Dense Bean Salad

Recipe created by Roxana Ehsani, M.S., RD, CSSD, LDN

Try our spin on the viral dense bean salad with our Mediterranean Sweetpotato Dense Bean Salad! 🥗🍠 Packed with zaatar-spiced sweetpotatoes, tofu, hearty beans, and a rainbow of crisp veggies—all topped with a tangy, creamy labneh dressing. This dish is bursting with Mediterranean-inspired flavor.

Make it over the weekend, store in individual containers, and enjoy all week long. This salad makes it easy to get plenty of fiber, protein, and veggies all in one meal. 🍠 Sweetpotatoes add a burst of sweetness to each forkful and are a complex carb (aka the good kind!) supplying you with long-lasting fuel, filling fiber, and vitamin C and A. 💪🧡

This salad tastes even better after it has time to sit in the fridge—so it’s a winner on day 3 or 4!

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Servings:

Calories: 401kcal

Ingredients

3 medium sweetpotatoes cut into cubes
14 oz 14-oz extra firm tofu cut into cubes
2 tbsp olive oil divided
2 tbsp zaatar divided
1-15 oz can of white beans rinsed and drained
1-15 oz can of chickpeas rinsed and drained
1 large red bell pepper diced
1 large yellow bell pepper diced
2 persian cucumbers diced
1½ cup cherry tomatoes chopped in half
½ small red onion diced
¼ cup purple olives chopped

Dressing

½ cup olive oil
½ cup labneh
6 tbsp white vinegar
1 lemon juiced
3 cloves of garlic

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line two baking sheets with foil.
In a medium bowl, toss sweetpotato chunks with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp zaatar. Transfer to one prepared baking sheet and bake until cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.
In a separate medium bowl, toss tofu chunks with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp zaatar. Transfer to second baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes.
Cool both to room temperature.
In a large bowl, add cooled sweetpotatoes, tofu, beans, bell peppers, cucumbers, red onion, and olives.
To make the dressing, in a blender, add olive oil, labneh, white vinegar, lemon juice, and garlic. Blend until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Drizzle over salad and toss until well-combined.
Optional step: Transfer one serving to single serve containers. Store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Notes

Serving size: 2 cups

Nutrition Facts

Dense Bean Salad

Serving Size

Amount per Serving

Calories

401

% Daily Value*

Fat

Saturated Fat

Trans Fat

0.002

Polyunsaturated Fat

Monounsaturated Fat

Cholesterol

Sodium

219

Potassium

790

Carbohydrates

Fiber

Sugar

Protein

Vitamin A

16972

339

Vitamin C

103

Calcium

128

Iron

Net Carbohydrates

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition