Looking for a quick and refreshing side dish? Check out this easy-to-make Green Bean Tomato Salad with a tangy mustard vinaigrette.
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Why we love this recipe
I love love love this cheery salad. Not only is it ready in a jiffy, but it is like a bowl full of color, what with the bright green beans and basil and the sweet colorful cherry tomatoes.
And it is so simple to throw together that it’s one of my go-to side dishes all year round.
It’s a speedy combo of cooked green beans and sweet cherry tomatoes, all tossed in a simple mustard vinaigrette. And when it’s in season, I love to toss in some fresh basil.
It’s perfect with whatever your main dish is, from buttermilk grilled steak to Chicken Diane to your favorite pasta dish (my current fave is this Pasta with Baked Camembert!)
Ingredients you need
Ingredients notes and substitutions
- Green beans: You can either use the already trimmed ones you can find in a bag, or scoop up a handful from the bin in your produce section.
- Tomatoes: We love cherry tomatoes all year round for this recipe, but in the summer you can also cut up local large sized tomatoes.
- Vinegar: You can find sherry vinegar with the other vinegars in your supermarket. Rice wine or white wine vinegar will also work.
- Mustard: We like Dijon mustard for this recipe, but whatever mustard you have on hand will work.
- Basil: Making this in the winter? It’s okay to either leave out the basil, or sprinkle on some dried basil.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
Here’s how you make this recipe
STEP 1: Put the beans into a pot of salted boiling water and cook until just done, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and pop them into an ice bath so they stop cooking.
STEP 2: Drain your cooked beans and dry them with a clean dish towel.
STEP 3: Now make the dressing: put the vinegar, mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper into a little jar, close it tight and shake shake shake.
STEP 4: Put the beans, tomatoes and basil into a bowl. Drizzle on the dressing, tasting as you go until the salad is dressing to your liking. Ready to serve!
And there you have it – the easiest, most delicious side dish I know!
Recipe FAQs
Frozen yes, if that’s all you can get. Canned, nope nope nope. Most supermarkets carry fresh green beans all year round now, plus some of them trim them for you in advance!
I have a strict rule about Never Ever buying regular tomatoes outside of tomato season, because they just don’t taste like anything. But magically, cherry tomatoes hold their tomato flavor all year long, so you are good to go!
I love this salad best in basil season, but if you get a hankering for it in, say, March, you can leave out the basil and it will still be all kinds of scrumptious.
Trimming just beans taking the tough stem off. It’s always just the tip of the stem that needs to be removed, where the pod was once attached to the rest of the plant (this is sometimes called “topping” the bean).
Green beans are great raw, so if you want to give this salad a little more crunch, just give them a good rinse when you trim them and toss them in the bowl!
Leave your question (or comment or suggestion) in the Comments box below the recipe and I will answer pronto!
Equipment we used for this recipe
These are some of my favorite kitchen tools! These are Amazon affiliate links, which means I get a little something if you buy through my links at no extra cost to you. (Which helps pay for all that bacon I keep buying! 😄) And I only share things I use and love. I’m so grateful for your support!
- Measuring Cup: We love these angled cups that show the measurements on both the inside and outside of the cup.
- Measuring Spoons: These handy magnetic spoons are not on a ring, so you can just pick the one you need.
- Pyrex Mixing Bowls: These classic sturdy bowls come in all different sizes and are great for everything from mixing ingredients to being casual serving bowls.
- Cutting Board: These sturdy, dishwasher-safe cutting boards come in all different sizes.
- Tongs: We have this essential kitchen tool in all sizes from short to extra long.
- Dish Towels: We have a drawer full of these sturdy, absorbent towels.
- Mason Jars: These jars are perfect for everything from shaking up salad dressing to eating slow cooker brownie pudding cake out of.
- Strainer: This classic strainer is just right for these potatoes and your favorite pasta recipe (one of ours is pasta with egg sauce!)
Other side dish recipes we love!
Looking for more side dish ideas? Here is our complete collection of side dish recipes!
We want to know what you think!
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
Green Bean Tomato Salad
Looking for a quick and refreshing side dish? Check out this easy-to-make Green Bean Tomato Salad with a tangy mustard vinaigrette.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: 4
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- ½ pound green beans, rinsed and trimmed
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Pinch each of salt and pepper
- ½ pound cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- ½ cup basil leaves
Instructions
- Put the beans into a pot of salted boiling water and cook until just done, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and pop them into an ice bath so they stop cooking, then drain and dry them with a dishtowel.
- Now make the dressing: put the vinegar, mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper into a little jar and shake shake shake.
- Put the beans, tomatoes and basil into a bowl. Drizzle on the dressing, tasting as you go until the salad is dressing to your liking. Ready to serve!
Notes
-
- Green beans: You can either use the already trimmed ones you can find in a bag, or scoop up a handful from the bin in your produce section.
-
- Tomatoes: We love cherry tomatoes all year round for this recipe, but in the summer you can also cut up local large sized tomatoes.
-
- Vinegar: You can find sherry vinegar with the other vinegars in your supermarket. Rice wine or white wine vinegar will also work.
-
- Mustard: We like Dijon mustard for this recipe, but whatever mustard you have on hand will work.
-
- Basil: Making this in the winter? It’s okay to either leave out the basil, or sprinkle on some dried basil.
Maddie says
Such a great summer side! So delicious and easy to make!
Hi Maddie and thank you! Hurray for summer!