Crispy and healthy green bean salad is the perfect side dish.
This green bean salad recipe delivers bright and delicious flavors from crunchy walnuts, creamy feta, and red onions tossed in a tangy vinaigrette!
An Easy Cold Salad!
- Simple prep! Four ingredients for the salad and only three for the dressing means this recipe is ready in less than 20 minutes!
- Super-fast and super fresh cold green bean salad is a colorful addition to any table!
- Adaptable! This recipe has plenty of room for switches and add-ins!
- Serve it picnic-style with cold roast chicken, or pair it with a hearty, homestyle meatloaf.
Ingredients and Variations
Green Beans – Rinse and trim fresh green beans. Cut them in half, if needed. If using frozen or canned, there is no need to blanch them but take a moment to pat them dry with a clean paper towel so they don’t water down the salad. For an extra elegant presentation, look for French green beans which are thinner and have a more intense flavor.
Nuts & Cheese – Almonds, pine nuts, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds can be used in this recipe. Creamy feta cheese adds a salty bite, but you can use blue cheese crumbles or even parmesan cheese, if desired.
Dressing – Lemon juice replaces vinegar here. The flavor of balsamic vinegar is too robust to use, but red wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar are good options. Dijon has a tart flavor, but if you don’t have Dijon, stone ground mustard or honey mustard can be used.
Variations – Chopped sundried tomatoes, halved cherry tomatoes, corn, or sliced radishes will add a pop of color. Cooked and cooled wild rice or quinoa will add more volume and nutrition to green bean salad
A Nutty Idea!
Toast nuts in a dry saute pan before using to keep them extra crunchy and intensify their flavor!
How to Make Green Bean Salad
- Prepare green beans (per recipe below).
- Whisk dressing ingredients in a bowl.
- Marinate green beans in dressing for 30 minutes.
- Top with feta and walnuts before serving. Serve cold.
Tips for Success!
- The green beans in this recipe are blanched, which means they’re boiled for a short time and then plunged into ice water to stop them from cooking. This keeps them fresh and crisp.
- When blanching veggies such as green beans, asparagus, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts, adding baking soda to the boiling water preserves their chlorophyll, keeping them bright green.
Storing Green Bean Salad
Keep green bean salad in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Toss and season with salt and pepper before serving. Freeze small portions in zippered bags for up to one month.
Low Carb Salad Recipes
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Green Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans
- ½ teaspoon baking soda*
- 2 tablespoons red onion finely diced
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
Topping
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup toasted walnuts finely chopped
Instructions
- Trim the ends of the green beans and cut in half. Prepare an ice water bath.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Stir in baking soda and green beans. Cook green beans 4-5 minutes or until tender-crisp. Drain and place in the ice bath.
- In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Drain the beans from the ice bath. Toss the green beans and diced onion into the dressing. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Top with feta and toasted walnuts just before serving.
Notes
- *adding baking soda to the boiling water preserves chlorophyll, keeping the beans bright green.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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