If you want to make a bean salad recipe using butterbeans, the following might be of interest. Combining butterbeans with green onion, fennel, cucumber and thyme, as well as juicy caramelized onions, this salad is full of contrasting flavors.

The dressing is made with honey, lemon and balsamic vinegar, offering sweetness as well as a tangy taste. This salad is nice served on a bed of romaine lettuce, although you can use a different kind of lettuce if you prefer or even omit it altogether.

Caramelized onions are soft and sweet and they are also easy to make. They should be a deep golden brown color but they should not be charred so turn down the heat if you think they might be at risk of burning.

Caramelized onions are beautiful in salad recipes. They are also good on top of pizza, added to pasta dishes or in sandwiches along with a slice of cheese and perhaps some chutney too.

This flavorful salad makes enough to feed four people as an appetizer, or six to eight as a side dish. It would also be good at lunchtime if you fancy something different from your usual sandwiches.

Feel free to throw in additional ingredients – anything you want to use up would work, so you might like to add a peeled, chopped apple (soak it in lemon juice else it will go brown), some grapefruit segments or even some cherry tomato halves.