Green Bean Salad (Easy Italian Recipe – Served Cold or Hot)

Green bean salad made with this easy Italian recipe will be a hit whenever you serve it. Perfect for barbecues, picnics, as well as lunch or dinner buffets, even a side for Thanksgiving, or any other holiday meal!

Everyone who tries this is amazed at the flavor of the green bean salad!

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With only four ingredients (including salt) it’s as simple as you can get, but it’s one of those wonderfully easy, flavorful Italian recipes that never fails to please.

I have to admit, I’m not a big green bean fan, but when this salad is tossed with a nice, strong wine vinegar, I’m all over it!

This Italian green bean recipe is my favorite way to prepare them!

The best part is that it’s absolutely delicious both hot, at room temperature or cold, straight from the fridge. It’s gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, dairy free, nut free, and if you have a garlic allergy (like someone I know from Cocoa and Lavender), you can simply skip the garlic completely and add vinegar instead. So it suits most diets.

Can I use Fresh and Frozen Green Beans for this Italian Green Bean Salad?

Absolutely, you can use fresh or frozen green beans. I grabbed a bag of these fresh green beans at Trader Joe’s recently, however, I usually have a bag of their frozen French green beans which I use for this salad. If you grab some from the farmer’s market or grow your own beans, even better!

How do I Prepare Green Beans?

It’s super easy to prepare green beans: just snap off the end where the bean attaches to the plant, and you can choose to snap off the other end, too, or leave them (as seen in the photo above). Wash them and you’re ready to go.

Green Bean Salad (Easy Italian Recipe)

Nonna Chiarina’s recipe                                serves 4 (as a side)

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

Cook the Green Beans

Snap off the end(s) of the green beans and wash well (if they are fresh). If the beans are really long, you can cut/snap them in half. Frozen bean will be ready to use.

Heat enough water in a pot to just cover the beans and bring to a boil. When boiling, toss in the beans.

Cover and simmer for 5 minutes then add about ½ tsp of salt. Check to see if they are ready, but you may need to continue cooking for another 1 to 5 minutes. The size of the beans will determine how long they need to cook (mine were ready in about 8 mins). The best way to know when they are cooked is to bite into a bean. You want them to be cooked, yet not soft. Remove them from the heat and water once they are ready.

If you want to cool them quickly, or you might have cooked them longer than you wanted to, run them under cold water. If not, just drain and put into a bowl.

Dress and Toss the Salad

Add the sliced garlic (if using).

Next drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over the beans. 

(Be sure to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil.)

If not using garlic, you can add a strong wine vinegar. In Italy, it’s either with garlic or vinegar, but not both (according to my mother).

And finally, add salt if necessary (it will almost definitely need more salt).

Toss and mix well and either serve immediately, or refrigerate if serving cold. 

Green Bean Salad (Easy Italian Recipe - Served Cold or Hot)

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 18 minutes minutes

A super quick and easy hot or cold green bean salad, popular in Italy.

4.8 from 40 votes

Print Rate Pin

Ingredients

• 12 oz fresh green beans (or use frozen)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 clove garlic (medium sized, optional)
• 1 ½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar (optional)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook the Green Beans:

• Snap off the end(s) of the green beans and wash well (if they are fresh). If the beans are really long, you can cut/snap them in half. Frozen bean will be ready to use.
• Heat enough water in a pot to just cover the beans and bring to a boil. When boiling, toss in the beans. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes then add about ½ tsp of salt. Check to see if they are ready, but you may need to continue cooking for another 1 to 5 minutes. The size of the beans will determine how long they need to cook (mine were ready in about 8 mins).
• If you want to cool them quickly, or you might have cooked them longer than you wanted to, run them under cold water. If not, just drain and put into a bowl.

Dress and Toss the Salad:

• Add the sliced garlic (if using). If not using garlic, you can add a strong wine vinegar. In Italy, it's either with garlic or vinegar, but not both (according to my mother). Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over the beans. Add the red wine vinegar if you didn't add garlic, and finally, salt if necessary (it will almost definitely need more salt).
• Toss and mix well and either serve immediately, or refrigerate if serving cold. 

Notes

• Quantities are not critical in this recipe. Feel free to make as many beans as you like and dress the salad using more oil than vinegar and salting to taste. Easy peasy!
• The best way to know when gree beans are cooked is to bite into a bean. You want them to be cooked, yet not soft. Remove them from the heat and water once they are ready.
• Good quality extra virgin olive oil is critical in salads.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 74kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 587mg | Potassium: 183mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 587IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg

Did you Make this Recipe?

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Author: adapted by Christina Conte

Course Side Dishes

Cuisine Italian

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