Chipotle Lime Dense Bean Salad

ByMadison Thurman
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Last summer was the first time I had ever heard of a “dense bean salad”. From what I understood, this was basically pasta salad, minus the pasta, add some beans. I love all different types of beans so I knew this trend would stick around for me!

The first type I tried was a southwest inspired dense beans salad. The base was good, but I knew there was room for improvement, thus this recipe was born! The dressing is so delicious it has spice, tang, and sweetness. It coats the beans and vegetables and is even better the next day once all of the flavors have melded together!

I will admit that I am the person who eats the same thing for lunch over and over again until I can’t eat it again for months LOL. I was on the brink of burnout last summer with the dense bean salads, but luckily there are so many different flavor options and variations that you can change it up with your bean, the sauce, the veggies, or the cheese! This is definitely my favorite variation though. Stay tuned for more dense bean salad recipes coming soon!

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Why You’ll Love This Dense Bean Salad

  • Healthy meal prep. This is so easy to prep, and makes a big batch!
  • Fiber and protein. This hits two birds with one stone!
  • Filling but delicious! You will feel satisfied, but not weighed down. That is why this is a go-to lunch for me!
  • Add more protein! Feel free to add chicken or steak to this!
Assortment of chopped vegetables aligned on a wooden cutting board.

How to Make This Dense Bean Salad

Please see recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe details.

  1. Drain the beans. I don’t like wet dense bean salad, so I like to rinse, and then drain my beans while I prep the other ingredients.
  2. Make the dressing. In a mixing bowl, add in lime juice, white wine vinegar, avocado oil, garlic, salt, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, chipotle powder, chipotle peppers in adobo, hot sauce, and honey. Whisk well until fully combined.
  3. Prep your vegetables. Dice the onion, bell peppers, tomatoes, and jalapeño. Add to a large bowl.
  4. Mix it up. Add the drained beans, and mix with the vegetables. Pour over the dressing and mix well until every bean is coated!
  5. Serve it up! Top with fresh cilantro, and I love goat cheese on this. Enjoy!
  • Assortment of chopped vegetables aligned on a wooden cutting board.
  • Dense bean salad with vegetables and goat cheese sprinkled on top. A green bowl on the side for decoration.

Recipe FAQs

Absolutely! I think it tastes even better the next day. The flavors combine and get so juicy.

I think grilled chicken or steak would be DIVINE on this!

Recipe Variations

  • Add a protein. Grilled chicken or steak would be perfect!
  • Make it creamy. Add 1/2 cup of sour cream to the dressing to make this creamy!
  • Grains! Serve this over rice or quinoa to bulk it up!
  • Eat it like a dip. I have been known to use a tortilla chip as my spoon with this recipe, thank me later!
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Dense bean salad with vegetables and goat cheese sprinkled on top. A green bowl on the side for decoration.

Chipotle Lime Dense Bean Salad

This bean salad is crunchy, spicy, and delicious! If you are looking to have a protein and fiber packed lunch, this is a perfect option! This is so meal-prep friendly as well.
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Prep Time 35 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Course: Salad
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 15 oz cans black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 15 oz can chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • 1 15 oz can cannellini beans (or pinto beans) drained and rinsed
  • 1 15 oz can of corn drained and rinsed
  • 1 red onion diced
  • 2 bell peppers diced
  • 1 jalapeño diced
  • 10 oz cherry tomatoes halved
  • 8 oz goat cheese crumbled
Chipotle Lime Dressing
  • ⅓ cup avocado oil
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ¼ cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp Tapatio hot sauce (sub your favorite hot sauce if you don't have Tapatio)
  • 2 tsp chipotle peppers in adobo chopped
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp chili powder

Method
 

  1. Start by draining the beans. I HATE when there is extra liquid from my beans in a bean salad. So I like to rinse and then let my beans drain in a strainer over the sink while I prep the other ingredients.
  2. Next, make the dressing. In a mixing bowl, add in lime juice, white wine vinegar, avocado oil, garlic, salt, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, chipotle powder, chipotle peppers in adobo, hot sauce, and honey. Whisk well until fully combined.
  3. Next, cut up the vegetables. Dice up those veggies!
  4. Time to mix! In a large bowl add the drained beans and corn, and the vegetables. Stir to mix these. Now drizzle over the dressing and stir until every bean is coated.
  5. To serve, top with fresh cilantro and your cheese of choice! I love goat cheese, but cubed pepper jack or cheddar is also so good, just depends on your mood! Enjoy!

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