I am still on the dense bean salad train everyone! The key to being able to consistently eat these for lunches every week, is to change up the flavor profiles. A caprese style dense bean salad feels like a very natural combination, and it turned out better than I expected. I also got to use basil from the basil plant for the first time this year!
The fresh mozzarella slices are by far the best part of this recipe. You could also use mozzarella pearls in this. A drizzle of balsamic glaze is a must have!
I was trying to brainstorm what other veggie would work in this recipe, I didn’t want to do cucumber again, although that would probably be delicious. I had some zucchini in the fridge, and thought “what if I roasted this and used it in the caprese dense bean salad?”. I tried it, and low and behold it is delicious in this!
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Why You’ll Love This Dense Bean Salad
How to Make This Dense Bean Salad
Please see recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe details.
- Drain the beans. Start by opening all of the beans. Drain and rinse thoroughly in a strainer. I like to let my beans sit in the strainer while I prep the other ingredients. I hate a soggy dense bean salad.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut the zucchini into quarters, about an inch thick. Place on baking sheet, drizzle with avocado oil, and sprinkle a bit of salt. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring half way through. Set aside to cool.
- Prep other veggies. While the zucchini is cooking, chop the tomatoes, and chop fresh basil.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the avocado oil, pesto, honey, balsamic vinegar, salt, cayenne, and fresh cracked pepper.
- Assemble! Add the drained beans to a large bowl, add in cooked zucchini, tomatoes, fresh basil, and dressing. Mix well until everything is coated well. Add a few slices of fresh mozzarella on each serving. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and enjoy!
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Caprese Pesto Dense Bean Salad
Ingredients
Method
- First, drain and rinse all of the beans. I like to put them all in a big strainer, rinse well and let them drain in the sink while I prep the other ingredients. I hate a soggy wet bean salad, so this helps a ton!
- Preheat the oven to 425℉. On a foil lined baking sheet add the cut up zucchini.I like mine to be small so that it fits in your bite with the rest of the bean salad. Place zucchini on the pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle of salt. Optional: sprinkle 1 tsp italian seasoning on zucchini. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring half way through. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- While the zucchini cooks chop the rest of the vegetables. Slice the tomatoes in half, and chop the fresh basil.
- Now let's make the dressing! This is the money maker right here. In a bowl, whisk together the avocado oil, pesto, honey, balsamic vinegar, salt, cayenne, and fresh cracked pepper.
- Assemble! Add the drained beans to a large bowl. Add in the zucchini, tomatoes, basil, and dressing. Mix well until everything is coated in the dressing.
- To serve, add bean salad to a bowl. Top with a few slices of fresh mozzarella, drizzle with balsamic glaze and enjoy!
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