This easy Green Bean Salad is my favorite way to use up a haul of fresh string beans from the farmer’s market! It’s a fresh summer side dish with tender blanched green beans, sweet and juicy grape tomatoes, and creamy feta. Have this salad on the table in less than 30 minutes!
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Why You’ll Love This Green Bean Salad Recipe
- Great flavor and texture. This green bean salad has it all: snappy, tender-crisp green beans, sweet grape tomatoes, zesty feta cheese, and a simple (but flavorful) dressing.
- Quick and easy. This salad is an easy side dish that’s ready in about 30 minutes. Blanch the beans, mix the dressing, and throw it together. It’s one of my go-to last-minute salads when we have friends over since I always have a fridge stocked with green beans in the summer.
- Versatile. I make this salad often in the summertime because it goes with just about any meal. It’s a great side salad to bring to a BBQ or you can enjoy it as a light lunch or dinner.
If you have some leftover green beans, use them to make Green Bean Casserole or Green Beans and Bacon.
Ingredients Needed
I love the crunch and freshness of green beans this time of year. Here’s what you need to make this delicious green bean salad with feta. Scroll to the recipe card for a printable list with the full recipe amounts.
- Fresh Green Beans: The fresher the better for this recipe. I don’t recommend using frozen or canned beans here. They won’t be crunchy!
- Olive Oil: Choose a nice quality olive oil as the base for your dressing. Avocado oil is another good option.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Every good dressing needs some acidity to brighten it up! I like the sweetness of cider vinegar, but you can also use white or red wine vinegar, distilled white vinegar, or balsamic. Lemon juice also works well in a pinch.
- Cherry or Grape Tomatoes: These tomatoes are deliciously sweet and they don’t weigh down the salad with extra moisture.
- Fresh Parsley: I love adding fresh chopped parsley to my string bean salad. I suggest using a different fresh herb (like chives or basil) over any dried substitute.
- Feta Cheese: Feta is creamy, tangy, and so delicious! Another option is to use goat cheese or freshly grated parmesan.
How to Blanche Green Beans for Salad
Before tossing everything together for this salad, I blanch the green beans to take the raw edge off. Blanching is very quick and easy, and all you need is a pot of boiling water and an ice bath.
To blanch green beans, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the beans and simmer for 3-5 minutes until they’re bright green and tender-crisp. Right away, strain the beans and transfer them to a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking. Strain again, and your freshly blanched green beans are ready to use!
How to Make Green Bean Salad
It just takes a few simple steps to make this salad, so let’s get started. Follow along here, and scroll down to the recipe card for printable instructions.
- First, you’ll blanch the green beans in boiling water (see above). Don’t forget the ice bath! Add the blanched green beans, grape tomatoes, and parsley to a big bowl and toss with chopped parsley.
- Next, make the dressing. Add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper to a mason jar. Then put the lid on and give it a good shake. Pour the dressing over the green bean mixture and toss to coat.
- Add feta. Sprinkle the feta into the salad and gently toss to mix everything together. If you’d like, add more feta or fresh parsley for garnish.
Chef’s Tips and Variations
- Don’t skip the blanching. Blanching the green beans is important for the fresh, crisp texture of the salad. A couple of minutes is all it takes. Be careful not to boil the beans too long, or they’ll become soft.
- Use a combination of beans. Use a mix of green and yellow string beans for more color. You can also bulk up this green bean salad with canned beans, like kidney beans or chickpeas, to make something similar to a three bean salad. Remember to drain and rinse canned beans well beforehand.
- Add protein. Sprinkle over some cooked crumbled bacon right before serving.
- Add crunch. I love tossing in some chopped walnuts, pecans, or slivered almonds for extra crunch.
- Make-ahead. Prepare this green bean salad up to a day in advance and keep it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. Give it a fresh toss, and enjoy.
Serving Suggestions
This crisp and creamy green bean salad recipe goes with so many of my favorite summer dishes! We’ll fire up the grill and serve this salad alongside steak kabobs or grilled honey mustard chicken with rosemary. It’s also easy to take along on picnics as a side to cucumber sandwiches, washed down with refreshing watermelon lemonade. Or, I’ll pair this salad with more easy-to-make vegetable sides like corn on the cob and air fryer aspargus. It’s the perfect summer side dish!
How to Store the Leftovers
This salad is best served fresh, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just give it a good toss again before serving.
More Summer Salad Recipes
- Greek Salad
- Watermelon Feta Salad with Mint
- Creamy Grape Salad
- Loaded Pea Salad
- Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Green Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh green beans, with the stems cut off
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 10 oz grape or cherry tomatoes, each cut in half
- 2 tablespoons freshly minced parsley
- 8 ounces feta cheese, freshly crumbled
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Instructions
- In a large pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add the green beans and boil for 3 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare a large bowl of ice water and when the green beans are done, strain them and immediately place them right into the ice water to stop them from cooking anymore.
- Drain them from the ice water and place them in a large bowl. Add the grape tomatoes and parsley to the bowl of green beans then toss to combine.
- Pour the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper into a medium jar then seal the jar and shake vigorously to combine.
- Pour in the dressing into the green beans and then toss again to combine. Then gently toss in the feta, until just combined.
- Serve immediately with additional feta crumbles, for garnish, if desired.
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