This green bean salad gets a pop of sweetness from tomatoes and a salty bite from feta cheese. It is just the ticket if you're looking for easy summer salads you can make in a hurry. Ready in about 10 minutes.
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Ah summer. Summer means spontaneity. And that can mean putting together a side dish on short notice with whatever you have in the fridge. It happened to me. I had green beans, tomatoes, and feta. I know...green bean salad!
And listen, it's summer and we have NO time for blanching green beans. We've got to put two dishes together and assemble a picnic basket of nibbles in less than an hour. Green beans can certainly be eaten raw. So there.
Isn't having raw veggies kind of the point of salad? And isn't the point of salad to not have to cook?
We're going to sneak some feta into the salad dressing, as well as crumble it on top, so we have that salty, creamy goodness coating all the green beans. Yum!
Jump to:
Make this green bean salad for a quick and flavorful side dish!
- Only 7 ingredients!
- NO BLANCHING! We're keeping the green beans raw to give the salad extra freshness and crunch!
- Tomatoes love feta and feta loves tomatoes! That combo gives our salad a big punch of flavor!
- Ready in 10 minutes!
- It's gluten free!
Ingredients you'll need
You only need 7 ingredients—including the dressing!—for this green bean salad. You'll get so much flavor from the tomatoes and feta, you don't need much else!
- Green beans: I used haricots verts, otherwise known as the skinny French green beans. I think this salad would work fine with regular raw green beans, but you would probably want to cut them into smaller pieces.
- Tomatoes: Use cherry tomatoes of any color or grape tomatoes. Larger tomatoes are too juicy.
- Feta: Sheep's milk or cow's milk will both work fine.
- Fresh mint: I love love love fresh mint in a salad. If you don't like it so much, you can substitute basil.
- Olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, kosher salt: That's all you need for the dressing. If you don't have white balsamic, sub white wine vinegar.
How to make this easy green bean salad
Step 1: Slice the raw green beans
Cut green beans into 1-inch pieces.
Step 2: Slice the tomatoes
Slice tomatoes in half or quarters depending upon size.
Step 3: Make the feta salad dressing
To make the dressing, mix olive oil, vinegar, a little bit of the feta, and a pinch of kosher salt and cracked black pepper. (I like to put this in a small container with a lid and just shake the dickens out of it to combine.)
Step 4: Assemble the salad and chill
Pour the feta dressing over the green beans and toss to combine. Store in fridge for about ½ hour to let beans absorb the flavor of the dressing if you have time. If not, just dress and go!
Remove green beans from fridge, add tomatoes, more feta and mint and toss the salad to combine. Garnish with additional fresh mint leaves and serve.
Substitutions
- If you don't like mint, you can substitute basil, parsley, dill, tarragon, or any soft herb that you like.
- Can't find haricots verts? Use regular green beans, just cut them smaller.
- White wine or red wine vinegar can be substituted in the salad dressing in place of white balsamic.
What to serve with a green bean salad
A green bean salad is a great side dish with grilled meats.
- These Grilled Beef Short Ribs with Quick Pickles cook super fast and have a bit of spice.
- Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri Sauce will bring the flavors of South America to your table.
- This salad would be the perfect side dish with Turkey Burgers or Slow Cooker Pulled Pork.
More summer salad recipes
- This Strawberry Arugula Salad with Basil and Mint is like summer on a plate.
- Keep showcasing that tomato-mint combo by making a Nectarine Salad with Tomatoes and Herbs.
- A light and bright Shrimp Salad with Romaine, Cherry Peppers, and Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette is perfect as a lighter main course.
Recipe
Green Bean Salad with Tomatoes, Feta, and Mint
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb green beans preferably French-style haricots verts
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes any small, sweet summer tomatoes will work
- ⅔ cup feta cheese
- 2 tablespoon fresh mint
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 2 ½ tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
- kosher salt to taste
- cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut green beans into 1-inch pieces, and slice tomatoes into halves or quarters, depending on size.
- To make the dressing, mix olive oil, vinegar and a pinch of kosher salt and cracked black pepper. (I like to put this in a small plastic container with a lid and just shake the dickens out of it to combine. But whisking works too.)
- Pour dressing over beans and toss to combine. Store in fridge for about ½ hour to let beans absorb the flavor of the dressing.
- Remove from fridge, add tomatoes, feta and mint and toss to combine. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and serve.
Notes
- For this no-cook green bean salad recipe, I used haricots verts, the skinny, French-style green beans. You could probably also use regular green beans, but you'll need to cut them into smaller pieces.
- I always make my salad dressings at home. To emulsify them, I usually shake them up in an airtight container with a lid. Oddly - for me anyway because I do not have kids - glass baby food storage jars with lids work well for this task.
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