Antipasto Italian Dense Bean Salad Recipe Is On Protein, Fiber & Flavor Overload (15 Minutes) High Fiber Recipes High Protein Recipes Salads Lunch Dinner Vegetarian Gluten-free Side Dishes

Dense bean salads have been very popular in social media food posts lately. This antipasto dense bean salad recipe is one of my very favorites. This antipasto bean salad is so nutritionally dense, and fills you up with a great boost of fiber and protein. (Check out the health benefits of fiber and the health benefits of protein.)

I love the light dressing on top of the healthy bean salad recipe! I really appreciate that you can make substitutions to make this nutrient-dense salad your very own. (I’ve made a few suggestions, but go ahead and be creative based on what you like!)

Here is your wholesome, gluten-free, high-protein and high-fiber shopping list for this dense bean salad recipe: chickpeas, lentils, cherry tomatoes, roasted red peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, fresh parsley, extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, fresh garlic and dried oregano.

This dense bean salad is loaded with nutrition! Check out the health benefits of chickpeas, the health benefits of lentils, the health benefits of tomatoes, the health benefits of red peppers, the health benefits of artichokes, the health benefits of olives, the health benefits of parsley and the health benefits of feta cheese.

Serve this Italian-inspired bean salad as a vegetarian lunch or side dish with dinner. Because there's no lettuce, this is a wonderful meal-prep recipe, too. Live with a meat-eater? You could throw in some Italian meats (think charcuterie board meats).

Cuisine: American / Italian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

Dressing 

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or lemon juice)
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Salad 

• 15 ounces (1 can) chickpeas, rinsed (or white beans)
• 15 ounces (1 can) lentils, rinsed (or another can of beans or chickpeas)
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 7 ounces (1 jar) roasted red peppers
• 7 ounces (1 jar) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
• 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives or Castelvetrano olives, pitted
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (or goat cheese or Parmesan)
• 1 cup parsley, chopped (measured before chopping)

Here's how to make it: 

1. Add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl, reserving a bit of the feta for the top of the salad.
2. Make the dressing by adding all the ingredients in a small bowl. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Whisk or mix with a fork and pour over the top of the salad. Taste the salad to see if a bit more salt and pepper is needed.
3. Top the salad with the remaining feta and let sit for 30 minutes before eating for the flavors to meld, or refrigerate for up to 4 days. (The 30-minute rest isn’t necessary, it just allows all the flavors to blend together a bit before eating.) Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge.

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. Any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

Take 30 seconds and join the 30Seconds community, and follow us on Facebook to get recipes in your newsfeed daily. Food, fun, health, happiness