Cold Green Bean Salad

This Cold Green Bean Salad is packed with summer flavor. Tender beans and tomatoes are tossed with olive oil, garlic, basil, balsamic and parmesan.

Course Side Dishes

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free, low carb, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes

Total Time 12 minutes

Servings Servings

Calories 126kcal

Ingredients

Ingredients:

1 pound green beans trimmed and cut into 2 - 3 inch pieces
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
1 clove garlic pressed or minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 basil leaves cut into ribbons
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt. Add green beans and cook 2 minutes or just until bright green and tender. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a bowl of ice water.
Drain and pat dry.
Combine beans, tomatoes, olive oil and garlic in a bowl. Toss to coat.
Add parmesan and basil. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and toss once more to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Notes

You don't want to cook the beans too long because you still want them to be crisp to the bite. 2 - 3 minutes is best. Don't go longer than 5. And don't skip the dunking in cold water, this is what stops the cooking process so the beans don't overcook.

The acidity in the vinegar can cause the beans to lose their bright color. You can offset this issue by coating the beans in the olive oil first. And then drizzle the balsamic over the top.

This salad can be made in advance and even tastes better the longer it sits. Just keep it refrigerated until ready to serve

This recipe can easily be doubled.

Nutrition information for estimation purposes only.

Nutrition