Italian Green Bean Salad
This easy Italian Green Bean Salad is a cold side dish filled with crisp green beans, pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese.
Italian Green Bean Salad
Italian Green Bean SaladI love the holidays because it means I get to feed friends and family and nothing makes me happier than planning holiday menus and baking Christmas cookies. This quick and easy Italian Green Bean Salad, or my Winter Salad, always makes an appearance at holiday meals because you can prep everything ahead of time and it is served cold so it’s one less thing to worry about on the day of the big event. Not to mention it’s absolutely delicious!
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How To Make Italian Green Bean Salad:
- Prepare green beans by snapping off ends and cutting to desired length.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add your green beans and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until they are softened but still have a slight crunch.
- While green beans cook combine all ingredients for your vinaigrette and whisk together.
- Drain cooked green beans and run cool water over them to stop the cooking process.
- Once green beans are completely cooled dry off and add to a large bowl with pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, and vinaigrette. Toss to coat then top with Parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.
Can You Make Italian Green Bean Salad Ahead of Time?
Yes! That is one of the reasons I love this salad so much. You can cook your green beans the day before your party and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Make the vinaigrette too and store it in a separate sealed container in the refrigerator. I like to measure out my sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese too. That way on the night of the party, right before we’re ready to eat, I can toss everything together and it’s done! Note: Don’t add the vinaigrette until you are ready to serve the salad. The acid in the vinaigrette will discolor the green beans after a hour or two.
The best thing about this Italian Green Bean Salad, besides the fact that it’s delicious, is that you really can’t get it wrong. If you like your green beans a little softer cook them longer, if you want more vinaigrette go for it…if you don’t want to make vinaigrette just use your favorite store brand. More sun dried tomatoes, less pine nuts, more cheese…I’ve even added prosciutto! Make this salad your own and it will become your best cold side dish for holidays and family dinners!
Want more easy side dish recipes?
- Brussels Sprout Salad
- Winter Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette
- Ramen Noodle Salad
- Creamy Bacon Pea Salad
ITALIAN GREEN BEAN SALAD
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Italian Green Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound Fresh green beans
- 2 tablespoons Salt
- 8.5 ounces Sun-dried tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons Pine nuts
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese
Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- ¼ cup Red wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoons Lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Prepare green beans by snapping off ends and cutting to desired length.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt to the water.
- Add your green beans to the boiling water and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until they are softened but still have a slight crunch.
- While green beans cook combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, lemon juice, and Italian seasoning, and whisk together.
- Drain cooked green beans and run cool water over them to stop the cooking process.
- Once green beans are completely cooled dry them off and add to a large bowl with pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, and vinaigrette. Toss to coat then top with Parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition
Perfect for Christmas dinner. Thanks for sharing.
Could you use frozen green beans please?
Yes! Steam them according to package instructions and then follow the rest of the recipe.