Green Bean Salad with Feta

This recipe for Green Bean Salad with Feta is one of my all-time favorites for summer! Perfect for barbecues, picnics and potlucks.

If you read one of my earlier posts, you know that I had the “dilemma” of being overstocked in the produce department this past week (due to a recent shopping extravaganza at Costco).  One of my overstocks was a 2lb bag of green beans.  Although I just love eating green beans, the thought of sauteing them or steaming them just wasn’t appealing to me, probably because of the hot weather, so thankfully I remembered this recipe that I make every summer.

I found this green bean salad recipe in one of my Southern Living magazines (one of my favorite magazines for recipes) a while back and after making it the first time I knew it would become one of my go-to summer salads. My mom and sister request it all the time when we get together. I love salads that include green beans in them, this Three-Bean and Vidalia Onion Salad being another favorite. For the green beans, I like to keep them still crunchy so I lightly steam them first using a steamer basket then running under cold water.

The dressing is simple to put together, light and lemony – just how I like it. You use only about half the amount for the this salad so save the leftovers to drizzle over your next salad or even use as a marinade for grilling shrimp or chicken.

This Green Bean Salad with Feta is so tasty, and healthy too. It’s light and filled with crunchy green beans, walnuts and tangy feta dressed in a lemony vinaigrette. So good!! It’s great for BBQs because it’s light and easy to make.  If you like feta, you will love this salad!

I love this salad so much I turned it into this Lemony Green Bean Pasta Salad!

Print Recipe

Green Bean Salad with Feta

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup Lemon Vinaigrette (see below)
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Lemon Vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Cook green beans in boiling salted water to cover 8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain and pat dry. Place in a serving bowl; cover and chill at least 2 hours.
2. Add sliced onion and Lemon Vinaigrette to beans, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with feta and walnuts. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.

For the vinaigrette:

1. Whisk together first 6 ingredients in a small bowl; gradually whisk in oil until blended.  Makes about 1 cup.

Recipe from Southern Living Magazine, July 2004

 

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More picnic salads for summer:

Caprese Rice Salad

Tangy Mustard Broccoli Slaw with Mango

Lightened Up Broccoli Salad

7-Layer Salad | Brown Eyed Baker

Mexican Street Corn Salad with Black Beans | Fifteen Spatulas

Star Spangled Fruit Salad | A Family Feast

Follow Aggie’s Kitchen’s board Salads on Pinterest.