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Easy, Cold Balsamic Green Bean Salad

This Easy, Cold Balsamic Green Bean Salad is a healthy and quick summer salad recipe with fresh string beans, tomato, feta cheese, and homemade Italian dressing. Feel free to top with bacon and almonds if you want a little crunch!

cold green bean salad with tomatoes and feta cheese on a white plate

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This post was originally posted in 2019. It has since been updated.

FOR THE FULL LIST OF INGREDIENTS AND COMPREHENSIVE INSTRUCTIONS, PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST. BEFORE YOU SCROLL, THERE’S IMPORTANT INFORMATION IN THIS BLOG POST.

What Kind of Green Beans Do You Use? Can You Use Canned or Frozen?

I use fresh string beans with the ends trimmed. You can use canned green beans, but I wouldn’t recommend them for a salad. Fresh, blanched green beans will make the perfect salad for this recipe.

Yes, you can use frozen green beans and follow similar steps to prepare them. The beans will not have as much crunch as fresh.

You can also prepare the green beans using my Air Fryer Green Beans recipe.

ingredients for cold green bean salad with tomatoes and feta cheese
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How to Make a Cold Balsamic Green Bean Salad

  1. Blanch the green beans on the stove.
  2. Add the green beans to a large bowl with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sliced red onions, basil, salt, pepper, and crumbled feta cheese. 
  3. Chill.

collage photo of 4 photos of water boiling in a pan, green beans boiling, and cooked green beans in a glass bowl

How to Blanch Green Beans

You can read more about How to Blanch Green Beans here. You will need to first blanch the green beans because you don’t want them to be mushy. When you blanch green beans you submerge the green beans in a pot of boiling water for only a few minutes.

The green beans should turn bright green. Upon removing them from the boiled water, place the green beans in a bowl of cold water to stop them from cooking. This will help produce a nice, crisp salad.

Do You Need Sugar or Sweetener?

This green bean salad doesn’t use any sugar. The hint of sweetness throughout comes from the balsamic vinegar and cherry tomatoes. 

cold green bean salad with tomatoes and feta cheese in a glass bowl

How Long Will it Last in the Fridge? Can You Make it Ahead?

Green bean salad will last in the fridge for 3-4 days.

cold green bean salad with tomatoes and feta cheese on a white plate

Can You Freeze It?

If you plan to freeze it, I wouldn’t add the balsamic vinegar to the entire salad. Freeze it without the balsamic vinegar.

cold green bean salad with tomatoes and feta cheese on a white plate

What to Serve With the Salad

Air Fryer Ribs
Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken

cold green bean salad with tomatoes and feta cheese on a white plate

More Salads Recipes

Keto Broccoli Salad
Keto Cauliflower Potato Salad
Instant Pot Potato Salad
Zucchini Noodle Pasta Salad
Green Goddess Salad
Fried Chicken Salad
Creamy Cucumber Salad
Keto Low Carb Chicken Salad

Cookout Side Dish Recipes

Instant Pot Baked Beans
Southern Baked Beans
Southern Mustard Greens
Southern Coleslaw
Southern Potato Salad
Air Fryer Hush Puppies
Southern Soul Food Baked Mac and Cheese

cold green bean salad with tomatoes and feta cheese on a white plate
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5 from 3 votes

Easy, Cold Balsamic Green Bean Salad

This Easy, Cold Balsamic Green Bean Salad is a healthy and quick summer salad recipe with fresh string beans, tomato, feta cheese, and homemade Italian dressing. Feel free to top with bacon and almonds if you want a little crunch!
Save this recipe here.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword balsamic green bean salad, cold green bean salad, healthy summer salads
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
chill 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6 servings
Calories 86kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans ends trimmed
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons feta cheese
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onions
  • 1 teaspoon fresh or dried basil I used dried
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2-3 tablespoons red cherry tomatoes sliced in half

Instructions

  • Add about 6 cups of water to a large pot on the stove. Boil the water.
  • When the water has boiled, add the green beans. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the green beans turn very bright green and are crisp.
  • Remove the green beans from the pot and rinse with cold water. Dry the green beans.
  • Add the green beans to a large bowl with the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, feta, tomatoes, basil, sliced onions, salt and pepper to taste.
  • Stir to combine all of the ingredients.
  • Chill in the fridge for 45 minutes.

Video

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Nutrition (displayed with net carbs)

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g
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Nutrition DataMacros are provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is calculated using MyFitnessPal.com. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Recipe Rating




Chef Lou

Sunday 4th of June 2023

Easy and taste great

shauna

Monday 8th of November 2021

Never been a huge green bean fan but i had some in the fridge and made this dish, these were great. Very good side to pair with a protein for a dinner

staysnatched

Saturday 13th of November 2021

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Gretchen DeLuca

Monday 29th of June 2020

Fast and Easy summer side! Will be on repeat.

staysnatched

Monday 29th of June 2020

Yay! So glad you enjoyed it!