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This Mediterranean-style Dense Bean Salad tosses a protein-packed mixture of beans, greens, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, and recent herbs in a vibrant lemon French dressing. It’s one of the best no-cook meal to make for meal prep or summer time picnics! Vegan and Gluten-Free.
This Lemon Caper Dense Bean Salad is one in all my favourite make-ahead meals that each tastes nice and helps me meet my fiber objectives. It’s a Mediterranean-inspired lunch full of two sorts of beans, briny capers, crisp greens, sun-dried tomatoes, and recent herbs. Toss all the things within the fast lemon French dressing, and also you’ll have a protein-rich lunch that solely will get tangier and extra vibrant because it sits.
Desk of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Dense Bean Salad
My TikTok algorithm is nothing however dense bean salad recipes. These hearty, no-cook salads are the queen of meal prep as a result of they’re a uncommon kind of salad that doesn’t get soggy after sitting within the fridge for just a few days. I’ve been making this Dense Bean Salad with Lemon Caper Dressing on repeat, and my lunches have by no means been higher!
- Fills You Up: I used two sorts of white beans to pack this salad with plant protein and fiber. One bowl retains me full for hours!
- A Texture and Taste Occasion: Creamy cannellini beans, crisp greens, briny capers, and mushy inexperienced herbs really feel additional mild when tossed within the punchy lemon dressing.
- Make-Forward Pleasant: Guess what? This salad tastes even higher after sitting for just a few days. It’s excellent for meal prep!
Love making beans the star of the meal? You then’ll additionally wish to do this Creamy White Bean Dip with Spring Herbs and this Creamy White Bean Soup with Dill!
What You Want For This Bean Salad
This Mediterranean-inspired salad requires a mixture of pantry staples and recent produce.
- Canned Beans: two sorts of beans—chickpeas and cannellini beans—are a should to stability the hearty, cumbersome, but creamy textures. Dry beans cooked from scratch work simply as nicely right here! Scroll all the way down to the FAQs for extra on this.
- Solar-Dried Tomatoes: I like sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil as a result of they add extra physique and construct on the briny flavors.
- Capers: brine is the secret right here, so we’re tossing capers within the salad and utilizing the caper brine within the dressing. Collectively, they offer the chickpea salad its signature POP.
- Lemon French dressing: this salad dressing doesn’t want a ton of oil because the cannellini beans already add plenty of creaminess. To make it, you want olive oil (or the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes), lemons, caper brine, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and crimson pepper flakes.
How you can Make a Lemon Caper Dense Bean Salad
- Whisk the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, caper brine, vinegar, mustard, and crimson pepper flakes collectively in a big bowl.
- Add the beans, bell pepper, shallot, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, parsley, and basil to the bowl. Combine nicely till all the things is coated within the dressing.
- Set the salad apart to marinate, then serve it immediately or retailer it within the fridge for later.
Caitlin’s Cooking Ideas
- Pat the beans dry earlier than tossing them within the salad. After draining and rinsing the canned beans, lay them on a clear kitchen towel and go away them to empty for about an hour OR pat them dry with the towel. We undoubtedly don’t want a watery salad!
- Dry the herbs, too. To assist the recent basil and parsley final all through the week with out turning black, pat them fully dry earlier than chopping and tossing them within the salad.
- Marinate the salad earlier than serving. 5 minutes is okay, however letting it sit within the fridge for just a few hours is even higher. The beans soak up the lemon juice and caper brine over time, making each chunk style as vibrant as potential. The salad truly tastes even higher on days 2 and three!
Serving Options
Identical to my Crispy Lentil Wraps, I’ve been making this dense bean salad on repeat for my lunches. I really like how I could make it on a Sunday, and it stays recent in my fridge all week! One serving is fairly filling by itself due to these protein- and fiber-packed beans, though some days I’ll spoon it over a crusty slice of this Italian Herbs & Cheese Bread or scoop it up with pita.
And that blend of vibrant, lemony, briny flavors in each chunk? They’re greater than welcome on the summer time picnic. Pack up this bean salad, toss collectively this fast 25-Minute Vegan Macaroni Salad, and convey a batch of this Straightforward Do-it-yourself Hummus with pita for dipping, and also you’ve obtained your self a picnic that each you and your folks are going to devour.
When you’re on the lookout for extra vegan bean salads for meal prep, lunches, and picnics, you’ll additionally love this Dilly White Bean Cucumber Salad, this Black Bean Couscous Salad, and this White Bean Kale Salad with Lemon French dressing!
How you can Retailer a Dense Bean Salad
The dense bean salad stays recent and truly tastes higher after chilling for a day or two, however it’ll hold within the fridge for as much as 5 days. I wish to divide it into particular person hermetic containers for fast grab-and-go meals.
Earlier than serving, give the salad a very good stir to redistribute the dressing and substances. It tastes nice served proper out of the fridge, or you’ll be able to let it sit on the kitchen counter for about half-hour for those who favor it at room temperature.
Freezing shouldn’t be advisable.
Substitutions and Variations
- Cannellini Bean Substitute: Pink kidney beans are one of the best substitute for cannellini beans. You might additionally use butter beans, navy beans, black beans, or nice northern beans as a substitute.
- Recent Herb Substitutes: When you don’t have recent basil and/or parsley, use recent cilantro, dill, mint, or one other mushy herb you want.
- Non-compulsory Veggie Add-Ins: Virtually any Mediterranean veggie goes right here. Add avocado, kalamata olives, Persian cucumber slices, artichoke hearts, diced crimson onions, shredded cabbage, or every other veggies you will have available. I’ll additionally serve this over a mattress of arugula if I wish to pack in just a few extra greens!
- Add Vegan Feta: Each home made tofu feta and store-bought vegan feta cheese would add a creamy, salty kick to this Mediterranean-style salad.
Recipe FAQs
I don’t suggest substituting the chickpeas for something, as they offer the salad a pleasant agency texture.
Positive. The basil French dressing from this Spinach & Artichoke Pasta Salad or a store-bought Italian dressing would style nice right here. When you’re making a home made French dressing, bear in mind to cut back the olive oil to solely 2 tablespoons.
Soak 1 cup of dry chickpeas and 1 cup of dry cannellini beans in water in a single day. The subsequent day, add them to a pot with recent water and simmer till tender. Look forward to the beans to chill fully earlier than tossing them with the remainder of the substances.
Take pleasure in! When you make this recipe and determine to share it on Fb or Instagram, don’t overlook to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I might additionally like it for those who may go away a remark under with a recipe score! Thanks for the help 😊
For the Lemon French dressing:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or use the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes
- Zest of 1-2 lemons use 2 for a stronger lemon taste
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon caper brine liquid from the jar of capers
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon crimson pepper flakes non-compulsory
For the Salad:
- 2 15.5 ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 15.5 15.5 ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 yellow bell pepper 1/2” cube
- 1 shallot finely diced, or sub 1/4 crimson onion
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes finely chopped
- 1/4 cup capers drained
- 1/2 bunch recent parsley finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons recent basil chopped
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Prep: Drain and rinse the canned beans nicely, then put aside to let drain. You need the beans to be as dry as potential to stop the salad from being too moist.
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Make the Dressing: Add the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, caper brine, vinegar, mustard, and pepper flakes to the underside of a big bowl. Whisk nicely, till mixed.
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Combine the Salad: Add the chickpeas, cannellini beans, bell pepper, shallot, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, parsley, and basil to the bowl. Combine nicely, till all the things is evenly distributed and coated in dressing. Add salt to style, if obligatory.
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Serve & Retailer: Let the salad sit for at the very least 5 minutes to permit the flavors to mix. Serve instantly, or switch to hermetic containers and retailer within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
- Bean Substitutions: I don’t suggest substituting the chickpeas on this recipe as they supply a pleasant agency texture, however you’ll be able to swap the cannellini beans for crimson kidney beans, if desired.
Energy: 135kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 3gFats: 11gSaturated Fats: 1gPolyunsaturated Fats: 2gMonounsaturated Fats: 7gSodium: 443mgPotassium: 405mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 867IUVitamin C: 72mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 2mg
