Green Bean Nicoise Salad

5 from 3 votes

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Capers, shallots, Dijon, olives, sherry vinegar, fresh herbs -  it’s really a vinaigrette on steroids.

Green Bean Nicoise Salad

Salad Nicoise is a Provencal style salad that features bites of tuna (fresh tuna seared and sliced, or good old tuna from a can), hard-boiled eggs, green beans, black olives, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, and an olive oil-based vinaigrette, often involving capers. It’s bright and textural and sexy and it should be as much of a go-to main course salad as its American Cobb Salad cousin. 

Green Bean Nicoise Salad in a white bowl with a red rim.

A great Nicoise salad is hard to beat, but it doesn’t have the ubiquitous popularity of some other salads in the US., like Caesar or Greek or Chef’s Salads. And that’s a shame because a good Nicoise salad is immensely satisfying, terrifically flavorful, and not too hard on the eyes either.

Nicoise Green Beans

This is essentially like you pulled the dressed green beans from a Nicoise salad, without the rest of the Nicoise salad. And while I do love a good Nicoise salad, and am now thinking that might be coming up soon on this site, I was just looking for a nice summer side vs. a main dish salad.

White and red handled bowl of Green Bean Nicoise Salad.

Love these flavors—capers, shallots, Dijon, olives, sherry vinegar, fresh herbs. It’s really a vinaigrette on steroids. And while usually steroids are bad (not always), in this case, I mean that in a highly complimentary way.

This Green Bean Nicoise Salad would be perfect to bring along on a picnic, perfect to bring to a potluck. But while something about them seems summery, and that’s when you can grab fresh green beans from the farmer’s market or your neighbor’s garden (I have given up on growing anything at this moment in time), they would be great all year round.

Green Bean Nicoise Salad: Capers, shallots, Dijon, olives, sherry vinegar, fresh herbs—it’s really a vinaigrette on steroids.

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In this photo, you’ll see a little assort of vegetable sides. Yeah, they’re not all based on the same seasons, but don’t they look nice together? That’s Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots with Olive Drizzle and Asparagus with Spinach-Parsley Pesto Creme Fraiche flanking this dish. Pick and choose.

Bowl of Green Bean Nicoise Salad on a table with other vegetables.

Serve these green beans up with anything from grilled chicken to roast turkey breast.

What to Serve with Green Bean Niçoise Salad

Fork grabbing Green Bean Nicoise Salad from a bowl.

Other Green Bean Recipes

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5 from 3 votes

Green Bean Nicoise Salad

Capers, shallots, Dijon, olives, sherry vinegar, fresh herbs –  it’s really a vinaigrette on steroids.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6 People

Ingredients 

  • Kosher salt to taste
  • 1 pound haricot vert or green beans (trimmed)
  • cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons minced shallots
  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon capers (drained and chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • ½ cup pitted black olives (roughly chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
  • 1 tablespoon chopped dill

Instructions 

  • Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Have a large bowl of ice water nearby. Add the green beans to the pot and cook for 2 minutes for haricot vert, 3 minutes for regular green beans. Drain, then immediately plunge the beans into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. When cool, drain and shake off as much excess water as possible.
  • In a large bowl combine the olive oil, shallots, sherry vinegar, Dijon, capers, honey, salt and pepper, olives, basil and dill. Add the beans and toss to coat with the dressing. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

This Green Bean Nicoise Salad would be perfect to bring along on a picnic, perfect to bring to a potluck. But while something about them seems summery, and that’s when you can grab fresh green beans from the farmer’s market or your neighbor’s garden, they would be great all year round.

Nutrition

Calories: 155kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 246mg, Potassium: 171mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 601IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 34mg, Iron: 1mg
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About Katie Workman

Katie Workman is a cook, a writer, a mother of two, an activist in hunger issues, and an enthusiastic advocate for family meals, which is the inspiration behind her two beloved cookbooks, Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook.

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Recipe Rating




4 Comments

  1. Oops, I just realized I forgot to actually rate the recipe, lol. Definitely 5 stars, when served Marinated and cold (see my review).

  2. I wish I could give this two different ratings: As written, it’s 4 stars. Good, but not spectacular. HOWEVER. if the whole thing is left to marinate a few days (the beans in the dressing), then served cold, this becomes 6 stars (if I could give 6 stars, hahaha!). Truly SPECTACULAR!!! The only change I made was to use Kalamata olives. Also, it is essential to use fresh herbs!!! Don’t cut corners on this one. I don’t even like green beans that much, and I couldn’t stop eating this!!! This recipe is just brilliant!

  3. Can you make this a day in advance…I would like to make this for thanksgiving and make the day before…thoughts?

    1. Ye! I would make the dressing and cook the green beans, and keep them separate and toss them about an hour before serving so the beans hold their green color. Definitely do the ice bath part after cooking the green beans.