Green Bean and Tomato Salad

Nothing beats a tomato salad when tomatoes are in season, and the addition of green beans, cucumbers and olives makes for a hearty and satisfying seasonal salad that’s a great addition to any summer menu. 

Because there are no lettuce leaves, you don’t need to worry about wilting or not dressing the salad ahead of time.  It keeps well at room temperature and leftovers are just as tasty.  It does involve a minimal amount of time at the stove, but just long enough to blanch the green beans, which only takes a minute or two; the rest is just a matter of assembly.  Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredient Notes:

(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe.  As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)

• Green Beans – I prefer thin French haricot verts if you can find them but any green beans will work.
• Tomatoes – I like to use cherry tomatoes as their small size makes them perfect for salads.  You can also use grape tomatoes.
• Cucumbers - Use slender Persian cucumbers if you can; crisp, with thin skins and hardly any seeds, they’re perfect for salads.  If you can’t get your hands on any then use a hot-house or English cucumber instead.
• Olives – Choose Kalamata olives for the best flavor.
• Herbs – You’ll need a combination of fresh parsley, basil and chives.
• Vinegar – I’m using red wine vinegar but you can also use white wine vinegar.
• Olive Oil – Use your favorite extra-virgin olive oil.

How to Make a Green Bean and Tomato Salad:

(Here are the basic steps and some helpful tips on how to make the recipe.  Find the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)

1. Start by quickly blanching the green beans until just tender (we want them to still have a bit of bite and not flop).  Then plunge the beans into a bowl of ice water after cooking to help keep them firm and retain their bright green color.
2. Next is the vinaigrette. With so many fresh flavors, the last thing we want is to drown the vegetables in a heavy dressing so a simple red wine and olive oil vinaigrette punctuated with lots of fresh herbs like chives, parsley and basil is the answer. 
3. Finally toss the cooked green beans, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and black olives with the vinaigrette and you’re ready to serve!

Each resulting bite is full of vibrant tastes and textures. There’s the silkiness of the green beans, the crunch of the cucumbers, the juicy burst of the cherry tomatoes, the saltiness of the olives and the freshness of the herbs all combined to make I salad that I come back to over and over again this time of year.