This Green Bean Salad is exactly what you want to eat this summer.
One morning last Shavuos, I found myself with a package of trimmed green beans and no red onions. I really meant to prepare the Green Bean Salad from Dinner Done (page 258 if you are curious). It was even on my menu, printed and all, but, once again, there was no red onion to be found.
My green beans had to be used or else.
Or else they would have stayed in the fridge until they grew mold (I know I’m not alone here). So, I improvised. I remembered once taking a cooking class, about two decades ago. I think I was married for 2 or 3 minutes back then when I was taught how to properly blanch a green bean (super important lesson!).
Blanching green beans involves boiling them for a few short minutes–
then stopping the cooking process buy transferring them to a bowl of ice water. This keeps them bright and crunchy.
The salad that I remembered from that cooking class included some tomatoes. And feta cheese. Or was it goat cheese? Maybe it was mozzarella. I couldn’t remember. But it was good.
And I had feta in my fridge. I also had salted pumpkin seeds. And so this salad was born, once again. It was different from the one I remembered, but it was still so good, in its own way.
My family loved it and we have been enjoying it ever since.
This salad is perfect for Shalosh Seudos or any summer lunch or dinner when tomatoes are delicious and you want something refreshing and light.
This salad tastes best fresh but can be prepared and refrigerated up to 3 days in advance.
Green Bean, Tomato and Feta Cheese Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb. green beans (I prefer the thicker ones, not French), trimmed
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes (colorful is a bonus!), halved
- 3 scallions, finely diced
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed, finely diced
- ½ cup roasted and salted pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled or diced small
Dressing:
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp parsley flakes
- salt and pepper to taste (taste with the feta, some brands are saltier than others)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut green beans in half. Once water is boiling, add green beans; cook for 4-5 minutes only. Drain. Add green beans to a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process. You want the green beans to be bright green and still a bit crunchy. Drain and dry well.
- In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the dressing to the green beans. Toss. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
- This salad tastes best fresh but can be prepared and refrigerated up to 3 days in advance.
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