Violet Witchel, known as @violet.cooks on TikTok, is all about the beans. The recipe developer has become known for her dense bean salad recipes, each earning thousands—if not millions—of views. In fact, one version of Witchel’s signature dish featuring sundried tomatoes had racked up around 8.4 million views at the time of writing.
The concept of a dense bean salad is simple: instead of leaves, the dish features a bean base made up of multiple different types of the legume, alongside dressing and some form of protein. Some of Witchel’s most popular recipes include beans with spicy chicken and feta and a vegan-friendly version of the dish with edamame and white beans.
Bean salads are versatile, delicious, and easy to whip up. Below, we’ve picked out a few tasty plant-based versions, perfect for the next time you’re craving a nutritious lunch.
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What do beans do for your body?
Witchel’s salads are a hit not just because they’re tasty, but also because they’re good for our insides. Under one TikTok video, one user commented: “Girl your dense bean salad recipes have no lie changed my life, my poops are impeccable. Thanks, queen.” And there’s a reason for that: fiber.
Research suggests that 95 percent of Americans aren’t getting enough fiber, but the nutrient is essential for a healthy digestive system. It helps to add bulk to the stool, keeps us regular, and feeds the good bacteria in our guts. “An optimal amount of fiber daily is 25 to 35 grams a day,” Carmen Fong, MD, FACS, who is the author of the upcoming book Constipation Nation: What to Know When You Can’t Go, recently told VegNews.
@violet.cooks
Beans are one of the best sources of dietary fiber we can get. Half a cup of white beans, for example, can contain up to nine grams of fiber, while kidney beans contain up to seven grams for the same amount and shelled edamame beans contain up to five grams. Mix them all together in a dense bean salad and you’ve hit over 20 grams of fiber already.
That said, if you’re not used to eating a lot of fiber, it’s important to work up to a dense bean salad a day. “I usually counsel people who are fiber-naive to start slow, with 10 grams a day then add another five grams in the form of a supplement every week so that they don’t get bloated from not being used to digesting all that fiber,” says Fong.
It’s worth the journey though. Studies show that looking after our digestive systems with fiber can reduce our risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and bowel cancer. In 2019, one study commissioned by the World Health Organization found that for every eight-gram increase in dietary fiber eaten each day, the number of deaths and cases of diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and colorectal cancer decreased by five percent to 27 percent.
“Fiber is important for keeping us regular as most of us know, but it’s also the foundation for a healthy gut. A healthy gut leads to less acute and chronic inflammation, both in the gut and throughout the body.” —Nichole Dandrea-Russert, MS, RDN, and author of ‘The Fiber Effect,’ told VegNews
But beans also offer us more than just fiber. They’re also a source of important vitamins and minerals, like folate, vitamin B6, and thiamin, as well as antioxidants that, research suggests, help to reduce harmful free radical cell damage in the body. For proof of their health benefits, just look to the world’s Blue Zones, which are areas where people seem to live longer, healthier lives than those in the West.
“In every Blue Zone I have visited, beans and other legumes were—and still are—a major component of the daily diet,” author, explorer, and Blue Zone expert Dan Buettner once told CNN.
How to make a plant-based dense bean salad
Some of Witchel’s dense bean salads are easy to make plant-based, but others do contain ingredients like chicken, cheese, and deli meat. It’s worth noting that unlike beans, processed meats like deli meats are linked with poor digestive health. Because of their link with colon cancer, the World Health Organization has classified processed meats as a Group One carcinogen.
But deli meat is not necessary for a delicious dense bean salad. Below, we’ve picked out a few different ways to pack in the beans, all of which are delicious and plant-based.
Cookie and Kate
1 Mediterranean Bean Salad
This fresh, bright Mediterranean-inspired bean salad recipe from Cookie and Kate is packed with nutrient-dense ingredients, including kidney beans, chickpeas, crispy cucumber, celery, and red onions. It’s “perfect for spring picnics, summer potlucks, and cozy fall get-togethers,” says recipe developer Kathryne Taylor, who labeled it a “crowd-pleasing” dish that is not just vegan, but also gluten-free.
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Green Bowl 2 Soul
2 Middle Eastern Bean Salad
Of course, Witchel didn’t invent bean salads. The concept has likely been around for centuries, and in the Middle East, the dish is known as balela. Make it for yourself by following this tasty recipe from Green Bowl 2 Soul, which features nourishing ingredients like chickpeas, kidney beans, Persian cucumber, and fresh parsley. “During summer in Dubai, we often enjoy this hearty bean salad as a meal,” says recipe creator Vandana Chauhan. She notes you can serve it with toasted pita bread, roasted vegetables, and hummus, or if you prefer, it’s also delicious wrapped up in some pita bread or lettuce.
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Cupful of Kale
3 Herby Mixed Bean Salad
Packed with pinto beans, kidney beans, black-eyed beans, and cannellini beans, this salad recipe from Cupful of Kale is fiber-rich. It’s also full of flavor, thanks to the delicious homemade dressing made with a mix of ingredients like herbs, maple syrup, and lemon zest. “We’ve got texture and flavor in this mixed bean salad,” says recipe creator Tamsin Musgrave. “Cucumber for crunch and freshness, red onion for acidity, sun-dried tomatoes for bursts of umami flavor, and herbs for loaded flavor.”
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I Love Vegan
4 Tex-Mex Three-Bean Potato Salad
This tasty Tex-Mex dish mixes two salad favorites: three-bean and potato, with delicious results. For added flavor and texture, it also features crunchy bell peppers, grilled corn, roasted potatoes, and a zesty cumin-lime vinaigrette dressing. “If you’re vegan and bringing this to a potluck, you’re officially saved from going home hungry,” notes I Love Vegan.
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The First Mess
5 Tangy Four Bean Salad With Rosemary & Roasted Peppers
Rosemary and roasted peppers take this tangy, flavor-laden bean salad to the next level. “This recipe keeps some of that traditional sweet and sour flavor with a couple of spoonfuls of agave nectar and red wine vinegar,” explains recipe developer Laura Wright. “The olive oil for the vinaigrette dressing is quickly infused with rosemary, garlic, and a hint of chili on the stovetop. Fresh green and yellow beans are used as the base for the perfect texture.”
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England’s southern coast.
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