Dense bean salads for autumn: tips from a dietitian chef

In case you’re not familiar, dense bean salads are usually packed with chickpeas, cucumbers, peppers, red onion, cherry or sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese and fresh herbs, such as parsley and cilantro. They are all chopped into small, bite-sized pieces, making it easy to stuff the salad into a pita bread, place it over a piece of sourdough bread, or eat it on its own.

“Generally speaking, the term ‘dense’ indicates no lettuce,” explains Abbie Gellman, RD, dietitian and chef. This allows people to put together ingredients they like, such as beans, vegetables and cheese, and mix them with a vinegar-based dressing. “You can store it in the refrigerator for several days where it will marinate and the flavor continues to develop (unlike lettuce and other vegetables that will wilt or break down with a vinegar-based dressing and time).”

But now that it’s officially fall, you might be wondering how to incorporate more seasonal ingredients into your dense bean salad. To help us embrace fall’s nutritious produce, Gellman shares her spin on this salad trend.

First off, what’s so great about dense bean salads?

“As mentioned above, these ‘dense’ salads do not contain ingredients (such as lettuce) that will wilt or cannot be left in the refrigerator with dressing for long periods of time. These types of salads allow people to plan ahead and have things ready. They are also very ‘formal’ so the user (or eater) can mix and match how he or she wants. For example, one person might like pinto beans, while another might like black beans, and some people might try cucumbers while others might say bell peppers Gellman.

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Fall ingredients to add to your dense bean salads

So how can we “fail” this trend and make the most of the nutrient-rich fall produce the season has to offer? Gellman recommends adding some of the following products to the mix:

• Roasted winter squash (think: butternut, acorn, delicata)
• Roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes
• Pickled red onions
• Apples
• Pears
• Nuts and seeds, such as pumpkin seeds

Tips

“I recommend slicing and adding (apples and pears) just before eating so they don’t oxidize and turn brown,” she says.

She also recommends roasting nuts and seeds for a deeper, richer flavor. “Nuts and seeds add healthy fat, fiber and nutrients such as vitamin E and magnesium. These also add texture to the meal, which many people enjoy,” she notes.

If you want to spice up your dressing as the days get cooler, consider @violet.cooks’ chipotle chicken salad dressing, which is made from lime juice, olive oil, chipotle, cumin, and mayonnaise.