Summer Dense Bean Salad with Mint Vinaigrette
The most delicious and nutrient dense salad made with all of your favorite summer vegetables. Sweet corn, cucumbers, radishes, and pinto beans – yum!
I love adding beans to a salad dish! It makes the salad more filling and it’s an excellent source for protein. If you want to try out more bean salads, check out my marinated bean ceviche recipe.
What is dense bean salad?
The term “dense bean salad” was popularized by the creator Violet Witchel, @violet.cooks, and it refers to a marinated salad with a variety of ingredients and beans. These salads are usually marinated in a sauce that can be refrigerated and eaten over the week. I’ve been a long time follower of Violet and love her content. If you have a moment definitely check her out!
Key ingredients & substitutions for a summer dense bean salad
This version of the dense bean salad is full of my favorite summer ingredients. It’s the perfect tangy and fresh salad for a summer bbq or afternoon picnic.
- english cucumbers – I love using english cucumbers because of their crunch but you can substitute for other variations of cucumbers
- radishes – I like to use a variety of colors to make the dish more colorful
- sweet corn – this recipe roasts the corn in a light sweet paprika mixture (optional)
- pinto beans – you can use any choice of beans
- honey – for an added sweetness to the dressing. If vegan you can substitute for maple syrup.
Ingredients
- 2 sweet corn
- 1 cup diced english cucumbers
- 1 cup diced radishes
- 16 oz canned pinto beans see notes above for substitution
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 lemon
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves
- ½ bulb whole garlic
- 1 tbsp honey see notes above for substitution
Instructions
- Roast the corn and garlic bulb. Preheat the oven to 400℉. Shuck the corn and remove all of the leaves and silk from the corn. Cut the whole garlic bulb in half horizontal so the cloves are sliced in half. In a small bowl, mix together 2 tbsp of olive oil, paprika, and garlic powder. Coat the corn in the olive oil mixture and wrap tightly with aluminum foil. Coat half of the garlic clove in the rest of the mixture and place it on the baking tray along with the wrap corn. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Prep the vegetables. Dice the cucumber and radishes into the same size. Drain and rinse the pinto beans. After the corn is roasted, let it cool for 5-10 minutes before removing the corn off the cob. I prefer to lay the corn flat on a cutting board and cutting straight down to get rows of corn.
- Make the mint vinaigrette. In a blender, add the mint, lemon juice, honey, and roasted garlic, and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Blend until it is well combined.
- Mix everything together. Combine all of the vegetables and the vinaigrette together. Optional: sprinkle on top a little bit more sweet paprika. Serve immediately or let it chill in the fridge for 15 minutes, letting the flavors marinate for a little in the sauce.
