White Bean and Veggie Salad

Have you heard about Violet Witchel’s Dense Bean Salads? Violet began cooking in her dorm room at Vassar during the Covid quarantine, and she posted what she made on TikTok. Last year, she posted what she dubbed a “Dense Bean Salad,” and the internet went crazy. What is a DBS? It’s a salad that’s kind of a chopped situation, kind of a spoon situation, but whatever the “dense” salad is, Violet says it “makes eating healthy easy.”

And it does. Keep one of these salads – a toss-up of beans, chopped veggies, herbs, cheese, and protein all dressed in a vinaigrette – in the fridge at all times, and you are forever set with a high-protein, high-fiber, delicious go-to meal. All of that marinating in a tangy vinaigrette means that this sturdy salad gets better as it sits in the fridge, soaking up the dressing. 

Here is one version of a DBS. My daughter and I are loving this one, but check Violet out, as she shares lots of DBS recipes. Or make up your own. If you use what you love, you really can’t go wrong.

Keep one of these salads – a toss-up of beans, chopped veggies, herbs, cheese, and protein all dressed in a vinaigrette – in the fridge at all times, and you are set with a high-protein, high-fiber, delicious go-to meal. All of that marinating in a tangy vinaigrette means that this sturdy salad gets better as it sits in the fridge, soaking up the dressing. (Photo: Andria Dilling)

White Bean and Veggie Salad

Juice of 1 lemon
1 small shallot, minced
¼ cup olive oil
1 ½ cups chopped flat-leaf parsley
¾ cup chopped fresh dill
½ cup chopped chives
½ cup chopped mint leaves
2 seedless cucumbers, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped
1 or 2 jalapeños, diced
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup crumbled feta
1 or 2 grilled chicken breasts, chopped

In a small bowl, stir the lemon juice and shallot together. Let that stand at room temperature for 15 minutes, then whisk in the olive oil.

While the shallots are marinating, toss the remainder of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss again. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week in the bowl or in individual serving containers.