If you ’ve never try out repast - prepping , this hearty salad " formula " might inspire you to start .
Many people, including myself, consider meal prepping a lofty ambition reserved for the ultra-organized — but forViolet Witchel, it’s a prerequisite for a balanced lifestyle. Nearly every week, this viral food influencer updates her followers on what meals she has prepped in the fridge for the days ahead. One meal prep item she became known for this year is her mega-populardense bean salad, aka the “DBS.”
Earlier this year, Violet shot into the food influencer limelight with her antipasto-inspired, sun-dried tomato DBS video, which has 8.5 million views onTikTokalone.
With over 93 million likes onTikTokand over 83,000 subscribers to herSubstack, people clearly love her make-it-ahead culinary content.
Her salad-making tutorials have received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Recently, lifestyle influencerAmanda Rollinsposted on TikTok from her kitchen, saying, “To the girl who came up with the dense bean salad idea,I owe you my life… this is my favorite thing in the entire world.”
The dense bean salad has become one of 2024’s hottest FoodTok trends — clearly, for good reason. This make-ahead, fridge-friendly salad formula is loaded with plant-based protein (yes, beans!) and a mix of nutritious, hearty ingredients like fresh vegetables and meats. Violet dubbed these salads “dense” because they are filling and designed to keep you energized for hours, unlike greens-based salads that often leave you unsatisfied.
In a conversation with Violet, she told BuzzFeed that her meal-prepping routine “makes it really easy for [her] to be consistent in [her] diet.”
So, now you know why so much of the internet is obsessed with them, but what exactly goes into a DBS? Violet shared her formula for her salads with us: “The bean salad blueprint typically consists of two types of beans to mix up the color and texture, a vinegar-based dressing, an herb, a crunchy vegetable, a cheese, a softer vegetable, and a pickled, fermented, or canned element.”
Take her Buffalo Chicken DBS, for example. She adds buffalo sauce-marinated chicken to a cannellini bean and chickpea base and complements them with fresh flavors using grilled corn, chopped radishes, and cilantro and tosses it all together with a rice vinegar dressing and jack cheese.
Applying the “DBS formula'” to this recipe shows how simple meal prepping can be when you have a plan. Just choose an ingredient you enjoy for each category, add extra protein as needed, and experiment with different seasonings.
Although dense bean salads are trending in 2024, they’re by no means “new.” Legumes have been a staple in many global cuisines for centuries, serving as a vital source of nutrients and protein.
Inspired by the past and present of bean salads, I raided my fridge and pantry to create my version of the DBS using Violet’s formula as a guide.
Here are all the components I chose to build my Fall-Feelies DBS and a full list of ingredients:
**A quick note: if you’re looking to maximize savings with your meal prep, buy dried beans and soak them yourself!
And, here are the step-by-step instructions to make the “fall-feelies” DBS yourself:
Once your squash is in the oven, roast and prep your corn!
Next: Make this simple apple cider vinaigrette!
And just like that, it’s time to assemble!
It’s best served (in my opinion) with sauerkraut and chopped pear. Violet often eats her DBSs in a tortilla wrap, so that’s worth a try, too!
Finally, I have a use for myextensivepeanut butter and jam jar collection! I portioned the bean salad into four jars and a deli-quart container for roughly six servings to eat throughout the week.
