Green Bean Salad

This Green Bean Salad is anything but boring! Tender green beans are tossed with tomatoes, feta, toasted almonds, and a bright shallot vinaigrette for a fresh, flavorful side everyone will love.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 30

Servings side servings

Calories 231

Author Kim

Ingredients

1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 pound fresh haricots verts (French green beans)* trimmed and cut into 2 to 3-inch long pieces
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup minced shallots about 4 shallots
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste
1 pint (about 25) halved cherry or grape tomatoes halved
1/4 to 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

Place 1/3 cup sliced almonds in a large skillet over medium heat. Use a spatula to stir the almonds; stirring every 30 seconds or so until they are nice and golden brown, about 5 minutes total time. If pan begins to smoke, make sure to reduce the heat to prevent burning. Watch them closely, as they burn quickly. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
Set heat to medium-low and place the skillet back on the heat. Add the 1 pound fresh haricots verts (French green beans)*, 1/4 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the green beans are close to tender, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the lid, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until the liquid evaporates, 2 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and place green beans in a large serving bowl.
While the green beans are cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup minced shallots, 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Let flavors marinate for about 10 minutes while green beans finish cooking and then cool.
Once the green beans have cooled, add toasted almonds, 1 pint (about 25) halved cherry or grape tomatoes and 1/4 to 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese to the green beans. Whisk dressing again, pour over top, and toss to coat. Serve at room temperature and enjoy.

Notes

*If you can’t find haricots verts, traditional green beans (fresh, not frozen or canned) will work just fine.

Make ahead. This salad is great to make several hours in advance of serving it because it gets tastier over time. You can also mix the vinaigrette together up to 3 days in advance, and store it in the refrigerator.
Storing leftovers. Store the leftover salad in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to about 3 days. Before serving again, give it a good stir and taste and season again as needed.

This recipe was originally published March 2022. The post was updated with helpful content and republished May 2026.

Nutrition