Green Bean Salad with Feta and Tomatoes

Green bean salad with feta and cherry tomatoes is a Greek inspired cold salad with tender crisp green beans that makes an insanely good side dish with every bite. 

This green bean salad inspired by Greek or Mediterranean food and with its delicious tangy and rich feta balanced out by crunch walnuts, could very well be your new favorite cold salad. 

OK lets just get this over with – THIS SALAD IS SO GOOD! Like good enough that I ate it, ate it again, ate it the next day (in fact tastes better the next day) and satisfied my lunch and dinner in one. Any recipe that can have you opening the fridge and taking bites out of a veggie is a GOOD THING.

This is that salad. 

Green Bean Salad with Feta

Now this green bean salad side dish is so simple but it has one major rule: USE FRESH GREEN BEANS. I don’t care how you make them, in an Instant pot, stock pot or crock pot, but making sure you have tender-crisp green beans really brings something special to this salad. 

• Green Beans – Fresh green beans makes this salad above and beyond
• Feta Cheese – This is a Greek inspired salad, so it has nice not too bitter flavor, but you could alter for Goat Cheese if you wanted and it will still taste great. 
• Cherry or Grape Tomatoes – Cut cherry tomatoes in half so the bites are easy.
• Walnuts – I buy whole walnuts because I use them for a lot of recipes and just chop them down. If you want to, you can buy Walnut Halves
• Olive Oil – Oils do have a specific taste, so if you substitute for a different oil, prepare for a different taste
• Red Wine Vinegar – Balsamic Vinegar would also be a good alternate if you do not have Red Wine Vinegar on hand
• Garlic  – Minced Garlic comes in a jar already minced up and is super easy to use. 

Fresh Green Beans Tip: Make your green beans up to 5 days ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the fridge, then assemble salad fresh for potluck, party, or picnic. As with anything, air destroys all so make sure your containers are sealed up.

Green Beans as a Side

Lately I have been diving into green beans, trying to find new and better ways to enjoy this often underused veggie.

Its true that it sees its peak in thanksgiving for the traditional green bean casserole but other than that is largely ignored throughout the year.

Even peas see more play!

But green beans have a ton of health benefits. They are a fantastic source for vitamins like K and C, contain no cholesterol and are considered a “heart healthy” vegetable that has a nice outer shell. Plus green beans are fantastic tender crisp on the size, work well in the oven, and are also readily available soft and in cans. In short, you may be missing out on this delicious bean. 

What I like about green beans is that they tend to be pretty easy to mix with a ton of spices, seasonings, and goes well with cheese, bacon, ham, and potato side dishes. 

Try:

• 3 Bean Salad with Green Beans and Lima Beans
• Green Bean Casserole
• Southern Style Green Beans
• Green Beans Almondine

Salads that Satisfy

Need more amazing cold salads that make your mouth water?

Oh boy, do I have a list for you that is just begging to be on a bowl at your next gathering!

• Cucumber Tomato and Avocado Salad
• Mediterranean Shrimp Salad with Avocado
• Fresh Cherry Tomato Salad
• Carrot Salad with Raisins and Pineapple
• Ham and Pea Salad
• Ranch Pea Pasta Salad
• Quinoa Black Bean Salad
• Southwest Couscous Salad
• Bacon Ranch Pasta
• BLT Pasta Salad
• Cucumber Feta salad

Greek Green Bean Salad Recipe

This salad is totally easy to prepare. Once your fresh green beans have either been boiled (takes about 6-7 minutes and that leaves them crisp) or done in the crock pot, you simple drain the water and let cool. 

Dump all your ingredients (minus liquids) into one large bowl. 

Now add your vinegar and oil in a bowl, combine, and then mix in with your green beans. Make sure the salad is mixed till all the veggies are coated. 

Put salad in fridge to completely chill for at least 1 hour before serving. 

Scroll down for Printable recipe to assist you in the kitchen!

Serve with seafood like Salmon or Mahi Mahi, or compliments lemon chicken really well. 

Green Bean Salad with Feta and Tomatoes

Author: Trisha Haas - Salty Side Dish

4.88 from 24 votes

Prep Time 5 mins

Total Time 5 mins

Servings: 4 -6 People

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Green bean salad with feta and cherry tomatoes is a Greek inspired cold salad with tender crisp green beans that are insanely good with every bite. You will love how the red onions, tomatoes, and feta cheese mold around the fresh homemade green beans and the crazy amazing crunch the Walnuts bring. Delicious! Perfect! Easy! Truly a WOW Salad!

Ingredients 

• ▢ 5 oz Feta Cheese Crumbles
• ▢ 1 cup Cherry or Grape Tomatoes cut in half
• ▢ 1/2 cup Chopped Walnuts
• ▢ 1/4 cup Red Onions Diced
• ▢ 1 pound Fresh Green Beans cooked tender crisped and chilled
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ▢ freshly ground salt pepper

Instructions 

• To start, make sure you cook your fresh green beans "tender crisp", which means has a little crunch when you bite into them. About 1 pound in an already boiling water, takes about 6-7 minutes or less. Drain and set aside to cool complete (or chill)
• Add feta, tomatoes, garlic, walnuts, and onions.
• In a bowl combine your vinegar and oil and pour over your veggies. Stir well until entire salad is completely coated.
• Top with a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• Chill in fridge for at least 1 hour before serving

Video

Notes

Would also be good with balsamic!

Recipe slightly adapted from Jaime Deen

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 380kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 12gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 553mgFiber: 5gSugar: 11g

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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