicious. Perfect for a summer meal.
This is lovely! I made it tonight for dinner. I love simple meals like this. The toasted almonds add a nice crunch and the flavors all meld so well.
I love bean and nut combos. This is a new favorite. An old favorite is the “Black Eyed Peas, Corn, and Toasted Walnuts with Spicy/Sweet Vinagrette” from the Vegan Gourmet.
I can’t wait to see how much tastier it will be for my lunch tomorrow!
White alubia beans, my, where do you find those? Does the picture show the white alubia beans or just the ordinary cooked white beans mentioned in the recipe (could I use cannellini, or would they be too large)?
Again, where did you find dry white alubia beans (or were they fresh)?
HS: I used dried alubias from Rancho Gordo – you could certainly try a version with another type of white bean – it might have a different personality, but will likely still be tasty.
This is my first visit to your site and I’m so impressed–it’s absolutely lovely! I’m really looking forward to trying this recipe. It sounds delicious, healthy and quite inexpensive to prepare. I’ll be checking back often for more recipes!
Thanks!
Hadn’t thought of pan-roasting my baby carrots! It sounds delicious. Now I have a job for the dill I’ve been growing!
I’ve been loving cooked/ roasted carrots in salads lately. The dill-carrot combo sounds wonderful with the beans. Can’t wait to try it!
That looks yummy I think I will make it as I’am having problems digesting anything wheat or greens and I need to expand my recipe base.
Caramelized carrots with white beans? I’m intrigued, I would’ve never paired these two, but looking forward to trying this. The dill makes it sound really refreshing. Thanks!
Looks delicious and sounds equally mouthwatering. I’m heading to my local organic market right now and looking forward to making this for dinner tonight! Another home run, Heidi! Thank you!
yum, this looks great. can’t wait to try it out.
thanks for the recipe.
I too love buying fresh carrots from the farmers market with the greens on top. This salad is beautiful and I can just imagine how all the flavors come together.
I think I might make it for a bbq this weekend. Yum, thanks for the recipe!
What a flavorful recipe! I love how summer and light it seems.
Yeah, alubias aren’t locally available to most of us; I’m a serious ol’ bean-swilling foodie and had never even heard of them.
But I’ve been craving carrots lately, so I used Great Northerns instead, and this came out absolutely delicious. (Let me just add that “101 Cookbooks” is my favorite of all food blogs, anywhere. I’ve never had a bad recipe from here, and I’ve found scads of real keepers!)
PS–While it’s be different, I suspect this recipe would work well with adzukis or blackeyed peas, too, or with fresh marjoram or rosemary in place of the dill.
And, yeah…Kendra, how ’bout that carrot casserole recipe? It sounds awesome!
HS: Yes please Kendra – I second that. And the alubia came from Rancho Gordo, as someone else guessed 😉
Gorgeous! This sounds like the comfort food I’ve been craving but never knew I was missing until now! I bet this would be really good in Autumn/Winter as well!
what a great way to use those beautiful carrots. i love bean salad type dishes.
I made this today but changed the bean to a butterscotch bean. Although i may have cooked my beans too long this tastes delicious! The flavors are really well balanced, thanks for another great recipe!
BTW> I am cooking my way through SNC and i love that too.
Keep up with the great meals!
HS: Glad you’re liking it Diana 🙂
Perfect! My husband brought home some gorgeous multi-colored carrots from the farmer’s market the other day and I just KNEW you’d have a recipe to make good use of these beauties. Thanks!
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Nothing better than the smell and taste of dill! By the way, would Kendra be willing to share her Aunt’s baked carrot dish? Sounds delicious.
I absolutely love buying carrots at the farmer’s market. When I first went as a kid, I couldn’t believe how many different colored carrots there were. We think of them just as orange, but I’m especially fond of the red, yellow and purple varieties. Some of them taste really peppery.
I love this dish because of the white beans, they are so small and nutty..I bet the carrots and dill add tons of flavor.
The browned carrots must taste like candy, and with the rest of the salad, this sounds great. I haven’t cooked alubias before, but now I’ll have to look for them.
What a perfect way to use the leftover dill I have from the delicious lemon cucumber tofu salad!
Seriously Heidi…this is amazing.
I can almost taste the sweetness of the caramelized carrots in the photograh.
It looks delish.
As a newbie food blogger/photographer, I def have something to aim for.
Great job.
Marci — Try Rancho Gordo beans (a Heidi S. favorite), available for shipping online. I am really happy with the company and with the quality of their beans.
I really want to make this dish for the next church potluck, but I may not be able to find white alubia beans in the stores here in SW Louisiana. What bean can be used in place of the alubia bean? Are you serving this warm, cold, or either way?
HS: Room temperature or warm is best!
I love the bushy tops on those carrots – the joys of shopping at farmers markets and not at the supermarket!
I love those tiny carrots!! So cute and they taste so good!!
Really looking forward to trying this, looks beautiful and hearty. ALmonds & carrots, what a combo
Thanks!
S.
Molto bella! It’s beautiful. This is my favourite kind of salad – fresh, meaty (the beans I mean) and satisfying… I think beans are wholly underutilised in salads.
My aunt makes this incredible baked carrot dish (shredded carrot, cheese cheese cheese, shallot, toasted breadcrumb topping) for every major family gathering and I have been trying to figure out ways to refresh it. Adding something like white beans gives me an entirely different framework and the almonds would give the same toasted crunch without being butter-soaked bread crumbs!
A sweeter version would be amazing as well — maybe caramelize raisins and pineapple with the carrots and omit the onion. oooh and add blackened chilis…
what are the advantges of this salad and wat are the scientific ingredients in it, and how much is it useful to the young ones
More Recipes
Weekly recipes and inspirations.
Popular Ingredients