Give your green bean salad a Greek-style twist with a zippy lemon and garlic dressing, briny olives, and creamy feta cheese!
I took a page from yiayia’s playbook for this green bean salad recipe, borrowing a double-boiling method that’s so typical of Greek green bean dishes.
Greeks, like many of us in the Mediterranean, tend to like their green beans on the tender, well-done side–but never mushy! To keep their bright color and fresh flavor, the beans are blanched for about five minutes, then plunged into an ice bath.
This is when most people in the States would consider them ready. But returning them to the pot for a second simmer transforms the beans into something richer, silkier, and deeply flavorful. If you’ve ever had Fasolakia, the famous Greek dish that inspired this green bean salad recipe, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about!
The best part? Unlike your typical delicate salad, this easy salad tastes even better the next day. Make ahead for healthy lunches, or have your dinner party sides all prepped!
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need for this Green Bean Salad Recipe
You don’t a long list of ingredients to bring bold Mediterranean flavor! This green bean salad keeps it simple in the best way.
For the Green Bean Salad
- Green beans: Use sturdy fresh green beans for the best texture.
- Red pepper flakes: Add a layer of heat for a more complex flavor. Aleppo pepper is another great option, which would bring a milder spice and fruity element.
- Feta: Go for high quality whole feta and crumble it yourself, as this typically has a better flavor than the pre-crumbled stuff. The feta is really a bonus, though. Simply leave it off if you avoid dairy.
- Olives: I love rich and briny Greek Kalamata olives with this recipe. Or you can swap with capers, pickled red onions, or sun-dried tomatoes.
- Kosher salt and black pepper make everything more lively. If a recipe ever tastes flat or dull, try stirring in a good pinch of salt and taste again!
For the Dressing
- Extra virgin olive oil: A rich and fruity Greek olive oil, like our Early Harvest from Christianoupolis, complements the grassy green beans exceptionally well. That said, any high quality extra virgin variety you have on hand will work.
- Lemon: Fresh is best to add a zippy kick to the savory green beans. Lime juice is a solid substitute.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic adds an assertive peppery flavor, or substitute with minced shallot for a milder option.
- Dill: Fresh dill lifts the richness of the green beans. I wouldn’t skip it! If you’re not a fan of dill, though, parsley will work well in its place.
- Paprika: Sweet Spanish paprika brings a subtle chili flavor.
How to Make a Greek-Style Green Bean Salad
The beautiful thing about this green bean salad is that it keeps well, making it the rare salad that you can make ahead! Simply take it out of the fridge to bring it to room temperature before serving for the most vibrant flavor.
- Get ready. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Set a large bowl with ice water near your stove. Trim 1 pound of green beans. Chop 1/4 cup of pitted olives (Quick tip: If you have olives with pits, simply smash them on your cutting board with the side of your knife and remove the pit, then chop).
- Meanwhile, prepare the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 to 2 minced garlic cloves, and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill. Season with 1/2 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika and a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside for now.
- Double-boil the green beans. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes, then use tongs to transfer to the ice bath. Let the green beans chill for 5 minutes, keeping the pot of boiling water going. Return the beans to boiling water to finish cooking until tender, about 10 more minutes or so. Drain and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- Dress. Transfer the warm beans to a mixing bowl and toss with a little salt and pepper. Give the dressing a quick whisk to combine well, then pour over the green beans. Toss again to coat.
- Finish and serve. Transfer to a serving platter. At this point, you can wrap up the green bean salad and store it for up to 3 days in your refrigerator. Serve at room temperature, sprinkling with with red pepper flakes, crumbled feta, and chopped olives just before serving.
What to Serve with this Green Bean Salad Recipe
I love, love, love this green bean salad for a summery Mediterranean dinner with grilled fish and lemony rice. Perfection! That said, this recipe is the definition of versatile. Serve as part of a mezze spread, as a side to lemon garlic chicken, or even as a vegetarian main with pita bread and hummus.
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Green Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans, trimmed
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Crushed red pepper flakes (optional), to taste
- Quality crumbled feta cheese, for garnish
- 1/4 cup pitted olives (or more to your liking; I used Kalamata olives), chopped
For the Dressing
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Get ready. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Set a large bowl with ice water near your stove.
- Meanwhile, prepare the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, fresh dill, Spanish paprika, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside for now.
- Cook the green beans. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes, then use tongs to transfer the green beans to the ice bath. Keeping the pot of boiling water going, let the green beans chill for 5 minutes. Return the beans to boiling water to finish cooking until tender, about 10 more minutes or so. Drain and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- Dress. Transfer the warm beans to a mixing bowl and toss with a little salt and pepper. Give the dressing a quick whisk to combine well, then pour over the green beans. Toss again to coat.
- Finish and serve. Transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle crushed pepper flakes and crumbled feta. Top with chopped olives. Serve at room temperature.
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Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil, Spanish paprika, and olives used in this recipe.
- Make ahead instructions. You can cook the green beans and toss in dressing the night before (hold off on the feta and olives). Keep in fridge in tightly covered glass container in your fridge. Remove from fridge and transfer to serving platter. Finish with the crushed pepper flakes, feta and olives. Serve at room temperature.
Nutrition
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Bring the authentic flavors of Greece to your table with Greek Kalamata Olives and Green Chalkidiki Olives Stuffed with Lemon.
*This post has recently been updated with new information for the readers’ benefit.
Been making green bean salads for decades and didn’t think there was anything new under the sun in that department. The blanching, shocking and recooking creates a bean with great texture. The dressing is perfect. Many thanks for teaching an old dog a new trick.
Love this recipe. Your recipes are my go to favorites. Always a hit and healthy!
Thank you. This is a beautiful serving dish. Where did you purchase?
I served this for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit! The dressing and olives put it over the top and every bit of it got eaten.
Awesome! Thanks, Dina!
Best green beans recipe. It does make a difference when you pick
It into cold bath and then continue to boil. They were crisp and so tasty
Thanks, Susan!
These are the best green beans I have ever made. Super easy and super yummy.
I have always found green beans really boring. I decided to give this recipe a try and wow…amazing. All your dishes are flavorful. We went back for seconds. Who does that with green beans? Lol. You will with this recipe lol
I don’t like fresh green beans, but because of this recipe….. I now do. We loved this recipe. My husband said I need to make it all the time.
Yay! So Glad to hear that, Brenda!
Delicious! Used fresh, locally grown green beans. Basil & Dried Tomato feta cheese and had to substitute 2 tsp. of dried dill for the fresh dill. I will definitely make this dish again, especially if fresh green beans are available.
this is a great recipe thank you for sharing.
If you want to preserve the greenness of your green beans just add a tablespoon of milk to the water and you can cook them till done and they will maintain their colour
Very interesting! Thanks for the tip, Momo!
Suzy,
Last Friday I made your Baharat Chicken for 60 people. I cook on Fridays for our Church recovery ministry. The chicken was served with 40 pounds of purple onion and roasted potatoes. Also served caramelized carrots with this as a vegetable. Just wanted you to know that everyone said “It was the bomb.” in their language it was over the moon great. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. I had to make some adjustments since I was cooking two cases of jumbo thighs It took a lot more seasoning with the Baharat spices. But it was phenomenal.
I also have made the lemon chicken for the same amount of people. I served that with the cannellini beans with the Allepo Pepper and the Parmesan Cheese and the other cheese. The chicken was so tender it was melting in your mouth great.
A couple of weeks previous to these two occasions I serve the chicken made with the Harissa. That was fantastic as well. Following your recipes has helped to expand the textures, spices, and the variety of tastes I can offer our participants.
Wow, Maureen! This is so wonderful to hear!! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this message with me. It’s truly why I do what I do :).
Have made this several times and everyone loves it. Very unique and delicious!
Thanks, so much, Ciana!
So easy and so delish. Tastes more complex than recipe is! Replacing our usual green bean casserole with this for thanksgiving this year! Yum.
Awesome! Have a great Thanksgiving!
I laughed when you called this recipe “stupid easy” but it really is! I just made this for lunch and it’s really good – I would have never expected it to be this good! I used Aleppo pepper on top (along with S&P) and added the sweet paprika to the dressing as you suggested. I didn’t have any olives on hand (will add next time) but I did add a generous serving of feta. I used frozen green beans since it’s what I had. I don’t know what it tastes like cold since I ate it almost immediately!
Thanks for the “stupid easy” recipe. I’ll be making this often!
Lol! So glad you enjoyed it, Sue!
Another great recipe! Such a delicious salad! Thanks so much!!!!
Can I use frozen green beans for this? Do I still boil them the same way?
Hi, this looks delicious! I am not a fan of dill, though. Is there a good substitute you recommend? Or should I just omit? Thanks!
Enjoy, Nina. You can change things up with this recipe trying other herbs you might enjoy like mint or parsley