Fresh green beans, simply dressed in a quick lemon-garlic dressing, make a fast and delicious summer salad. A perfect vegan side-dish for the whole family.
Do you ‘grow your own’?
We have a small vegetable plot in our garden, and every year we grow a few different things in it. One vegetable that seems to come back every year is green beans, also called French beans. They are easy to grow, prolific, and extremely tasty. My daughter Kipper even likes to eat them raw, picked straight from the plant. Crunchy!
Pretty in purple
A few years ago we chose a variety which produces beautiful purple beans, that turn green upon cooking. I had thought that as well as being interesting, and decorative, the beans might stand out against the green foliage, and therefore be easier to see and pick.
I was wrong – while the leaves of the bean plants are green, the stems, stalks and flowers are all PURPLE, and the beans blended right in!
Fortunately, I had Kipper’s eagle-eyes to help me spot our crop. On the whole, she is usually only too happy to help (as long as she gets to eat one or two delicious beans as we go along).
Garlic green beans – a simple summer salad
While we often eat our green beans simply steamed and buttered, or stir-fried, I thought it would be a good idea to come up with a few more ways of preparing them. In particular, on a hot summer’s day, a nice cold dish of simply-dressed garlic green beans is a refreshing change.
Dressing for garlic green beans
The dressing for these garlic green beans is a simple mixture of lemon juice and olive oil, with the addition of some very finely sliced garlic.
Don’t be tempted to crush the garlic – the flavour will be overpowering. I sliced mine very carefully on a mandolin, but you can do it with a sharp knife too. You may want to warn diners that the green beans contain slices of raw garlic though. They add a delicious pungency to the dressing, but not everyone wants to munch on them!
Garlic green beans, or purple beans, or French beans
Although you do sometimes see purple beans in the shops or on the market, green beans are the more usual colour. Honestly, the taste exactly the same! So whether you grow your own, or use bought purple, green or any other colour French beans, these garlic green beans will still be delicious!
This recipe makes enough garlic green beans to serve 3-4 people as a side dish.
Want deliciously easy, family-friendly recipes like this one delivered straight to your inbox? Click here to sign up. (Of course, I’ll never pass on your email address to anyone.)
📖 Recipe
Green beans with garlic dressing
Ingredients
- 300-350 g green beans
- Juice of a lemon
- 3-4 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small clove of garlic, very thinly sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Top and tail the beans and cut into 5-8cm (2-3 inch) lengths. Wash thoroughly.
- Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Plunge in the beans, bring back to the boil, and immediately drain and cover with cold water to inhibit further cooking. The beans should be just cooked and still crunchy.
- Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil and thinly sliced garlic together.
- Drain the beans well, and pour over the dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss well to combine.
- Serve straightaway, or refrigerate for no more than a few hours before eating.
Nutrition
More delicious summery salad recipes
Looking for more delicious summery salads?
How about:
- summer salad with grilled vegetables and olive dressing
- grilled peach salad with feta and pecans
- classic carrot salad
- giant couscous salad with fresh herbs and crunchy nuts
- challah panzanella salad
If you really can’t get enough green beans there’s also this glorious Asian-style sesame green bean salad.
Leave a Reply