This Three Bean Chopped Cobb Salad is a hearty, satisfying high protein salad that skips the lettuce and uses three cans of beans as the base instead. White beans, chickpeas, and kidney beans are tossed with crispy bacon, hard boiled eggs, creamy avocado, cherry tomatoes, and goat cheese in a homemade honey mustard dressing for a salad that is filling enough to be a complete meal.
It is ready in under 20 minutes with no cooking required aside from the bacon and eggs and is perfect for meal prep, potlucks, or a quick weeknight dinner! Looking for another dish with beans? Try this Honey Mustard Three Bean Salad.
Lunch Meal Prep
Great for Potlucks
Quick Look: three bean cobb salad
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 👩🍳 Cook Time: 10 minutes
- 🕖 Total Time: 20 minutes
- 🥗 Servings: 6 servings
- ⚡️ Calories: 284 calories per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cooking Method: Cook bacon and eggs and then mix everything together
- 🛒 Main Ingredients: Three Types of Beans, Bacon, Eggs
- ⭐️ Difficulty: Easy; can be made ahead of time!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Packed with protein – Three types of beans, eggs, and bacon make this one hearty meal that will be sure to keep you full.
- Homemade honey mustard dressing – If you are a honey mustard fan, you will love this homemade version!
- Great for making ahead – It is a perfect meal prep option. Make ahead and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
For another tasty and filling salad to try for lunch, check out this Chicken Caprese Salad.
What is a Cobb salad?
A classic Cobb salad is an American salad made with rows of toppings including chicken, bacon, hard boiled eggs, avocado, tomatoes, and blue cheese over a bed of lettuce. This recipe puts a fun twist on the classic by swapping the lettuce and chicken for three types of beans, making it higher in fiber and plant-based protein while keeping all those classic Cobb toppings everyone loves.
Why are dense bean salads so popular?
Dense bean salads have taken over social media because they are incredibly filling, high in fiber and protein, easy to meal prep, and taste even better the next day as the beans absorb the dressing. This version takes the concept and adds all the classic Cobb salad toppings for a more elevated and satisfying result.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s a quick look at the ingredients you need to make this delicious Three Bean Cobb Salad. For a full list of ingredients, see the full recipe.
- Bacon – cook until crispy (if you only have standard bacon, cook 6 strips)
- Hard boiled eggs – eggs add a nice extra punch of protein to this dish
- White beans, Garbanzo Beans, Red Kidney Beans – all three should be drained and rinsed before adding to the bowl
- Cucumbers – I like using english or persian cucumber for the smaller seeds
- Cherry tomatoes – adds a nice sweet and tangy touch to this salad
- Avocado – if you are making this salad for meal prep, wait to add avocado in until you are ready to eat
- Goat cheese – adds a nice creamy punch. you can use feta or crumbled blue cheese instead for a more classic cobb salad flavor profile
- Mayonnaise – the creamy portion of the honey mustard dressing
- Honey – adds the sweetness to the honey mustard
- Yellow mustard and Dijon mustard – the base of the honey mustard dressing
Want to try another delicious summer salad? Try this Mediterranean Shrimp Salad.
How to make This Three bean chopped cobb salad
Step 1: Chop bacon and hard boiled eggs into bite sized pieces and pour into a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Pour three types of beans, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, avocado, goat cheese and chives into the bowl.
Step 3: In a separate small bowl or pitcher whisk together honey mustard dressing ingredients
Step 4: Pour dressing over the ingredients and toss to combine. Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator, toss to refresh and serve chilled*.
*Unlike a traditional lettuce salad the beans will not wilt when dressed. In fact, the beans absorb the dressing as they sit and the flavors come together even more. It is a great salad to make ahead for meal prep. Just add the avocado right before serving so it stays fresh and green.
Mad’s Expert Tips for the Best Three bean chopped cobb salad 🥗
- Add the avocado right before serving. Everything else in this salad holds up well in the fridge for days, but avocado will brown. Stir it in right before eating for the best color and flavor.
- Let it marinate before serving. If you have time, let the salad sit in the dressing for at least 20-30 minutes before eating. The beans absorb the dressing and the flavors come together beautifully.
- Use thick cut bacon. Thick cut bacon stays crispier in the salad and gives you bigger, more satisfying bites. Standard thin bacon can get lost among all the other ingredients.
- Drain and rinse the beans really well. Give the canned beans a thorough rinse under cold water. This removes the canning liquid which can make the salad taste starchy and flat.
For another salad with beans, try this White Bean Grinder Salad.
Recipe FAQs
What is a dense bean salad?
A dense bean salad is a no-lettuce salad that uses canned beans as the base instead of greens. It is high in fiber and protein, holds up well in the fridge for several days, and actually tastes better after sitting in the dressing. It became very popular on social media as a filling and easy meal prep option.
Can I make this salad ahead of time?
Yes! This salad is perfect for meal prep. Make everything except the avocado up to 3 days ahead and store in the fridge. Add the avocado right before serving.
Can I use a different dressing?
Yes! The homemade honey mustard dressing in this recipe works great but you can also use a store bought red wine vinaigrette or balsamic dressing. Ranch also works well with the classic Cobb flavor profile.
Storage
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Other delicious recipes with beans
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Three Bean Chopped Cobb Salad (High Protein, No Lettuce)
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 4 strips thick cut bacon – cooked until crispy if you only have standard bacon cook 6 strips
- 4 hard boiled eggs – peeled
- 1 15oz can white beans – drained and rinsed
- 1 15oz can garbanzo beans – drained and rinsed
- 1 15oz can red kidney beans – drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups diced cucumbers – I like using english or persian cucumber for the smaller seeds
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes – cut into quarters
- 1 ripe avocado – peeled and cubed
- ½ cup crumbled goat cheese
- ¼ freshly chopped chives
Honey Mustard Dressing
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp freshly cracked pepper
Instructions
- Chop bacon and hard boiled eggs into bite sized pieces and pour into a large mixing bowl.
- Pour three types of beans, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, avocado, goat cheese and chives into the bowl.
- In a separate small bowl or pitcher whisk together the mayonnaise, honey, yellow mustard, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and cracked pepper.
- Pour dressing over the ingredients in the bowl and toss everything to combine completely.
- Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator, toss to refresh and serve chilled.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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