This colorful green bean and tomato salad can be served as a light meal or a side dish. It’s an easy recipe that brings together classic Italian flavors.
The best part this green bean and tomato salad is that this salad will keep for days. It’s perfect for those of you who like to meal prep. I love to make it in big batches and eat it for lunch throughout the week. I think the salad gets even better as it sits in the fridge.
If you want to make it more of a meal, you can add some sliced chicken breast. Or you could add more vegetables. Roasted bell pepper is great. If you want to add greens like arugula or spinach, mix them in just before serving the salad.
This recipe isn’t based on precise amounts. It is totally flexible, you can adjust the proportions based on your preferences. It is basically just a caprese salad with green beans, it is a simple recipe based on classic flavor pairings.
I dressed the salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You could also use Italian dressing or your favorite vinaigrette salad dressing. I prefer the taste of fresh mozzarella, so that is what I used. Plus it is so easy to just add in the mini balls of mozzarella. My Mom used to make it with shredded mozzarella, choose whatever you like best.
You can serve this salad right away, but I think that it tastes best when the green beans, tomatoes, and mozzarella have time to soak up the flavors from the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I usually try to prepare it a couple of hours before I want to eat it, if I am extra organized I make it a day in advance.
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Green Bean and Tomato Salad Recipe:
Green Bean and Tomato Salad
This colorful green bean and tomato salad can be served as a light meal or a side dish. It brings together classic Italian flavors and is something that I have been making for years. I think it makes a great weekday lunch.
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound Green Beans
- 1 1/2 cup diced Tomatoes
- 1/2 cup Fresh Mozzarella
- 1 tablespoon Chopped Fresh Basil
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
Trim the ends off of the beans. Cook in boiling water until al dente. This will take about 5 minutes. Then drain the beans and then pour into an ice bath. The ice bath serves three purposes. It preserves the vibrant green color of the beans, it cools them off, and it prevents the mozzarella cheese from melting.
Once the beans have chilled, remove from the ice bath and drain.
Combine the beans, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil in a bowl. Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic vinegar over. Toss all of the ingredients together and top with some salt and pepper. Refrigerate for a couple hours before serving. Serve chilled.