The Viral Dense Bean Salad Recipe

I am all about the dense bean salad trend that's taking over the meal prep scene. The concept behind this recipe trend is preparing a balanced high fiber meal that can sit in the fridge for a few days without getting nasty. This chopped up veggie and bean combo sits in the dressing in the fridge and gets tastier every day without getting soggy at all. I ate this for 4 days without getting sick of it or getting the ick. I didn't follow a specific recipe, just chopped up a bunch of ingredients that I didn't think would get soggy:

Salad Ingredients:

• Green Cabbage

• Red bell pepper

• Mozzarella ball (always better than pre-shredded)

• Heart of Palm (1 can, rinsed and drained)

• Zucchini, 1 chopped

• Avocado

• Radishes

• Fresh herbs - I used dill, parsley, scallions, and cilantro

• Beans of choice - I used one can of Great Northern Beans, but you could use any combo of 1-2 cans of beans

Dressing:

• Fresh herbs - I used dill, parsley, and cilantro

• Rice wine vinegar

• Avocado oil

• Salt

• Black pepper

• Garlic powder

• Tarragon

• Mustard, tiny but for emulsifying, ~1 tsp

Directions: Rinse and strain beans. While beans strain and dry, chop all ingredients finely. Blend all ingredients for the dressing and pour over all the ingredients and mix. Store in the fridge and enjoy for the next few days!

So many different research studies demonstrate the beneficial Impact of eating a variety of plant based foods. One such study called, "High-Diversity Plant-Based Diet and Gut Microbiome, Plasma Metabolome, and Symptoms in Adults with CKD" demonstrated the beneficial of plant food diversity on the gut microbiome. This article encourages the consumption of at least 30 plant-based foods each week. This recipe alone contains at least 14 different types.

Resources

Stanford J, Stefoska-Needham A, Jiang X, McWhinney B, Hassan HIC, El-Omar E, Charlton K, Lambert K. High-Diversity Plant-Based Diet and Gut Microbiome, Plasma Metabolome, and Symptoms in Adults with CKD. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2025 May 1;20(5):619-631. doi: 10.2215/CJN.0000000682. Epub 2025 Mar 17. PMID: 40094861; PMCID: PMC12097182. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40094861/