This Summer Dense Bean Salad recipe (+ Chimichurri) is packed with flavor and nutrition thanks to a fresh chimichurri sauce and summer produce. It could stand alone as a meal in itself, or it could be paired with your favorite main course.
The Best Dense Bean Salad
Don’t doubt the humble bean, you guys. Because we paired them with fresh vegetables and a homemade sauce to make a flavor packed and healthy meal. It’s the perfect way to get a ton of nutrients into a single recipe and it’s a great one to meal prep to enjoy all week long.
Looking for More Summer Salads?
Then you’ve got to try our Ultimate Summer Salad. It has fresh fruit, creamy burrata cheese, and an amazing homemade basil vinaigrette.
What You Will Need
- parsley, cilantro, & basil – Some fresh herbs to make that chimichurri sauce reall pop!
- extra virgin olive oil – Just a bit to give a nice base to the chimichurri.
- garlic & shallot – Both add a depth of flavor and some warmth.
- dried oregano leaves & red pepper flakes – Spice cabinet staples to add a hint of earthy mint and heat.
- red wine vinegar – A hit of acid.
- kosher salt & ground black pepper – Just a touch to heighten all of the natural flavors.
- zucchini, sweet corn, cherry tomatoes – Our favorite seasonal vegetables.
- cannellini beans – also known as white kidney beans, these guys are kidney shaped with a firmer texture compared to great northern or navy beans. We love them because they’re an excellent source of fiber!
- chickpeas – A little legume high in protein, fiber, and complex carbohydrates! We used canned beans to keep things simple.
- red onion – For a little kick.
- feta cheese – We love this sharp and tangy cheese!
- lemon juice and zest – For a flavor boost and some natural acidity.
How To Make a Dense Bean Salad
Start by gathering all of your ingredients.
Next, blend together the dressing ingredients of parsley, extra virgin olive oil, cilantro, basil, garlic cloves, shallot, lemon juice, dried oregano, red wine vinegar, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes in a food processor or blender until smooth. Then set it aside until you’re ready to assemble your salad.
Prep your grill by cleaning the grates and preheat it to medium-high heat. Meanwhile, rub olive oil over your corn and zucchini spears. Once your grill is to temp, grill the corn cobs for about 10-12 minutes, rotating every few minutes. During the last couple of minutes, add the grilled zucchini and let them cook for 2 minutes per side. Remove the corn and zucchini from the grill, let them cool, and cut the corn off the cob and cut the zucchini into bite sized pieces.
Now it’s time to assemble your salad! Combine the zucchini, corn, cannellini beans, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, red onion, feta cheese, lemon juice, salt, lemon zest, and pepper all in a large salad bowl and toss to combine.
Last but not least, add the chimichurri sauce and give it all one last mix to combine all of those fresh flavors. Enjoy this easy summer salad as the main dish or in addition to any of your favorite summer mains. I love to make this one at the beginning of the week and divide it between lunch containers for an easy healthy lunch option throughout the week.
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- What is a dense bean salad? Honestly, there are a lot of dense bean salad recipes out there and they are usually a mixture of 2-3 types of beans plus veggies and some sort of zesty vinaigrette. We believe ours to truly have the perfect combination of beans, flavor, and veggies.
- What are the most nutrient dense beans? All beans are known for their high protein, heart-healthy fats, and essential nutrients. But since they all boast slightly different nutritional values, and everyone’s nutrition needs are slightly different, it’s hard to give any one bean the title of healthiest. Black beans are high in folate, magnesium, and antioxidants. Pinto beans are full of antioxidants. Red kidney beans are very healthy, but also contain a toxin called phytohemagglutinin and must be cooked properly to be safe to eat.
- What is considered a white bean? Cannellini beans, Great Northern Beans, Navy beans, and lima beans (butter beans) are all considered white beans and could be used in this white bean salad, resulting in slightly different texture and flavor.
Made this nutrient-dense salad and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Dense Bean Salad
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our light and refreshing Summer Dense Bean Salad + Chimichurri Sauce is full of color and nutritious ingredients, perfect for lunch!
Ingredients
Chimichurri Sauce:
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/8 cup fresh basil
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 tablespoon shallot, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- (optional) 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Dense Bean Salad:
- 1 medium zucchini, remove ends & cut into spears
- 3–4 ears of sweet corn, remove husk and silks
- extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can chickpeas (or garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup red onion, diced
- 4oz feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed (more, to taste)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (more, if desired)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make Chimichurri: Put all of the Chimichurri Sauce ingredients in a small food processor and blend on high until fully combined. Set aside until ready to use.
- Prep: Preheat an outdoor grill to a medium-high heat and make sure the grill grates are clean. Rub olive oil on the outside of the zucchini spears and sweet corn.
- Grill: Grill the zucchini directly on the grill grates for about 2 minutes per side and then remove. Grill corn cobs for about 10-12 minutes, rotating every few minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.
- Cut: Once the grilled veggies are cool enough to handle, cut the zucchini into bite-sized pieces. Then cut the corn kernels off of each cob.
- Assemble Salad: In a large bowl, add the zucchini, corn, cannellini beans, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, red onion, feta cheese, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Add Chimichurri: Pour the Chimichurri sauce over the salad and toss it all together.
- Serve: Enjoy immediately or store in the fridge for later!
Notes
- Dairy Free: simply omit the feta cheese or use a dairy-free alternative.
- Storage: leftover salad can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Great for meal prep!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 oz
- Calories: 314
- Sugar: 5.1 g
- Sodium: 714.1 mg
- Fat: 16.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 34.6 g
- Fiber: 7.4 g
- Protein: 11.8 g
- Cholesterol: 12.6 mg
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