📝 Pamela Mason’s Three Bean Salad – A Vintage Hollywood Favorite

Every summer has its signature flavor.
For many Americans, summer means cold dishes, simple ingredients, and timeless comfort.
And if you grew up in the 1950s or 60s, chances are you’ve tasted—or still remember—the classic Three Bean Salad that appeared at every backyard cookout and family picnic.

Today, we’re traveling back to the golden days of Hollywood to rediscover a famous version of the dish from English actress Pamela Mason—a woman known not just for her sharp wit, but also for her memorable recipe.

🎬 Who was Pamela Mason?

Pamela Mason wasn’t just a film star. She was a screenwriter, a published author, and the host of her own 1960s talk show, The Pam Mason Show. She starred in both British and American films, often alongside her then-husband James Mason, in movies like I Met a Murderer, The Upturned Glass, and Lady Possessed.

Her high-profile divorce—dubbed "America’s first million-dollar divorce" by the press—also made headlines, but what we love most is the dish she left behind:
Her take on Three Bean Salad, a no-mayo, flavor-packed summer side dish that’s just as good today as it was back then.

🫘 Pamela Mason’s Classic Three Bean Salad

Three Bean Salad has long been a summer staple—not only because it’s easy to make, but because it doesn’t include mayonnaise, meaning it holds up well in the heat. It’s tangy, a little sweet, and endlessly adaptable.

📋 Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup vegetable oil

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 3/4 cup white vinegar

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon pepper

• 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 (15 oz) can green beans, drained

• 1 (15 oz) can wax beans, drained

• 1/2 cup chopped celery

• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

• 1 cup chopped onion

👩🍳 Instructions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine oil, sugar, vinegar, water, salt, and pepper.

2. Add all remaining ingredients and mix gently.

3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, to let the flavors fully develop.

4. Serve chilled—and ideally, outside on a warm summer evening.

💡 Tips & Variations:

Feel free to swap in apple cider vinegar for a more mellow tang, reduce the onions, or replace the sugar with honey or agave.
That’s the beauty of vintage recipes—they invite you to make them your own.

There’s something magical about bringing back recipes from the past.
With every bite, we remember:
That good food doesn’t need to be complicated.
And some flavors never go out of style.