Italian Bean Salad
Dense bean salads are everywhere right now and honestly, I completely get the hype.
If you haven’t come across one yet, a dense bean salad is basically a mix of different beans tossed together with crunchy salad ingredients that can actually hold up in the fridge without going soggy. Everything gets coated in a simple oil and vinegar dressing which keeps the salad fresh, flavourful, and perfect for meal prep lunches throughout the week.
If you struggle to eat enough beans or want more high fibre meals in your diet you HAVE to make this.
Bean salads are packed with plant protein and full of fibre but super satisfying.
They’re also incredibly easy to customise depending on what you’ve already got sitting in your fridge or pantry.
The term “dense bean salad” was made popular by influencer Violet Witchel after her viral dense bean salad videos completely took over social media in 2024. Typical me though, I was very late to the trend and only discovered dense bean salads midway through 2025. But the second I saw one, I knew I needed it immediately. I raided my cupboards, grabbed every bean I could find, and threw together my first high protein bean salad that same day.
Ever since then, I’ve been making a different dense bean salad almost every single week with loads of different flavours and themes.
This version is inspired by classic Italian flavors with plenty of fresh herbs, punchy dressing, and mixed beans making it the perfect Italian bean salad recipe for meal prep, summer lunches, picnics, or easy healthy dinners. Enjoy!
Reasons you'll love this vegan dense bean salad-
CUSTOMISABLE – Everything in the salad can be swapped and changed. I think of this as a bit of a fridge raid friendly recipe, a great way to use up everything in your fridge. Don’t like something? Swap it out!
HEALTHY – Two types of beans and varying salad items/herbs make this salad a big bowl of fibre and vitamins. Prep ahead and you have a healthy and tasty snack, lunch or side dish whenever you like.
CHEAP – Tinned beans are very affordable and you can choose whatever salad items are on special or what you already have. Bean salad can be a healthy food on a budget!
PREPPABLE - The main idea of this salad is to prep a big batch on a Sunday and have it marinate in the fridge for the week giving you something healthy and 0 effort in for the work week.
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High protein bean salad ingredients and substitutes-
- Vegan chicken- I used my homemade seitan for the chicken in this recipe however you can use shop bought chicken or tofu if you like. Pre cook and cool the protein before adding to the salad.
- Sundried tomatoes- Sundried tomatoes in oil are best for this.
- Cheese- I used vegan mozzarella style cheese for this. You can use any cheese you like.
- Butter beans & chickpeas- My bean choices for this salad are butter beans and chickpeas but any beans will work fine
- Cucumber- Cucumber is a perfect salad item to add. By removing the seeds the moisture is removed stopping it going soggy.
- Bell pepper- Red bell pepper brings a sweet and crunchy element to the salad. Any color capsicum can be used here.
- Basil – Fresh basil is essential to and Italian inspired salad. If you only have dried basil then add this to the dressing to rehydrate it before adding to the salad.
- Shallot- I used shallot for its slight sweetness but red or white onion are fine too.
- Extra virgin olive oil- This makes great salad dressings. A good quality olive oil will bring an element of flavour to the salad and the fat makes the dressing more creamy.
- Red wine vinegar- Red wine vinegar is a milder tasting vinegar, bringing a tang to the dish and helping to preserve the salad throughout the week.
Italian Style Dense Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 200 g Vegan chicken
- 50 g Sundried tomatoes
- 100 g Cheese
- 240 g Butter beans - cooked
- 240 g Chickpeas - cooked
- ½ Cucumber
- 1 Red Capsicum
- Bunch Parsley
- Bunch Basil
- 2 Medium Shallots
For the dressing-
- 40 ml Extra virgin olive oil
- 40 ml Sundried tomato oil
- 80 ml Red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp dried Oregano
- 1 tsp dried Rosemary
- 1 tsp Garlic
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Dice the vegan chicken up into small cubes, fry off and leave to cool.
- Dice all of the salad components into small cubes, finely chop the herbs and cube the cheese.
- Drain and rinse and dry the tinned beans.
- Mix together the salad dressing components.
- Combine everything in a large mixing bowl and mix well until everything is coated in dressing.
- Serve up and enjoy.
- Store leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days.
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