WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Fasulye piyazi is a traditional Turkish bean salad that is often served with kofte, or Turkish meatballs. Seeing a recent uptick in canned pinto bean recipes, what we think you will especially like about this salad is its inclusion of fresh ingredients with pantry staples. It’s a canned pinto bean salad with a hit of spice that’s filling and meatless.
Frequently made with small white beans, Fasulye piyazi usually contains tomatoes, parsley, hard-cooked eggs, and more. For our version, we started with canned pinto beans, opting for pinto because of their more robust flavor. To further elevate flavor, we infused the beans with aromatics by warming them briefly in a toasted garlic broth. The traditional dressing of olive oil and lemon juice proved underwhelming when paired with the stronger-flavored pinto beans, so we decided to incorporate another eastern Mediterranean staple ingredient: tahini.
A generous amount of Aleppo pepper, with its sweet, gently spicy, and mildly smoky undertones, complemented the tart acidity of the dressing. Tossing the beans with the dressing while they were still warm allowed for better flavor absorption. Keeping with tradition, we added cherry tomatoes, onion, and parsley, which contributed to our salad’s bright, fresh flavor.
A handful of Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Dried Figs added a burst of sweetness and their slightly chewy texture complimented the creamy pinto beans. A sprinkle of sesame seeds provided textural contrast and emphasized the tahini nicely. Last, the traditional addition of hard-cooked eggs provided extra protein, giving the dish enough substance to act as an entree as well as a complexly flavored side.
Turkish Canned Pinto Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin-olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves lightly crushed and peeled
- 2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans rinsed
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon ground dried Aleppo pepper
- 8 ounces cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup (6 ounces) Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Figs stemmed and halved
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
- 2 large hard-cooked eggs quartered
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cook 1 tablespoon oil and garlic in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until garlic turns golden but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add beans, 2 cups water, and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 20 minutes.
- Drain beans and discard garlic. Whisk remaining 3 tablespoons oil, tahini, lemon juice, Aleppo pepper, 1 tablespoon water, and 1/4 teaspoon salt together in large bowl. Add beans, tomatoes, figs, onion, and parsley, and gently toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to serving platter and arrange eggs on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and extra Aleppo pepper and serve.
