Sometimes you look at green beans and other vegetables in the produce department and you say to yourself “been there, done that,” right? You think, there are just so many times you can cook green beans before they become a bore. But then, you think about Tangy Green Bean Salad with Goat Cheese and Sherry Vinaigrette and you say “everything old is new again!” and you feel so much better about yourself and the green beans.
Why is this Green Bean Salad so delicious? Because the goat cheese melts over the warm green beans and the tangy dressing which uses robust sherry vinegar envelopes the thinly sliced mild red onions and the salty Kalamata olives. This green bean salad will put your green beans in the stratosphere.
And you will never again wonder what you can do to green beans to make them interesting again. Because now you have this green bean salad recipe to keep forever!
Tangy Green Bean and Goat Cheese Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette
This green bean salad can be made ahead and can sit at room temperature for a half hour. Don’t add the dressing until you are just ready to serve the salad so the beans will stay a lovely bright green color.
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans
- 4 ounces goat cheese
- ½ red onion thinly sliced and soaked in ice water for 10 minutes
- ½ cup Kalamata olives thinly sliced
For the Vinaigrette:
- 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- freshly ground pepper
- chopped Italian parsley for garnish
Instructions
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Cook the green beans in a large amount of boiling, salted water in a large saucepan until just softened, about 12-14 minutes. You do not want them too crisp but they should not be overcooked.
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Drain the green beans in a colander and run very cold water over them until they turn bright green and are cool to the touch. Set aside and let them drain but not cool.
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In a large bowl, crumble the goat cheese and add the onions which should be very dry. Add the olives and toss the green beans on top. Toss the green beans with the goat cheese mixture until just mixed.
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Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small food processor until creamy. Toss the green beans with the green bean salad dressing right before serving.
