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French Bean Salad

  • Prep Time:
  • 15 mins
  • Cook Time:
  • 15 mins
  • Total Time:
  • 0 hour(s)
  • 30 mins

This summer-ready bean salad is inspired by the light, bright flavors of the South of France. Savor creamy Flageolet beans, crisp green beans, cherry tomatoes and briny olives, all dressed in a bracing vinaigrette. The vinegar-forward dressing—starring Banyuls wine vinegar and Piment d'Espelette AOP—makes this salad an ideal mate for meats of all kinds, from roasted chicken to seared lamb chops and grilled fish. 

Cook's note:  To cook the Flageolet beans, soak 1 1/4 cups of the dried beans in cold water for 6 hours to overnight. Transfer the soaked beans to a pot and cover with about 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until the beans are tender, about  1 1/2-2 hours.

Don't have time to cook beans from scratch? This salad is equally delicious with canned white beans. 

Recipe by Asha Loupy

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the salad

  • 12 ounces green beans, trimmed
  • 2 cups cooked Flageolet Beans from Rancho Gordo (see Cook's Note)
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup pitted Niçoise olives or French-dry cured olives
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
  • Fleur de Sel, for finishing

For the dressing

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the green beans and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the green beans until they are tender, about 4-7 minutes (depending on the thickness of the green beans). Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

To make the dressing, combine the Banyuls vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, minced shallot, garlic, salt, pepper and Piment d'Espelette in a large bowl.  Whisk to combine. While whisking constantly, start to drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil in a slow steady stream. Continue to drizzle in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

To assemble the salad, add the reserved green beans, cooked flageloet beans, cherry tomatoes, olives and parsley leaves to the dressing. Toss gently to coat everything in the dressing. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to let the flavors marry. Transfer the salad to a serving platter or bowl and finish with a sprinkling of fleur de sel. Serve at room temperature. Bon appétit!