Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: You’ll never look at green beans again without thinking of this spectacular Mediterranean style green bean salad. It’s the perfect way to showcase summer green beans!
How long it takes: 25 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: saucepan, bowls
Servings: 6
Bean salad, yawn….Big deal, huh? Usually a bunch of cold canned beans with a sour vinegar dressing, it may be called three-bean salad, or five-bean salad or whatever. It’s often a cafeteria main-stay, because it keeps forever. Or maybe it lasts forever because nobody eats it.
Well, wake up! This salad is a far cry from the usual. With eye-popping flavor, Mediterranean green bean salad is so fantastic, you’ll want to eat it every day.
The Best Bean salad
Picture perfect! Imagine crisp, bright green beans, briny burgundy-colored kalamata olives, flavor-packed sun-dried tomatoes, and crunchy toasted walnuts. Pretty great so far, right? Now add to the picture a perfectly balanced, garlicky, lemony vinaigrette, with flecks of fresh oregano. Hungry yet? I know I am.
Versatile. Serve this salad at room temperature or chilled. It’s good warm, too. It goes perfectly with grilled salmon or chicken, or a great steak! I served it with classic spaghetti last weekend, along with toasty garlic bread, and it was totally yum. The salad is easy to bring to get-togethers, too, and everyone seems to love it.
Make it your own. This bean salad recipe is easy to change up. There are many ways to vary the ingredients to keep the salad fresh and exciting. Keep reading for ideas. Without any more delay, here we go!
Ingredient Notes
- Green Beans (Haricot Vert): Buy slender green beans, as fresh as possible. A mix of yellow (wax) and green beans is delicious and pretty, too. Harvest a handful of each from your garden, if you’re lucky enough to have them.
- Kalamata Olives: Other types of olives would be okay, too, but we really love the flavor of kalamata.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Buy a bag of sun-dried tomatoes; they’re usually found in the produce section of your grocery store. If you can only find oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, pat them with paper towels to remove the excess oil.
- Walnuts: Toast them lightly to really bring out the nutty flavor. If you have a nut-free household like me, simply omit them. There’s plenty of flavor in this dish!
- Lemon Zest: Sprinkle the zest on the beans or mix it in the dressing.
- Homemade Oil and Vinegar Dressing: This simple dressing is made with wholesome ingredients: Olive Oil, Minced Garlic, Fresh Oregano, Red Wine Vinegar, seasoned with Salt and Pepper.
How To Prep Green Beans
Sort the beans first, discarding discolored, soft, or overlarge beans. With your fingertips or a paring knife, snap off the stem end of the bean. There’s no need to remove the tip from the other end of the bean. Green beans can be left whole, cut into bite-sized pieces, or French cut (sliced lengthwise). Always wash beans with lots of cold water.
How To Make Mediterranean Bean Salad
Prep and blanch the beans. Bring water to a boil, put the beans in for a brief stint, just four or five minutes, drain, and plunge into ice water. They’ll turn a lovely bright green, crisp yet tender. Pat them dry.
Toast the walnuts in a skillet, microwave, or oven. I think the microwave is easiest. Simply spread the walnuts on a plate, and microwave in 1-minute increments, stirring, until they’re fragrant and lightly toasted.
Prepare the vinaigrette. Mince the garlic and fresh oregano, add it to the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. I like to put it all in a little jar with a tight fitting lid so I can just shake it up.
Combine. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the beans and toss to coat.
Presentation Tip
If you want to make it extra impressive, arrange the green beans on a platter so they’re all going in the same direction. Looks pretty, and it’s simple to do.
Add toppings. Top with the olives, sun dried tomatoes, and walnuts, and sprinkle with lemon zest. Isn’t it so pretty?
Serve. The bean salad can be served right away, or you can refrigerate it until you’re ready. If it’s going to be a little while, reserve the walnuts and sprinkle those on the salad right before serving.
Recipe Variations
- Not a fan of walnuts? Simply omit them or replace with pistachios or toasted almonds.
- Add fresh grape tomatoes (sliced or halved) to the platter with the green beans before drizzling with vinaigrette.
- Use your favorite variety of olives or omit them.
- Add cheese: Top the salad with feta cheese or goat cheese.
- Substitute balsamic vinegar for the red wine vinegar.
- Replace the green beans with another vegetable of your choice. The toppings and vinaigrette taste great on almost any vegetable.
- Looking for another salad? Try my classic spinach salad with warm bacon dressing or gazpacho salad with homemade croutons. A panzanella salad is always a hit, too.
Get a head start. Blanch the green beans, arrange them on a platter, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to one day or overnight. Prepare vinaigrette and refrigerate. Toast walnuts, cool completely, and store in covered container.
If you have leftover salad, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. The marinated beans will discolor slightly because of the vinegar but the salad will taste great.
Make a pasta salad. Mix leftover salad with cooked, cooled pasta. Add feta cheese if desired.
Free Meal Plan
Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at Meal Plan #76. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. We add a new meal plan weekly.
More Green Bean Recipes
Mediterranean Green Bean Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 lb. green beans (see note)
- ½ cup kalamata olives, sliced in half
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
- ⅓ cup toasted walnuts
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
- Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Fill a large bowl with cold water and a few scoops of ice, set aside.
- Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until tender but still crispy; drain. Immediately plunge the green beans into the ice water bath. Allow the beans to chill for 5 minutes, drain well and pat dry.1 lb. green beans
- In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the dressing ingredients: olive oil, garlic, oregano, vinegar, salt, and pepper.3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- Arrange the green beans on a serving platter. Drizzle with the dressing then top with the olives, sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, and lemon zest. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.½ cup kalamata olives, sliced in half, ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, ⅓ cup toasted walnuts, 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Notes
- Green beans: The best choice for this salad are pencil thin, small green beans (French: haricot verts). If available, I often use a mixture of yellow wax beans and green beans. If the beans are larger cook them a bit longer until they reach the desired tenderness.
- Recipe variations: Omit the walnuts, or replace with pistachios or toasted almonds. Add fresh sliced or halved small tomatoes to the platter with the green beans, before drizzling with vinaigrette. Top salad with feta cheese or shaved Parmesan, if desired.
- Make Ahead: Blanch the green beans, arrange them on a platter, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to one day or overnight. Prepare vinaigrette and refrigerate. Toast walnuts, cool completely, and store in covered container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Great taste, very easy perfect on a hot summer day.
Thanks so much!