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Flat Green Bean Salad: tossed with olive oil, vinegar, garlic, mint, basil, and served cold.
My mom has been making this Flat Bean Salad for years, and I finally got my hands on the recipe. She serves this as a side dish at Sunday dinners, and it pairs perfectly alongside almost anything. This dish reminds us that the simplest recipes, can often be the best.
These beans are a versatile legume known for their wide, flat shape and vibrant green colour. They are fresh, snappy, and have an edible pod, and are characterized by their wide and flat shape. They are a popular ingredient in various Italian recipes from pastas and risottos to salads and soups.
What are flat beans?
These wide and flat green beans go by a few different names and belong to a different family than the common string green beans. Flat beans are fresh, snappy, have an edible pod.
Notable mentions about flat beans
Appearance: are broader and flatter than your typically green beans, and can measure 5-7 inches in length.
Taste: crisp, snappy and have a subtle earthy flavour.
Use: you can use these beans in a variety of of recipes such as risottos, soups, stews and pastas.
Nutritional benefits: like other beans, these are a great source of vitamins and are loaded with fibre and protein.
Looking for more simple salad recipes?
I’ll share a few personal salad fav’s that you can find down below:
- House Vinaigrette
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Roasted Pepper Salad
- Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- Healthy Big Mac Salad
- Spring Roll Salad
Ingredients
Here is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe. For the exact detailed measurements and ingredients, scroll to the bottom of this page to review my recipe card.
- flat beans
- garlic
- olive oil
- white vinegar
- fresh mint
- fresh basil
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Flat Bean Salad
Ingredients
- ¾ lb fresh flat beans, ends trimmed, cut in half
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped fine
- 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped fine
- salt to taste
- red pepper flakes, optional to garnish
Instructions
- Begin by washing the beans, trim the ends and cut in half. Sammy's tip: if the flat beans are smaller, you don't need to cut them in half, this will just depend on their size.
- To a medium sized pot, fill with water and bring to a boil.
- Add the beans and boil for about 2 minutes.Sammy's tip: if you want the beans softer, and less crunchy, you can boil for an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Remove the beans from the boiling water and immediately put them in an ice bath to allow the beans to stop cooking. Let sit for about 3 minutes.
- Remove the beans from the ice bath, gently pat to dry, and add to a serving bowl.
- Dress with olive oil, vinegar, mint, basil, garlic and salt.
- Gently toss to combine, and taste for any additional seasioning.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let marinade in the fridge for 1-2 hours before serving.
- Garnish with red pepper flakes if using, and serve.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Keep in touch with me on Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest! Also, if you do make this recipe (or any recipe of mine for that matter) be sure to tag #sammymontgoms so I can see your re-creations!
