Here's a green bean salad recipe with a Mediterranean twist that can be ready in 20 minutes. Topped with crispy shallots and feta, this salad is packed with a lot of bright flavors. This salad keeps well, so it's fine to make it ahead of time.
If you like bright and flavorful salad recipes, today's recipe is for you! Just like our popular Mediterranean salad and Greek salad, this green bean salad recipe calls for fresh vegetables and is full of flavor thanks to the tasty homemade Dijon dressing!
Table Of Contents:
How to choose green beans
Green beans are sold in packages or, if you're lucky, occasionally you can find them sold in bulk where you can pick them yourself. If you can select individual beans, good green beans are bright green and don't have any brown marks on them. They are also crisp and snap when you bend them.
It's best to use fresh green beans within 7 days of purchasing them. Keep the beans in a container or a reusable plastic bag in the produce drawer of the fridge.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Green beans: I cut the beans into thirds for this salad, but you can also keep them whole. Make sure the beans are bright in color and crisp.
- Shallots: What makes this salad special is the shallot. Sliced and fried shallots are crispy and somewhat sweet, which would balance the flavors.
- Tomatoes: I used cherry tomatoes, but you can use grape tomatoes, or chopped roma tomatoes as well.
- Green onions and mint: For more flavor, we are bringing in the herbs. You can also use chopped parsley or cilantro.
- Walnuts: In addition to bring a bit of crunch to the salad, walnuts are also a good source of healthy fat.
- Kalamata olives: These add such nice flavor to the salad. Make sure they are pitted and halved.
- Feta cheese: It's always best to buy a block of feta and crumble it yourself. This way the feta tastes fresher and the texture is creamier.
- Dijon dressing: You're going to need dijon mustard, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic for this simple yet delicious dressing.
How to cook fresh green beans
Cooking fresh green beans is super simple and can be completed in just 10 minutes. First, bring the water to boil and season with salt. Then, add the green beans and cook for 6 to 8 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, take the green beans out of the boiling water and immediately into a bowl of ice water. This way, the beans stay green and crisp.
Most green beans should cook within 8 minutes. However, if you try the beans after putting them in the ice water and they are still uncooked, put them back into the boiling water and cook for another 2 to 4 minutes. Then place them back in the ice water.
Step by Step Directions
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl mix the Dijon mustard with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Fry the shallots: Heat the olive oil in a pan and, once it's shimmery, fry the shallots until they are golden brown and crispy. Transfer them to a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
- Blanch the green beans: Bring a pot of water to a boil and season with salt. Add the green beans and cook for 8 minutes. Immediately transfer them to a bowl of ice water and let them be in the water for 5 minutes. Drain and dry thoroughly.
- Assemble the salad: Place the green beans in a large shallow bowl and top with the tomatoes, olives, fried shallots, green onions, mint, walnuts, crumbled feta and the Dijon dressing.
Serving suggestion
This salad is perfect for those times when you're looking for a light and easy dinner. You can top it with some Greek grilled chicken, zaatar chicken, Mediterranean turkey meatballs or instant pot chicken breast to turn it into a complete meal.
It's also a delicious side for dishes such as Mediterranean shrimp, baked mahi mahi or pan seared salmon.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can prepare the dressing, cook the green beans and assemble the salad. Pour the dressing over the salad once you're ready to serve.
I don't recommend using raw green beans as they are too crisp and don't taste as good.
I like to use fresh green beans to keep the nice green color. However, you can use canned ones as well.
Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
More delicious salad recipes
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Step-by-Step Recipe
Mediterranean Green Bean Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb green beans trimmed and cut into 3 inch long pieces
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots sliced
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ cup walnuts roughly chopped
- 1 cup kalamata olives pitted
- ½ cup fresh mint
- 2 green onions chopped
Dijon dressing
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ÂĽ teaspoon kosher salt
- ÂĽ tsp black pepper
- 1 lemon juice of
- 1 clove garlic minced
Instructions
- First, make the dressing by mixing the olive oil, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the shallots until golden and somewhat crispy. Remove from the pan and onto a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
- Bring a pot of water to boil and add 1 teaspoon salt to the water. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook for 8 minutes (this is called blanching).
- Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with water and ice and set it aside. After 8 minutes, using a slotted spoon, take the green beans out of the boiling water and place them in the ice water. Let the green beans be in the ice water for 5 minutes, then drain and dry them.
- Place the green beans in a shallow bowl or a platter and top with fried shallots, feta, tomatoes, walnuts, olives, mint and green onion. Drizzle with the dijon dressing and serve.
Video
Notes
- Most green beans should cook within 8 minutes. However, if you try the beans after putting them in the ice water and they are still uncooked, put them back into the boiling water and cook for another 2 to 4 minutes. Then place them back in the ice water.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- You can serve this salad with zaatar chicken, Greek grilled chicken, instant pot chicken breast or pan seared salmon.
- I like using fresh green beans for this recipe because of the color and crispiness, however, you can also use canned green beans.
- To make this salad ahead of time, prepare the dressing, cook the beans, assemble the salad and keep it in the fridge. When you're ready to serve, drizzle with the dressing.
Brandy
I love anything with Feta so I knew I would enjoy this. The salad all together was so good and easy to make. Yum!
Dana
This is a really delicious salad! I love the idea of adding some grilled chicken to make it a full meal and keep dinner easy.
marta mohan
This was delicious. I made following directions except for feta cheese, and I used macadamia nuts rather than walnuts (not crazy about walnuts). The salad dressing is fabulous! I grilled chicken with Greek homemade seasoning. This was a fabulous dinner without too much work. Husband loved it and since there are only 2 of us there are leftovers for lunch (however it was so good there are only leftovers for one, LOL).