Dense bean salads are super viral on Tik Tok right now, and for good reason! This Mediterranean Dense Bean Salad is bursting with flavor, color and health benefits! It's been helping me to stay full as I try to live a more health conscious life without sacrificing flavor!
I've been on the hunt for delicious quick-and-easy meal prep recipes that are super healthy, packed with big, fresh flavors, and will keep me satiated throughout the day. As I doom scrolled on Tik Tok one day, I stumbled into the viral world of dense bean salads. At first, I was skeptical. Slapping some lipstick on canned beans wasn't my idea of an exciting meal.
I'm the type of eater that needs to be surrounded with healthy options. If there's nothing to eat in the fridge, I'll be raiding the pantry for chips. When I eat a meal devoid of nutritional value, I tend to make worse decisions throughout the rest of the day. Even though I wasn't sold on the idea of beans and veggies being the answer I was looking for, I decided to give it a try.
I've been obsessed with Mediterranean flavors lately. Tons of crunchy veggies. Pops of fresh parsley and mint. Bursts of acidic lemon. And this viral tik tok dense bean salad recipe seemed to check all the boxes for what I was looking for:
- meal prep to the max - you can make a huge batch, portion it into individual meal containers, and it holds up fantastic in the refrigerator all week.
- packed with nutritional value... more on that in a bit.
- flavors that will keep my taste buds dancing.
- super portable and easy to eat on the go, which is key when many meals are are at a baseball field, soccer field, or ice rink during my kids' sports activities
Folks. I'm officially obsessed. I understand the trend. I get the virality of dense bean salad recipes. This is exactly what I needed in my life. With making one batch of this vegan Mediterranean Dense Bean Salad, I literally had one meal a day taken care of for a full week. Even better, I never got bored of eating it, and I actually continually craved my tik tok dense bean salad each day!
And yes, this is accidentally vegan, but sometimes now when I make it, I will shred one of those delicious Costco rotisserie chickens and add it in for some extra protein.
I stay remarkably full after eating just one serving of this salad, and rest easy knowing the immense nutritional value this Mediterranean Dense Bean Salad recipe provides. It's rich in plant-based protein, soluble fiber, and antioxidants. I
You can certainly eat the dense bean salad immediately after making it, but I found that it takes best one day 2 or 3. It really needs time to get all cozy together and let the flavors to develop. I store it in pint sized containers in the fridge, and it lasted up to 7 days with no problem! Just make sure not to freeze it as the beans and veggies will change consistency after thawing.
Mediterranean Dense Bean Salad - Viral Tik Tok Recipe
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 2 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 ounce can) lentils, drained and rinsed
- 2 (15 ounce can) dark red kidney beans
- 1 large English cucumber, finely chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 bunch scallions, finely sliced
- handful of fresh parsley, chopped
- handful of fresh mint, chopped
For the Dressing
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 4 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
- 2 cloves garlic, grated with microzester
- 2 teaspoons sumac
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried mint
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Add all salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients and season with Kosher salt. Pour dressing over dense bean salad, thoroughly stir to combine. Divide between containers and store in fridge. Tastes best after 1 days, but can be eaten immediately. Store in covered containers in the refrigerator up to one week.
Notes
Variations:
- feel free to add various chopped vegetables, like broccoli, radish, olives, etc.
- add feta for a cheesy kick
- add your favorite meat-based protein like chopped rotisserie chicken or steak if desired
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
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