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This fresh green bean almond salad with goat cheese and dried cranberries is tossed with a simple vinaigrette. It's the perfect salad for any night. Great for summer parties, weeknight dinners, holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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Green Bean Salad with Fried Almonds and Goat Cheese

This fresh green bean almond salad with goat cheese and dried cranberries is tossed with a simple vinaigrette. It's the perfect salad for any night. Great for summer parties, weeknight dinners, holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword fried almonds, green bean salad
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 250kcal
Author Just a Little Bit of Bacon

Ingredients

Green Bean Salad

  • 1 lb green beans, trimmed
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup blanched slivered almonds
  • kosher salt
  • 2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
  • 3 tbsp dried cranberries
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Vinaigrette

  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

  • Fill a large bowl with ice water and set it near the sink.
  • Bring large pot with salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the beans and plunge them in the ice water.
  • While beans are cooking, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a small fry pan on medium heat.
  • Add almonds and saute, stirring frequently, until almonds turn golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer almonds to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle them with kosher salt.
  • Drain the beans and pat them dry. Add the beans to a serving bowl.
  • Mix together all of the vinaigrette ingredients until well combined. Toss the vinaigrette with the green beans.
  • Top the green bean salad with fried almonds, crumbled goat cheese, dried cranberries, and chopped parsley.

Notes

  • Green Beans: Using a mix of beans, such as yellow beans, green beans, and flat beans, makes for a nice presentation.
  • Goat Cheese: Don't mix the salad once you add the goat cheese. It will fall apart and make a messy looking salad fairly quickly.
  • Make ahead:
    • You can fry the almonds up to 3 days ahead. Keep them in a sealed container.
    • You can cook the green beans and make the vinaigrette up to 1 day ahead. But don't mix the green beans with the vinaigrette until shortly before serving. (an hour or two is fine)
  • Variations:
    • Switch out the goat cheese for feta.
    • Use thinly sliced almonds in place of the slivered.

Nutrition

Calories: 250kcal