Get ready for fresh vegetables and big Italian flavors in this green bean and tomato salad! Tender beans, juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and fragrant basil are tossed with my favorite house balsamic vinaigrette to create a dish which is anything but boring.
Hello, all!
As someone who is against boring salads (with a PILE of yummy recipes to prove it), I’m always trying out new ideas. So when I come up with one that’s blog worthy, I have to share it with all of you!
Because no one should have boring salads.
Of course, exciting doesn’t have to mean complicated. It can, but sometimes simple fresh ingredients are all you need for an exciting recipe. And this green bean salad is both simple AND exciting. Which is a win/win in my book!
What’s to love?
- Tender green beans. Cooked until just tender and then plunged into cold water – they are tasty enough to eat by themselves and they shine in this salad.
- Ripe tomatoes. Find the best ones you can because the flavor of ripe tomatoes can’t be beat!
- Creamy mozzarella. Use fresh, water packed cheese. I love the tiny pearlini, but I’m happy to dice up larger balls of mozzarella if that’s what I see in the store.
- Fresh basil. There is nothing like fresh!
- Balsamic vinaigrette. I use my house balsamic dressing. It’s simple to make and the flavor is incredible.
What do you need?
- Green Beans – Fresh and tender beans are best here.
- Tomatoes – Right off the vine!
- Basil – Deep green leaves and plenty of them.
- Mozzarella – Use fresh not low moisture.
- Balsamic Dressing – Link in the how to and in the recipe.
How to make this
To make green bean and tomato salad toss cooked green beans, chopped tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil with a honey balsamic vinaigrette until well mixed.
This is a simple recipe which is all about using beautiful, fresh ingredients with great flavor, so it’s just a few steps to make the salad:
- Trim, cut, and cook the beans.
- Chop the tomatoes and slice the basil.
- Combine the green beans, tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella in a serving bowl.
- Pour the balsamic vinaigrette over and toss to combine.
For the dressing, I highly recommend using my homemade honey balsamic vinaigrette since I was inspired to create the salad from the dressing! And it only takes about 5 minutes to make the dressing which lasts in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Make salads, marinate up some balsamic chicken, and so on. It’ll go quick!
What to serve alongside?
With this salad, I’d serve something simple alongside. There many choices since it will go with a lot of different main courses, but I narrowed it down to a few options.
- Soup: I would pick a vegetable soup such as my Tomato Basil Soup or my Pressure Cooker Potato Leek Soup.
- Panini: Italian paninis with Italian salad are a great choice. Try my Spicy Italian Sub Panini or Italian Chicken Pesto Panini.
- Fish: While I have a number of wonderful fish recipes, I like the Slow Roasted Salmon or Grilled Swordfish Kebabs.
- Meats: Grilled Breaded Pork Chops or Grilled Sirloin Tip Steaks would both pair nicely with the salad.
If you try my recipe for Balsamic Green Bean and Tomato Salad, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.
You can connect with me by subscribing to my emails (see the form in the sidebar or below the recipe card), liking my FACEBOOK page, or by following me on PINTEREST.
– Happy Eating, Annemarie
Italian Green Bean and Tomato Salad with Balsamic Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 2 inch lengths
- 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella, pearlini size or diced from large size
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
Instructions
- Fill a bowl with cold water and ice.
- Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Add green beans and cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
- Drain the beans and transfer them to the bowl of ice water to cool. Drain again and blot dry.
- Add the cooked beans, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil to a large serving bowl.
- Pour the balsamic vinaigrette over the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Balsamic Vinaigrette: I use my easy mason jar honey balsamic vinaigrette in the recipe. You can substitute your own dressing or use a purchased balsamic dressing.
- Make ahead: You can prep and cook the beans and dice the tomatoes and mozzarella a few hours ahead of time. Add the basil and toss with dressing just before serving.
Rex Hutcheson says
This was great, with the balsamic vinaigrette from this site.
justalittlebitofbacon says
I’m glad you enjoyed it!