A tasty complement to any supper or barbecue is this Greek bean salad with tomatoes, feta, olives, and fresh herbs tossed in a Greek-style dressing. With only a few ingredients, it comes together so quickly. Green beans are best when prepared with bright, fresh flavors, although frozen green beans can also be used if that’s all you have. It works nicely as a side dish and, once dressed, the salad keeps up well, making it ideal for lunchboxes, picnics, and potlucks as well. With this green bean salad, you may take a change from the usual lettuce-based salads. It’s a delicious cold salad that goes great with grilled meats like Grilled Steak and Grilled Chicken Kabobs. We love serving it as a side dish with Baked Lemon Chicken or Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs. Additionally, it’s quite simple to double the recipe, making it a fantastic addition to potlucks.
I adore Mediterranean and Greek cuisine. Just have a look at my Greek Salad Pinwheels, Greek Pasta Salad, and Grilled Salmon Salad. Every time, the combination of salty olives, creamy, tangy Feta cheese, and luscious tomatoes wins me over. It is completely addictive since it is so colourful and flavorful.
Table of Contents
Components of a Greek green bean salad
This salad contains a delicious medley of flavors and textures. A traditional lemon salad dressing is tossed with tender, crisp green beans, luscious cherry tomatoes, salty olives, shallots, and creamy, tangy feta. Let’s deconstruct it:
Fresh green beans are generally preferable. Make certain to wash them and, if necessary, cut the ends. If frozen is all you have, you can use it; for more information, consult the recipe notes. Although you are welcome to cut yours into bite-sized pieces, I prefer to keep mine whole.
For this dish, I like to use cherry or grape tomatoes, but you may use any variety you choose. Just cut them up.
Olives: I prefer the traditional Kalamata kind, but any kind works nicely here. You can use the pits or leave them out; obviously, the pits allow for simpler eating. They can be cut in half or left intact.
I adore using shallots in salads. When compared to normal onions, they have a considerably softer and sweeter flavor. Red onions would be a good substitute, in my opinion.
Feta: I adore the tangy, creamy flavor it gives to this salad, but if you prefer a vegan or plant-based option, you may eliminate it.
Fresh herbs: Fresh herbs are a great addition to almost any salad, and I think you’ll enjoy this one because it combines dill and parsley. If you would rather, feel free to substitute other items in their place.
Freshly squeezed lemon juice is always preferred. However, you can also use balsamic, apple cider, or red wine vinegar.
Additional ingredients: You are welcome to include some toasted almonds or Pepitas for extra crunch or even some chopped green peppers or greens like baby kale or spinach for more vegetables.
How is green bean salad made?
This salad is incredibly simple to make and filling, so I’ll make it again and again. The green beans should first be blanched. Green beans are combined with feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced shallots, olives, and herbs. After that, a handmade Greek dressing is drizzled over the salad. There you have it. It can also be made in advance; for details, check the recipe notes below. It only takes a few minutes to prepare.
Servings per recipe: 4
10 minutes to prepare
5 minutes for cooking
Ingredients
To make the Salad
- 1 pound of trimmed and blanched green beans (I leave them whole but feel free to chop them)
- Slice half a pound of grape or cherry tomatoes (feel free to use any type of tomatoes you like)
- Kalamata olives, 1/2 cup
- 1 shallot, minced after peeling
- 14 cups of freshly chopped parsley and dill
- 14 cup crumbled feta
To Dress
Olive oil, 1/4 cup
Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon
Lemon juice, two to three tablespoons
1 peeled and grated garlic clove
pepper and salt as desired
12 teaspoons of maple syrup or honey (optional)
1/4 teaspoon of oregano.
Directions
- Beans should only be cooked for a short time in a large saucepan of lightly salted water before being drained and immediately put into an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. You desire a soft, crisp bite.
- Add to a bowl after draining and drying. To the bowl, add tomatoes, shallots, feta, olives, and fresh herbs.
- Toss the salad thoroughly to incorporate and coat it with the dressing after combining the ingredients.
- Dispense and savor!
Cookbook Notes
- Green beans, feta, shallots, and olives can all be marinated up to 24 hours ahead of time before serving. Just before serving, the tomatoes and herbs should be added. Salad leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. But keep in mind that if you keep the tomatoes any longer, they’ll start to get a touch mushy and soft. The dressing can be prepared up to 5 days in advance and kept in a sealed jar in the refrigerator.
- Frozen green beans usage: Green beans should be blanched or cooked for a bit longer if you intend to use frozen ones to ensure they are sufficiently soft. Additionally, given frozen ones may become slightly flooded.
