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This White Bean Arugula Salad with Frico is a bright and vibrant salad that’s perfect for entertaining and serving to company. It’s the perfect salad to bridge the gap from summer to autumn and serve as a great side dish or lighter main course. And, it’s a salad I would love to take to holiday dinners with the family.
It’s made with white beans that have been cooked with garlic and sage, tossed with quick pickled shallots and peppery arugula. Then topped with Manchego and Parmesan cheese crisps (aka frico).
This recipe comes from the new America’s Test Kitchen cookbook, Gatherings: Casual-Fancy Meals to Share. I was given a copy of this book by the publisher, but all my opinions are my own.
I also had a copy of this cookbook to give away to one lucky reader; the giveaway is now closed.
We appreciate your support
Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.
Gatherings: Casual-Fancy Meals to Share
In {affiliate link} Gatherings: Casual-Fancy Meals to Share, the cooks of America’s Test Kitchen share how they entertain at home, with 140 recipes from simple to showstopping and airtight planning strategies!
They’ll help you toss out old rules of getting together and throw a dinner party so memorable and fuss-free that everyone will want to repeat it— even the host.
It’s time to get excited about entertaining again, and this book will help you do so!
This collection of personal recipes will help you with menus, what to serve, how to prep, and all the steps you need to get a fantastic dinner, simple appetizer spread, or super fancy party going.
Not only are there great menus to try, like Oktoberfest at home and The great British picnic, but there are so many recipes that sound great. I really want to make the No churn lime pineapple swirl ice cream on page 89.
Arugula Salad tips
Check out my Beet Berries Barley Salad for another impressive arugula salad!
Canned beans make for an easy and customizable salad base, but without some embellishments they can taste, well, canned. To rectify this, the beans are steeped in a garlic and sage broth.
This salad works best with large, meaty white beans, such as cannellini, Great Northern, or butter beans, but small white beans work too.
Spicy arugula and pickled shallots add texture and pleasingly sharp flavor to the creamy beans.
Add in some Mushroom Skulls for a fun spooky Halloween salad.
Everyone’s favorite part of this salad will be the cheese crisps, or frico. The crispy shards of fried cheese add a ton of savory flavor.
Pro tip: you may want to make a double batch of the frico because they are so good to snack on, and well, you may just eat too many before serving the salad!
The recipe uses equal parts tangy Manchego and nutty Parmesan, but feel free to use just one or the other. Or try a different cheese with an aged Asiago or Gouda. Check out my Parmesan cheese crisps recipe as well.
You can buy a tub of pre-grated Parmesan cheese, but I find that it tastes best when you buy a wedge of really good quality Parmesan cheese and grate your own.
How to make
The White Bean Arugula Salad with Frico is pretty easy to make, it just takes a little bit of time to let things sit and get flavorful. I’ve also given you a few ways to make the frico; you can make it on the stove, in the microwave, or the oven.
The full printable recipe ingredients and instructions are available in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. You can find important tips and tricks in the post.
Frio can be made on the stove top. The recipe in the book gives the stove top directions. But frico can also be made in the microwave and the oven.
Stove top frico
Combine the grated cheese in bowl. Sprinkle half of cheese mixture evenly over bottom of cold 10-inch nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat until edges are lacy and light golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and let sit for 1 minute.
Using 2 spatulas, carefully flip frico. Take your time with this step and don’t worry if the frico folds a little. You can spread it out and reshape it after flipping.
Return to medium heat and cook until second side is deep golden brown, about 1 minute. Carefully slide frico onto plate. Again, don’t worry if it crinkles a bit, just try and smooth it out with the spatulas.
Wipe skillet clean with paper towels and repeat with remaining cheese.
Let frico cool completely, then crumble into bite-size pieces.
Frico can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Microwave frico
Place a piece of parchment paper on a microwave safe plate. Spread grated cheese on top of the parchment paper. Microwave on high power until golden brown, about 1 & ½ to 2 minutes. Using the parchment paper to help move the crisp, carefully lift crisps from plate and transfer to wire rack. After 2 minutes, test for doneness by bending 1 wafer in half.
If test wafer doesn’t snap, pat off any excess fat from remaining wafers, return them to plate, and continue to microwave in 15-second increments until crisp.
Repeat process as desired, using a new piece of parchment paper each time.
Oven frico
Preheat oven to 400° F. Line large baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment paper.
With a tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop mounded tablespoons of the grated cheese onto the prepared baking sheet. Leave at least ½-inch between each mound. Lightly press the mounds out until they are flat.
Bake for 5-8 minutes. Remove from oven when edges just turn golden brown. Let cool completely on the baking sheet.
For the salad
Grab all of the salad ingredients. Because the recipe is simple be sure to get good quality ingredients for this salad so the flavors really stand out.
Heat oil, garlic, and sage sprig in saucepan over medium-high heat until garlic is just beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add water and salt and bring to simmer.
Turn off heat, add beans, cover, and let sit for 20 minutes.
The shallots are lightly pickled in this salad. If you’d like a softer shallot with less oniony flavor, rinse the cut shallots under running tap water and let drain. This will rinse some of the harsh flavor off of them.
Combine vinegar and shallots in large bowl and let sit for 20 minutes.
Drain beans and discard garlic and sage sprig. Add beans to shallot mixture and toss until thoroughly combined.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for at least 20 minutes or up to 6 hours.
Add arugula, minced sage, and remaining oil to beans and toss to combine. Transfer to serving platter and top with frico. Serve.
Serve warm or cold.
Can I make this ahead?
You can make all the parts of this salad ahead of time, and when you’re ready to serve, simply toss it all together.
I don’t suggest combining all the parts ahead of time because the arugula will wilt after being tossed with the dressing.
Serving suggestions
One thing I like about the Gatherings cookbook is that they give you full menu ideas.
This salad is from the Autumn Vegetarian Salads and dessert menu in the book. It includes Romaine and radicchio salad with roasted squash and pickled pears, sweet potato and lentil salad with fried shallots (which reminds me of my Lentils with Winter Vegetables) , and spiced panna cotta with candied maple pecans.
And it pairs well with just about any main course. Try this salad with Air Fryer Chimichurri Salmon, Halibut cheeks, Black Eyes Peas with Greens, or Braised Beef.
I have some great autumn salads here on the blog that would be great for a menu like this as well. Sweet Potatoes with Marcona Almonds and Avocados, Lentil and Sweet Potato Salad, Wild rice salad, and Farmer’s Market Salad.
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White Bean Arugula Salad with Frico Recipe
White Bean Arugula Salad with Frico
Ingredients
FRICO CRUMBLE
- 2 ounces Manchego cheese grated fine (1 cup)
- 2 ounces Parmesan cheese grated fine (1 cup)
SALAD
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided use
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
- 1 sprig fresh sage plus 2 tablespoons minced sage
- 1 teaspoon salt for steeping beans
- 3 cans (15-ounce) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 shallots sliced thin (¾ cup)
- 3 ounces baby arugula (about 3 cups )
Instructions
FOR THE FRICO
- Combine Manchego and Parmesan in bowl. Sprinkle half of cheese mixture evenly over bottom of cold 10-inch nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat until edges are lacy and light golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and let sit for 1 minute. Using 2 spatulas, carefully flip frico. Return to medium heat and cook until second side is deep golden brown, about 1 minute. Carefully slide frico onto plate.2 ounces Manchego cheese, 2 ounces Parmesan cheese
- Wipe skillet clean with paper towels and repeat with remaining cheese.
- Let frico cool completely, then crumble into bite-size pieces.
- Frico can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
FOR THE SALAD
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, and sage sprig in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until garlic is just beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to simmer.5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 4 garlic cloves, 1 sprig fresh sage, 1 teaspoon salt for steeping beans
- Turn off heat, add beans, cover, and let sit for 20 minutes.3 cans (15-ounce) cannellini beans,
- To soften the flavor of the shallots (if you want), rinse the cut shallots under cool running tap water and drain well.2 shallots
- Combine vinegar and shallots in large bowl and let sit for 20 minutes.¼ cup red wine vinegar
- Drain beans and discard garlic and sage sprig. Add beans to shallot mixture and toss until thoroughly combined.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for at least 20 minutes or up to 6 hours.
- Add arugula, minced sage, and remaining ¼ cup oil to beans and toss to combine. Transfer to serving platter and top with frico. Serve.3 ounces baby arugula, 1 sprig fresh sage
Notes
Place a piece of parchment paper on a microwave safe plate. Spread grated cheese on top of the parchment paper. Microwave on high power until golden brown, about 1 & ½ to 2 minutes. For Oven frico:
Preheat oven to 400° F. Line large baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment paper.
With a tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop mounded tablespoons of the grated cheese onto the prepared baking sheet. Leave at least ½-inch between each mound. Lightly press the mounds out until they are flat.
Bake for 5-8 minutes. Remove from oven when edges just turn golden brown. Let cool completely on the baking sheet.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
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