Green Bean Feta Salad

5 from 2 votes

This Green Bean Feta Salad is light, refreshing, and easy to make. A perfect salad or side dish to serve alongside any dinner. With just 7 simple ingredients, you can make this delicious side in under 30 minutes.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Total Time25

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free

Servings: servings

Calories: 164kcal

Author: Briana

Equipment

large dutch oven or stockpot
mixing bowls
Rubber Spatula
Whisk
skimmer

Ingredients

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup fresh chives, minced (optional and to taste)
4-6 tablespoons lemon juce (juice of 2 lemons, or to taste)
1 tablespoon lemon zest
¼ teaspoon black pepper (to taste)
½ teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)
1.5 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
8 ounces feta cheese (use the block kind in brine)
salt for blanching the green beans
lemons for garnish

Instructions

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Make a large ice bath by placing ice and very cold water in a large bowl.
Add olive oil, chives, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and lemon juice to a mixing bowl. Whisk together well until combined. Cover, and place in the fridge until it's time to dress the salad.
Once the salted water is boiling, place the beans into the boiling water, and cook for about 3-5 minutes. You want the green beans to become a vibrant green color while also maintaining their crisp texture. Once the beans are cooked to your liking, immediately add them to a large bowl of cold water and ice to stop the cooking process.
To avoid a watery salad, make sure to remove the green beans from the ice water bath as soon as they are completely chilled using a skimmer. Place some paper towels at the bottom of the bowl to catch any excess water, and use paper towels to dry off the beans.
Now, pour the dressing over the beans and toss to combine. Next, crumble on the feta cheese. Toss again, adjust the seasonings according to your tastes, then plate with more lemon, chives, salt, and pepper. Enjoy!
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Do not freeze.

Notes

Heavily salt the water for blanching. The beans will only bean in this salty water for a few minutes, so you really want to infuse them with flavor! It should be very, very salty, as in, it should taste a gross level of salty to make sure there is enough in there!
Don't cook the beans for too long. You want to soften the green beans just slightly, but they should still have a nice crispy texture and bright green color. We don't want overcooked beans!
Make sure your ice bath is ICE COLD! It should be almost uncomfortable to check the water temperature for more than a few seconds. This will halt the cooking process very quickly, which is what we want.
Dry the beans off well. After the beans are nice and cool, be sure to take them out right away and dry them off with paper towels so that you don't end up with a watery salad.
Use whole block feta that comes in brine! Trust us, this stuff tastes the best. Of course, you can use pre-crumbled if that's all you have, but the flavor and texture of block feta in brine is unmatched.
Taste as you go. There are some different salty elements in this recipe, so make sure to taste as you go to avoid oversalting for your personal preference.

Nutrition