Broccoli Pesto Dense Bean Salad

Broccoli Pesto Dense Bean Salad | Well and Full | #vegan #vegetarian #tiktok #recipe

Prep your lunches or dinners for the week with this tasty and healthy Broccoli Pesto Dense Bean Salad! It’s packed with fiber and protein to keep you full, and tastes better as it marinates in the fridge. With three types of beans and a savory, herbal flavor, this dense bean salad is sure to be a regular in your meal prep rotation!


Another day, another dense bean salad! The Mediterranean Dense Bean Salad recipe I posted when I first caught on to this trend has become one of my top-ranking recipes! Of course, all credit for this idea goes to Violet Witchel, who originally created the Dense Bean Salad trend on TikTok. But this isn’t a mere trend – the DBS is a way of life! I’m no stranger to chickpeas here at Well and Full, but adding them to my dense bean salads is such a great extension of my love of them.

In addition to three types of beans in this recipe, the dressing is made from Broccoli Pesto, a deliciously cruciferous spin on classic pesto. Italian cuisine purists will likely hate this, but I LOVE making pesto out of untraditional ingredients, like kale, chives, or carrot tops. So it should come as a surprise to no one that I’ve moved on to broccoli! The credit for this idea doesn’t belong to me though… I remember seeing a creator make a salad with a creamy broccoli pesto dressing on TikTok. But now I can’t find the video or the creator! 😩 (If you know who made a broccoli pesto salad, please comment so I can give them credit!)

I love this Broccoli Pesto Dense Bean Salad because it has HUGE amounts of flavor, but the ingredients list is surprisingly simple. The hardest part is making the broccoli pesto, but that’s not hard at all! Of course, if you don’t have broccoli, you can make this recipe with a different type of pesto if you’d like (try my kale pesto!). Either way, I know you’ll love this recipe as much as I do! Enjoy!


For more pesto deliciousness, try:

  1. Vegan Pesto Pasta & Chickpea Salad

  2. Pesto Avocado Toast

  3. Pesto Potato Pizza (this one is SO good)

Broccoli Pesto Dense Bean Salad | Well and Full | #vegan #vegetarian #tiktok #recipe

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Broccoli Pesto Dense Bean Salad

Prep your lunches or dinners for the week with this tasty and healthy Broccoli Pesto Dense Bean Salad! It's packed with fiber and protein to keep you full, and tastes better as it marinates in the fridge.
Course Dinner, Lunch, Salad
Prep Time 20 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 311kcal

Ingredients

Dense Bean Salad

  • 1 15 oz Can Chickpeas
  • 1 15 oz Can Cannellini Beans
  • 1 15 oz Can Pinto Beans
  • 2-3 Scallions chopped
  • 1 Cup Fresh Parsley chopped

Broccoli Pesto Dressing

  • 1/2 Cup Broccoli Pesto
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt or more, to taste
  • Black Pepper to taste

Broccoli Pesto

  • 2 Cups Broccoli
  • 1/2 Cup Fresh Basil
  • 4 Cloves Garlic
  • 1/4 Cup Roasted and Salted Sunflower Seeds
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt or more, to taste
  • 1/2 Tsp Fresh-Cracked Black Pepper
  • Red Pepper Flakes to taste, optional
  • 1 Tsp Lemon Zest
  • Juice from 1/2 Lemon or more, to taste
  • 1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions

  • To begin, make the broccoli pesto. First, blanch your broccoli. Add several ice cubes to a large bowl and fill 3/4 of the way with water and set aside. Then, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the broccoli for 1-2 minutes, or until broccoli turns bright green. Once the broccoli is bright green, remove with a slotted spoon and add to the ice water bowl to cool. After about 5 minutes, drain the broccoli and pat dry with a clean towel.
  • Add the blanched broccoli to a food processor with all of the other pesto ingredients and pulse on high until a pesto texture is formed. Let sit for about 5 minutes, then taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
  • After you've made the pesto, make the dressing. Add 1/2 cup of the broccoli pesto, with mustard, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper to a bowl and stir until everything is incorporated. Set aside.
  • Then, rinse the beans. Gently pat the beans with a clean towel to remove any excess moisture.
  • Add the beans to a large bowl, with the chopped scallions and chopped parsley. Add in the pesto dressing, and mix well.
  • Taste, and adjust seasonings to your preference.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • The remainder of the Broccoli Pesto will keep in the fridge or about 4-5 days, or in the freezer for about 2-3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 311kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 636mg | Potassium: 565mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1655IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 153mg | Iron: 6mg

Broccoli Pesto Dense Bean Salad | Well and Full | #vegan #vegetarian #tiktok #recipe

Broccoli Pesto Dense Bean Salad FAQs

What is a dense bean salad?

A dense bean salad is a salad that has beans as the base, usually two or more varieties, combined with vegetables and optional proteins.

Who started the dense bean salad TikTok trend?

Violet Witchel did! She’s the original Dense Bean Salad trend creator. Her recipes can be found on her TikTok.

Is dense bean salad vegetarian?

It can be, but you can also add in proteins of your liking! My Mediterranean Dense Bean Salad and Chipotle Dense Bean Salads are both vegetarian as well.

Is broccoli good for pesto?

It absolutely can be, but you must blanch it first so that it softens. I go over how to do that in my recipe instructions!

Is broccoli pesto vegan?

Yes, my recipe for Broccoli Pesto is vegan! However, if you’d like to add some delicious cheesy flavor, feel free to add 1/4 – 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese to the pesto.

Broccoli Pesto Dense Bean Salad | Well and Full | #vegan #vegetarian #tiktok #recipe

P.S.

For more plant-forward recipes and New England lifestyle inspiration, be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok! If you make a recipe, please tag me in the photo and use the hashtag #wellandfull so I can see! I love seeing your creations!

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Well and Full 2024

Hi friends! I’m Sarah, and welcome to Well and Full. Here, you’ll find seasonal, plant-forward recipes and lifestyle inspiration rooted in New England charm.

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