This Italian Dense Bean Salad went viral on Tik Tok for a reason - it's hearty, nutritious, and absolutely loaded with flavor, with fresh veggies, savory meats, and a vinegar-based dressing.

italian dense bean salad in a serving bow, surrounded by bowls, lemon, and napkin.

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Today, I thought I'd finally write out the recipe for my current hyperfixation food! 😂 This dense bean salad became popular over on Tik Tok a while back, and with good reason - once you try it, you'll crave it constantly.

We’re all about salads in the summer - especially the kind that are easy to prep (like my Rotisserie Chicken Salad) and packed with protein (like this Italian Grinder Salad). This new recipe checks both of those boxes!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

PERFECT LUNCH - This is going to become your go-to lunch. It's fool-proof, doesn't need any meal-time preparation, and is so filling!
NUTRITION POWERHOUSE - Not only are you getting a great serving of veggies, but you're getting a ton of protein and fiber in this recipe. It's a great way to get in those nutrients when you're short on time or energy.
GETS BETTER AS IT SITS - This is one of those recipes that actually gets better the longer it refrigerates! You can make a batch on Sunday night and enjoy it all week.

Ingredients

For the Salad

31 oz canned chickpeas - You will need to drain and rinse both these and the great northern beans really well - enough to remove that thick liquid coating them. This liquid will make your salad get soggy too quickly!
15.5 oz canned great northern beans
2 bell peppers - Go with any color you like here - the more colorful, the better! I like to dice both my bell pepper and red onion into really small (think ½") pieces. I hate getting a huge chunk of pepper or onion in a salad; it should be an accent, not too strong.
½ large red onion
1 cup diced jarred pepperoncini peppers - The jarred kind are going to give your salad the perfect acidity and the perfect bite! Make sure to drain these first.
4 oz jarred julienned sun-dried tomatoes - When you drain these, save the oil; we're going to use that yummy liquid gold for our salad dressing. Make sure to use the julienned variety so your tomato pieces aren't too big.
12 oz marinated mozzarella balls packed in oil - You'll typically find these in the deli section of most grocery stores (near the specialty cheeses). Make sure to drain the oil off before using. I like to chop these up too (maybe 3-4 pieces per mozzarella ball).
4 oz hard salami - I'm starting to sound like a broken record - chop these up! Make sure both the salami and pepperoni are bite-sized.
4 oz pepperoni

For the Dressing

⅓ cup reserved sun-dried tomato oil - This is the oil we reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes. If you don't quite have enough to make ⅓ cup, you can supplement with a little bit of olive oil.
⅓ cup red wine vinegar - I prefer red wine vinegar, but white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and apple cider vinegar are all great as well.
1 tablespoon dijon mustard - This is the emulsifier that is going to make sure all of your dressing elements "stick" together and don't separate in the salad. Very important!
seasonings - In this recipe, we're using 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper.

Additions & Substitutions

Change anything - just keep two things. Seriously, mix it up however you want, but don’t mess with the beans (obviously) and the vinegar. That vinegar dressing base is what keeps everything fresh and tasty all week long.

Here are a few of my favorite additions/varieties of dense bean salad:

Mexican Street Corn Dense Bean Salad: add grilled corn, cilantro, lime juice, queso fresco, red onion, and a protein.
Greek Dense Bean Salad: add kalamata olives, feta cheese, cucumber, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion, and a protein.
Tuscan Dense Bean Salad: add artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, parmesan cheese, and a balsamic dressing.
Buffalo Chicken Dense Bean Salad: add deli buffalo chicken, blue cheese, finely-chopped celery and carrots, and red onion.

You get the picture - there are as many varieties of this salad as you can imagine!

How to Make Italian Dense Bean Salad

colorful salad elements, unmixed, in a large mixing bowl.

mixed dense bean salad in a large mixing bowl.

TOSS SALAD INGREDIENTS. After chopping all salad elements into bite-sized pieces, toss them together in a large (really large) bowl.
MIX THE DRESSING. Add all salad dressing elements to a jar with a lid. Top with lid and shake really well, until all salad dressing elements are combined.
DRESS AND WAIT. Pour salad dressing over the bean salad and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours (trust me - it needs that time to mellow out!).

Step-by-Step Recipe Video

How to Serve

After waiting at least 8 hours to make sure all of those flavors start grooving together, this salad can be served all on its own, without any additional elements. It's also great served...

...in a tortilla. Just add to a large burrito tortilla and wrap.
...over a bed of lettuce for an extra fresh element.
...in a pita.
...in lettuce wraps. Just add a scoop to a large leaf of lettuce and roll up like a burrito.
...as a hearty dip for tortilla or pita chips.

italian dense bean salad in a mixing bowl.

More Useful Tips & Tricks

LEFTOVERS: Make sure to cover any leftovers and store in the fridge. This salad actually gets better the longer it refrigerates! I recommend serving it within 4-5 days of making it.
SERVINGS: There are a ton of servings in this recipe. I can usually get 8-10 each time I make it - perfect if you and your spouse eat it for lunch each day of the week.
This can very easily be converted into a pasta salad - just use 16oz cooked rotini or penne pasta instead of the beans.
I can't emphasize this enough - chop your salad elements into bite-sized pieces! Huge chunks of onion or pepper can ruin the recipe. I like to keep onion and pepper pieces to ½-1", with other elements no large than 1".

More Great Lunch Ideas

I hope you love this each lunch idea! If you give it a try, I'd love to hear what you think - just leave a comment or review below. And make sure to follow along for the latest and greatest from the blog!

Italian Dense Bean Salad

Why You'll Love This Recipe