Super Easy to make Green Bean Salad (Perfect for Holidays)

• Food: Green Bean Salad
• Writer: Lizzie Green
• Content-Type: Food Blog

Although this green bean salad is simple to prepare, it is nevertheless flavorful and sophisticated. It’s ideal for the holidays or any night of the week meal!

I’m very excited to share this recipe for green bean salad with you! I first cooked it in the summer, when I had a beautiful package of string beans in the refrigerator.

I knew I had to find a unique method to use them because they were long, slender, delicious, and sharp.

Every year during the summer and fall, I eat a lot of green beans. They always remind me of Thanksgiving and my family’s iconic green bean casserole, no matter what season it is or what meal I’m creating.

So, while I wondered how to use my perfectly good green beans, I began to consider the holidays.

Is there a quick and easy way to cook a fresh green bean casserole? I wanted it to be simple, but thrilling and delicious at the same time.

That day, I cooked this green bean salad recipe for the first time, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Green beans, tarragon, and Dijon mustard are one of my all-time favorite ingredient combinations.

The peppery mustard balances out the sweetness of the beans, while the aromatic tarragon gives a licorice-like flavor that’s unexpected and complex.

They turn this simple salad into something truly appealing. I sincerely hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Ingredients for Green Bean Salad

Remember how I said this green bean salad dish was simple? It’s made out of only eight ingredients:

• Of course, there are green beans! Use a mix of green and wax beans in this salad if possible. The final dish has such a lovely color combination.
• Radicchio – This simple salad is made more interesting by the bitter flavor of radicchio. I, too, am a fan of the purple accent.
• Red onion — For a crisp, flavorful depth. So that it softens and mingles with the other ingredients, slice it paper-thin.
• Goat cheese – Its creamy texture works well here, but if you’re vegan, you can leave it out.
• Walnuts and almonds, toasted, offer a great crunch and nutty flavor.
• One of my favorite fresh herbs is tarragon. It’s really good with mustard and fresh green beans.
• Honey mustard dressing — This tangy and sweet homemade sauce binds the salad together.
• And flaky sea salt — to bring out all of the flavors!

Green beans should be blanched until crisp-tender and bright green. To stop the cooking process, submerge them in a large dish of icy water. After that, drain and blot them dry.

Toss the green beans with the radicchio, onion, and a couple of spoonfuls of the dressing in a bowl.

Arrange the ingredients on a tray or in a serving bowl, then top with small dollops of goat cheese, almonds, and tarragon. Drizzle additional dressing on top, season with flaky sea salt, and serve!

Suggestions for Serving Green Bean Salad

This dish for green bean salad would be a beautiful complement to any dinner. Serve it alongside your favorite protein, stuffed acorn squash, creamy polenta, eggplant Parmesan, or a big bowl of pasta. It’d go well with any of these pasta dishes:

• Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
• Fettuccine Alfredo
• Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta
• Butternut Squash Ravioli
• Best Vegetarian Lasagna
• Easy Baked Ziti

This green bean salad would be great as part of a holiday meal as well. Classic side dishes like sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy would be given a new twist.

Check out this page for more holiday side dish ideas. For dessert, don’t forget the pumpkin pie!

Green Bean Salad

This green bean salad recipe is a light and tasty side dish. Make the dressing and blanch the green beans up to 2 days ahead of time if you want to get ahead.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of green beans, trimmed
• ½ head radicchio, sliced into strips
• Scant ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
• Honey Mustard Dressing, for drizzling
• 2 ounces goat cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
• ¼ cup tarragon
• 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
• Flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Set a bowl of ice water nearby and bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Place the green beans in a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes to blanch. Remove the beans and submerge them in the ice water for about 15 seconds to cool thoroughly. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Toss the beans with the radicchio, onion, and a couple of spoonfuls of the dressing in a bowl.
3. Place on a dish with little dollops of goat cheese, walnuts, almonds, and tarragon on top. Drizzle with additional dressing and season with flaky salt to taste before serving.