Green Bean & Yellow Tomato Salad with Mint
Rhea's Rundown
It’s the perfect time of the year to enjoy beautiful heirloom tomatoes in this fast and fresh dish. Red onion and lightly blanched green beans add a delicious crunch to each bite, accentuated with a touch of olive oil, red wine vinegar, and fresh mint. The recipe recommends yellow tomatoes over red tomatoes because they have less acidity. However red tomatoes can be used if need be, perhaps in equal amounts of each. If substituting red tomatoes for yellow, reduce the amount of red wine vinegar a touch. I decided to go with heirloom tomatoes in as many colors as I could get. After all, it’s always fun to “feast with the eyes” before taking that first bite. At just 7 ingredients this dish is super easy to make. The simplicity of this dish allows for plenty of creativity. If I made this again I would consider the possibilities of arugula, goat cheese, peas, and nuts of some kind.
Ingredients – Serves 4
- 1 lb long, slender green beans
- ½ cup chopped fresh mint
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 or 2 ripe yellow tomatoes
- ½ cup thin red onion wedges
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, or to taste
Directions
1. Bring a large saucepan two-thirds full of water to a boil over high heat. Trim the ends of the beans. Add the beans to the boiling water and cook until tender, 5 to 7 minutes; the timing will depend on their size. Drain thoroughly and pat dry.
2. In a large serving bowl, combine the hot green beans, mint, olive oil, and ½ teaspoon salt and toss to mix. Set aside and let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
3. Cut the tomatoes into wedges about ½ inch thick. Just before serving, add the tomatoes, onion, 2 teaspoons vinegar, and a grind of pepper to the bean mixture and toss to mix. Taste and add more vinegar or salt and pepper, as needed. Serve at room temperature.
Jacobi, Dana. “Green Bean & Yellow Tomato Salad with Mint.” Good for You: easy, healthy recipes for every day. Weldon Owen, Inc. and Williams-Sonoma, Inc. San Francisco, California. 2013.
Rhea Torreon
Subscribe to the What's Up? Food newsletter here for more recipes straight to your email
