I started to focus on cooking when my daughters were babies. I had a few family recipes under my belt, but not many more. This made social gatherings like potlucks and barbecues a bit challenging because I wouldn’t know what to bring. What would people like? How long would it take me to prepare? The summertime heat was, and is, another factor. I like eating veggies, but not a lot of green salads hold up to summertime heat—but Green Bean and Feta Salad does.
It was a hit. My Aunt Annie, who was visiting from out of town, loved this dish. She liked it so much, later she would request it whenever she would visit. It was all I needed to nudge me along. Her sincere compliments encouraged me to continue my efforts with learning more dishes to cook, and I’ve been doing so every since. Every summer, particularly around the Fourth of July when green beans are coming into season, I come back to this recipe which brings back good memories of those times we shared when she’d come to town.
The flavor of the green beans is complemented by the grape tomatoes. You can use cherry tomatoes, too. I prefer to use heirlooms because the flavors are different, and the colors are pretty.
The trick to this salad is to parboil the green beans. This cooks them slightly, but retains the crispy snap. The ice bath is important because it stops the cooking. The green beans need to be undercooked, because the lemon juice, added later, will “cook” the green beans further.
I tweak it from the original, which calls for tuna. Instead, I substitute feta. I cut large-ish chunks from a brick instead of using crumbles. I find that the brick does eventually dissolve a bit into the salad, but there still will be large chunks to enjoy.
The lemon juice and herbs bring a nice finish to the salad.
I like it especially for potlucks or barbecues because it holds up well—better than leafy-green salad at least—when you set it out on the table. The amounts it makes can serve 6-8 people. You can make it more hearty by adding potatoes, but I normally don’t if I’m serving it at a potluck because oftentimes there will also be potato salad. Don’t wait for a potluck to try this out. It goes great with a rotisserie chicken from the store for a quick Friday night meal.
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Green Bean and Feta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 pounds green beans if using slender, also cut in half across
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice about 2 lemons
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped or minced
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/8 tsp salt and pepper to taste
- 14 oz grape or cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup feta cubed
Instructions
- Parboil the green beans first. Bring a big pot of water to a boil and add the green beans at once, cooking for no more than 3 minutes. Remove quickly using a mesh strainer, and transfer to a large bowl with ice water (ice bath) to stop the cooking and keep the green beans slightly under cooked, but crisp.
- While green beans are cooling, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, oil, oregano, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Place tomatoes, basil and parsley in a large serving bowl.
- Pat dry the green beans with a towel and add them to the bowl, tossing together.
- Add the dressing and feta and gently combine.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Everyday Italian.
So fresh and different. The feta gives it a nice tang
This was delicious. Fresh, yummy and easy. We had it slightly cold. So good