If you thought green beans were boring, you’ve never met this version. These Green Beans with Pomegranate Seeds and Pistachio Crunch pair with a creamy whipped feta to a beautiful plate.
At one point this past winter, I hosted a dairy sheva brachos. There were lots of Between Carpools favorites on the menu, including this Romaine, Apple and Fennel Salad, these Bruschetta, Summer Rolls, and much more of our favorite dairy and fish dishes from Dinner Done and Dinner Done 2.
Of course, every menu needs a few new items (guests are the best guinea pigs–it’s great to get the range of opinions beyond my immediate family so I know what’s BCP-worthy). That evening, the “new” hit of the night were these green beans (and the Branzino! Maybe we’ll save that for sometime this summer).
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting that. They’re just green beans, after all. Sure, they were pretty, and pretty is important, but I didn’t expect them to receive the reviews that they did.
But, yet, they were finished nonetheless (on the ladies table at least! I’m not sure if the men even tasted them).
So, here we are. It’s time to make the green beans again, this time for you. The best part of the recipe is that all (as in ALL) of the components can be made ahead of time and all you need to do fresh is assemble the dish.
The whipped feta can be made at least 4-5 days ahead. Whenever I make any whipped cheese components, I prepare them the week they’ll be served, but in the beginning of the week (so, this year it’ll be Sunday or Monday for a Friday meal).
Start by adding 8 ounces of feta cheese (regular, not light) to a blender.
Add ¾ cup Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 2 garlic cloves. Blend to combine. For a looser consistency, use a full 1 cup of Greek yogurt.
If you’re making this ahead, you can store in a piping bag like we do in this post until you’re ready to assemble the dish to be able to plate it neatly. If you’re serving immediately, spread it on your serving platter.
The green beans were also made ahead, but only a few hours or up to 24 hours. These green beans are actually better when you make them ahead and the dressing has a chance to soak into the green beans (don’t worry if they don’t seem salty enough to you–the final dish gets more saltiness from the feta and bagel spice). Keep them in a container in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble, then add them in a pile on top of the feta.
Add the pomegranate seeds.
And the pistachio crunch (this can be made a few days ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature).
Make one large platter or smaller platters for each table. Either way, it will be that beautiful dish that will make all of your guests form entirely new opinions about green beans.
Feta Green Beans with Pomegranate and Pistachio Crunch
Ingredients
Green Beans:
- 2 lbs green beans
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp salt
Whipped Feta:
- 8 oz feta cheese (not light)
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
Pistachio Crunch:
- 1 cup shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
- 2 tbsp everything bagel spice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Prepare the whipped feta. In a blender, combine feta cheese, yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic. Blend to combine. Store in an airtight container or piping bag in the refrigerator.
- Prepare the green beans. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add green beans and boil for 2 minutes (not longer!) Drain and add immediately to an ice bath for 2 minutes. Remove and dry. Toss with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. The flavor of these green beans is best a few hours after they’ve been dressed (you can prepare these up to 24 hours ahead, but not longer or they will begin to lose their green color). Store in a container in the refrigerator.
- Prepare the pistachio crunch. Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Add pistachios and everything bagel spice and cook for 1-2 minutes, until pistachios and spices are beginning to turn golden and fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool. Store in a container until ready to use.
- Plate the dish. Spread feta cream on a serving dish (you will have enough for 2 platters). Top with green beans, pomegranate seeds, and pistachio crunch.
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