We love this this fast and flavorful cold green bean salad tossed in the most irresistible basil dressing! Quick, easy, and oh so delicious, this vegetarian bean salad is ready to rock your plate!
Cold Green bEAN salad
Helloooooo deliciousness!
Inspired by my super popular Farmer’s Market Chopped Salad, this salad is fantastic for emptying your crisper drawer and using up all that seasonal goodness at once!
The salad features fresh green beans, cucumber, carrots, bell peppers, and chickpeas and is topped with the most amazing basil vinaigrette dressing.
I had been searching for a way to use up the buckets-o-basil coming out of my garden this time of year and this dressing was totally the way to do it!
Tuck this recipe away for all your picnic, barbecue, and party needs this season. It’s ridiculously quick and easy to make, gloriously vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Plus it’s super healthy and full of flavor… GAME ON!
Cold Green Bean Salad
Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD
- 8 oz fresh green beans
- 1 red bell pepper
- ½ a large English seedless cucumber
- ⅔ cup shredded carrots
- 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
FOR THE DRESSING
- ½ cup avocado oil*
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2-3 TBSP chopped fresh basil
- 2 TBSP raw honey or maple syrup if vegan
- 1 TBSP fresh lime juice
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- First whisk together your dressing by combining dressing ingredients listed above to a lidded mason jar (or equivalent) and shaking to mix.
- Wash and trim the ends of your green beans.
- Fill a medium-large bowl with ice water, set aside.
- Bring a shallow pot of water to a boil and blanch your green beans until tender yet crisp, approx. 2 minutes.
- Drain green beans and immediately toss in ice water to shock the beans. This halts the cooking process and keeps them perfectly tender and vibrant.
- Once cooled, remove green beans from water and move to a cutting board.
- Chop into bite-sized pieces, then chop your bell pepper and cucumber and add to a medium-large bowl.
- For the shredded carrots, give them a rough chop if desired (I like to) and add to the bowl.
- Before dressing the salad, I like to strain out the basil (with a mesh strainer) and toss the basil with the veggies. You can 100% leave it in, I just do this for visual appeal and because my partner-in-crime seems to prefer it.
- Give your dressing another big shake before serving and pour over the salad. Allow it to sit for a few minutes (or a little longer if you prefer a marinated veggie salad) season with salt and pepper to taste and dig in!
Notes
Nutrition
special diets and swaps
As written this chickpea and green bean salad is vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free.
Vegan? Try agave nectar or maple syrup instead of the honey.
Craving something more carnivore-friendly? Feel free to add some shredded or chopped chicken to the mix or simply serve it as a side dish for your favorite protein. This recipe is a great side dish and perfect for grilling season!
more tasty salad dressing recipes
If you get a chance to try this healthy vegetarian cold green bean salad, let me know! You can leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) or tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Questions & Reviews
This salad was fresh and filling! I LOVED the vinaigrette and thought it was the perfect finishing touch!
That is hilarious about your husband. This salad looks divine! I’m obsessed with trying new dressings lately so I’ll have to give this a whirl.
Hope you loooooove it! <3
That looks delicious! So colorful and a perfect way to get your veggies in 🙂 I haven’t killed my basil plant (yet) so the dressing would be perfect! 🙂
Thanks Liz! Basil is super hearty – you should be good to go and have oodles for the dressing! <3