Crisp Green Bean Salad
When summer gardens and farmers’ markets are overflowing with fresh green beans, this delicious, summery cold green bean salad is an absolute must for your table.
It’s a simple combination of crisp, blanched green beans, ripe tomatoes, and quick-pickled red onion. Warm bacon and seared halloumi cheese add a bit of saltiness. And everything gets a good drizzle of lemony buttermilk dressing.
This easy recipe is a perfect side salad for dinner or a summer cookout. It’s also hearty and filling enough to serve as a light dinner.
A green salad is always great, but if you want to try other summer vegetables (and fruits) in a salad, try my corn and tomato panzanella salad, crunchy jicama salad, and mango avocado salad, too!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- SEASONAL. This cold green bean salad is a perfect way to use those green beans that always seem to be ready at once.
- EASY. This recipe comes together in about 10 minutes.
- PERFECT POT LUCK SIDE DISH. This recipe doubles easily to feed a large group. It’s easy to make ahead, and it holds for several hours.
Recipe Ingredients
Here are the main ingredients needed to make this green bean salad. Substitutions and variations are in the section below.
Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients with measurements.
Green beans. Buy super-fresh green beans for this recipe. They should snap when you bend them.
Red onion. These get a quick pickling in a bit of vinegar to bring out their natural sweetness and tone down their bite. Thinly sliced red onion also adds extra tanginess to the salad.
Tomatoes. If you have vine-ripe tomatoes, use those. If not, I recommend grape or cherry tomatoes.
Halloumi cheese. This delicious Greek cheese has a squeaky texture when you bite into it, and a salty but mild flavor. Halloumi cheese doesn’t melt. It holds its texture when grilled or seared, allowing you to add warm cubes of cheese to this salad. Look for it in the gourmet cheese department at the grocery store.
Bacon. This is optional, but a little bacon makes everything better! I recommend thick-cut bacon, and make sure you trim away as much fat as possible.
Buttermilk. A simple lemon and buttermilk dressing adds some nice tanginess and ties this salad together.
Substitutions and Variations
- Swap sunflower seeds or a small handful of toasted chopped walnuts for the pumpkin seeds.
- To keep this salad vegetarian, omit the bacon.
- Dress the salad with a simple vinaigrette dressing or fresh lemon juice and olive oil instead of the lemon buttermilk dressing.
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Pickle the onions. Cut them into thin slices or rings and mix them with vinegar, sugar, and salt.
2. Make the dressing. Combine the buttermilk, lemon juice, and seasoning in a jar and shake well. Set this aside.
3. Blanch the green beans. Add the trimmed beans to a pot of boiling salted water. Cook for two to three minutes or just until they’re tender. Do not overcook them! Immediately transfer them to a bowl of ice water. This helps retain their bright green color.
4. Crisp the bacon. Cook it in the microwave for about four minutes or until it’s crisp enough to crumble.
5. Sear the cheese. Heat a frying pan over high heat and sear the halloumi about two minutes on each side. Remove it from the heat and cut it into cubes.
6. Combine the ingredients. Serve immediately.
Expert Tips
If you’re craving this salad off-season, when fresh green beans may not be available (or of the best quality), I recommend Trader Joe’s frozen thin green beans, or “haricots verts.” They’re always good quality, crisp, super-thin green beans. Boil them for less than one minute because they cook quickly, and then transfer to an ice bath.
Use your leftover buttermilk to marinate chicken breasts or tenders. Add some salt, pepper, garlic powder, and any other spices, and let the chicken sit for several hours or overnight. The acid in buttermilk is wonderful for tenderizing chicken.
You can also use buttermilk in place of the Greek yogurt in my buckwheat pancakes recipe.
What to Eat With a Cold Green Bean Salad
- Grilled or pistachio-crusted salmon
- Tzatziki chicken
- Barbecued chicken or lemon-herb grilled chicken
- Lemon olive oil cake for dessert
Recipe FAQs
To make this in advance, prep all of the ingredients but don’t combine them until you’re ready to serve the salad. Once you combine everything, the vegetables and bacon will start to soften. This salad will remain fresh and crisp for about two hours.
Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days. The vegetables and bacon will soften but they’ll still taste good.
Related Summer Salad Recipes
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Crisp, Cold Green Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (divided)
- 1 pound very fresh green beans trimmed
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
- 4 slices bacon
- 4 ounces Halloumi cheese
- 2 tablespoons roasted pumpkin seeds
Dressing
- 1/3 cup low fat buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch salt and fresh ground pepper to taste do not over salt because the cheese and bacon are already salty
Instructions
- Pickle the onions by combining the thinly sliced onions with three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, one teaspoon of sugar, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Let them sit while you prepare the rest of the salad.
- Prepare the dressing by combining the buttermilk, lemon juice, onion and garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a jar. Cover the jar and shake well to combine. Set the dressing aside.
- Fill a large pot or Dutch oven with about 2 quarts of water, and bring it to a boil. Add one teaspoon of salt and the green beans. Let the beans cook for three to four minutes, or just until tender. Do not overcook. Transfer the cooked beans to a bowl of ice water using a slotted spoon. Once the beans are chilled, drain them and set them aside.
- While the green beans cook, cut the tomatoes in half. Crisp the bacon in the microwave for three to four minutes, depending on the thickness of your bacon. Let the bacon cool and then break it into bite-sized pieces.
- Heat a nonstick frying pan over high heat. Sear the slice of halloumi for about one minute on each side, or until brown on both sides. Remove it from the pan and cut it into 1/2-inch cubes.
- Place the green beans, tomatoes, pickled onion, crumbled bacon, halloumi, and pumpkin seeds in a large mixing bowl. Add the dressing and toss to combine everything. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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What would go well as a side? My husband and son would need something additional to feel satisfied. I was thinking quinoa or couscous? Any ideas?
Hi Jessie! You can definitely add a grain. Quinoa or couscous would be great. Or try Farro or Freekeh (it can be a little hard to find but it’s a good, hearty grain). This also works with some grilled chicken or fish.
Isn’t grilled halloumi just awesome? I love putting it in salads like this, and I really can’t wait to try this out before summer fades away. It sounds delicious!
Yes! It’s the best cheese ever and so fun to use in a salad! I have an extra package in my fridge at this very minute 🙂
Haha I, too, thought halloumi is a fish! I’ve never tried it but sounds delish! It’s def on my radar now thanks to you ;). I like the idea of glowing without a sun tan so recipes like these sound perfect!
I hope you try it soon, and let me know what you think! What is it about the name that says fish, I wonder 🙂