Versatile salad is perfect partner

By J.M. HIRSCH

AP Food Editor

No time for potato or pasta salad?

Or just looking to mix it up at the July Fourth cookout?

This is your salad.

Just 20 minutes will get you an intensely flavored white bean salad studded with savory bacon, crunchy fennel and fresh corn, all tossed with tangy barbecue sauce.

The result is a rich, but not heavy salad that is the perfect partner for ribs, burgers, dogs, cobs or whatever you got on the grill.

It’s also a versatile dish that can be dressed up multiple ways.

Use it as a filling in flour tortillas for barbecue-flavored burritos.

Spoon it over tortilla chips, sprinkle with cheese, then bake until heated through for hearty nachos.

To save even more time, you can prepare the salad ahead and refrigerate for a day.

Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.