Tuscan Bean and Barley Salad (Costco Copycat Recipe) (2024)

This Costco copycat Tuscan Bean and Barley Salad recipe is a delicious take on the store-bought salad! Fresh herbs and a pesto dressing lighten this salad into something special.

It makes a great side dish or a light lunch – loaded with vegetables and a light pesto dressing.

I love when I get a prepared salad from a store and think, “Wow, I can make this just as good at home.” And this salad meets and exceeds the original!This is a riff off of Costco’s Tuscan Bean Salad with a pesto dressing, but I made this version vegan. This is a fantastic salad because its both fresh and really filling.

I absolutely love Costco Salads, but don’t always love all the ingredients in them (preservatives, too much sodium, etc). This Bean and Barley salad recipe was right up my alley: it has everything I love! The version in the store contains cheese, so it’s not vegan, but I made a veganized version below. Costco runs are a real treat for us, we only go when we are in Canada with Brett’s mum. This is a totally recreatable salad you can make anytime, no membership card required.

I really love using barley in recipes because dried barley is so inexpensive at the store. And its super easy to prepare when you make it in the rice cooker – and as you can see from my Perfect Quinoa in the Rice Cooker, I really love the hands-off nature of making grains in the rice cooker.

This Copycat Costco Bean and Barley Salad is:

• Bright
• Herby
• Crunchy
• Tangy
• Hearty
• Protein-packed
• Vegan and Vegetarian
• Gluten Free

This would also be great to make ahead for a party or a BBQ. Or a good way to use leftover pesto in a dressing. The great thing about this recipe is that you can add/substitute any bean or extra salad veggie to the recipe. Its a bit of a free-form salad, but all comes together with the dressing!

What’s In This Costco Tuscan Bean Salad Recipe?

See the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!

• Pearled Barley:a fantastic grain for soups or salads,pearled barleyis a hearty and satisfying addition to any dish! I always keep a few bags ofbarley in our pantry when I need to bulk up a recipe.
• No Salt Added Chickpeas: my favorite pantry staple protein! You can usecanned chickpeas (I’d highly recommend a low sodium or no salt version),or you can make your own chickpeas from scratch in the Instant Pot.
• White Beans
• Parsley
• Tomato
• Bell Pepper
• Green Onion

For the Pesto Dressing

• Vinegar
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh garlic cloves
• Basil
• Fresh lemon Juice
• Sea salt & black pepper

How to Make Copycat Costco Tuscan Bean & Barley Salad:

1. Rinse the dried barley, and add it and the water to the rice cooker. Cook on ‘Grain’ Mode or ‘High’ for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until the rice cooker auto stops.
2. In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, navy beans, parsley, tomato, bell peppers, and chopped onion. Add the barley to the bowl.
3. For the dressing, add all dressing ingredients to a blender, and blend on high until smooth. Taste and add additional salt or pepper if needed.
4. Pour dressing over salad, and stir to combine.
5. Store in an airtight container, and eat within 5 days.

Canned Beans Versus Homemade

While I love the convenience of canned beans, I usually cook dry beans from scratch in my pressure cooker – the texture is better and it’s more affordable. I use a larger 7.5-Quart Instant Potwhich is larger than the standard model so I can batch cook more at a time.

If you don’t already have one, the Instant Pot works wonders for cooking dried beans fast, no soaking required! While canned beans are super convenient, they are often loaded with sodium. If you buy canned beans, I always recommend using a no salt added variety so you can control the amount of salt in your dish.

Next time you reach for the canned beans, think about investing in a pressure cooker instead! Homemade beans are incredibly cost efficient, and you can add seasonings and spices to the beans while they cook for extra flavor.

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About the Author: Kelly Jensen