This Mediterranean green bean and cherry tomato salad makes a great warm-weather side dish. It’s so quick and easy to prepare and full of fresh flavors. For a light meal, I like to serve it with some fresh crusty bread and a chilled bottle of rosé while I sit back and enjoy the summer sun.
Fresh produce transform this salad into something sensational
If there’s one thing I love about summer, it’s the variety and sheer volume of the fresh produce available at the farmers market. There are so many ways to make a light and healthy salad in summer – with or without salad greens. Sweet juicy tomatoes and crisp green beans are two of my favorite things to add to salads in summer. So why not a salad featured those things? Full of Mediterranean flavors, this green bean and cherry tomato salad is tossed with capers, olives, finely minced anchovies (please don’t say yuck – they add amazing flavor!), buffalo mozzarella and a summer favorite, fresh basil. All tossed with a splash of olive oil and some bright lemony flavors. Simple, right? Simple and delicious.
Ingredients in This Mediterranean Green Bean Salad
This refreshing tomato and green bean salad comes together with simple ingredients:
- Sea salt + pepper – Don’t skimp — season generously!
- Green beans – Blanched for a tender-crisp bite. Haricots verts are perfect, but regular green beans work too.
- Cherry or baby Roma tomatoes – Use a mix of colors for visual appeal and sweet, juicy flavour.
- Red onion – Thinly sliced for a mild punch.
- Capers + olives – Bring that salty, briny flavor essential to any Mediterranean dish.
- Anchovies – Just two fillets, finely minced, melt into the salad for deep umami (optional, but recommended!).
- Mini mozzarella balls – Creamy and mild, they add richness. Burrata would also be a dreamy sub.
- Fresh basil – Tear leaves by hand for maximum aroma.
- Lemon juice + olive oil – A simple, fresh dressing that ties it all together.
How to Make This Mediterranean Green Bean and Tomato Salad
This green bean and tomato salad is all about fresh flavours and simple prep. Here’s how to pull it together:
- Blanch the beans briefly so they stay bright and a little crisp, then cool them quickly under cold water.
- Mix everything together in a large bowl—beans, tomatoes, red onion, capers, olives and anchovies.
- Add lemon juice and olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper, and give it all a gentle toss.
- Fold in the mozzarella and basil just before serving so they stay fresh.
- Serve at room temperature or chilled, with some crusty bread on the side for a light and tasty summer meal.
You’ll find all the exact quantities and step-by-step instructions in the recipe card below.
A healthy, easy and versatile recipe for a green bean cherry tomato salad
One of the things I love about salads like this – besides it being super good for you and delicious — is that you are change things up quite a bit. Which of course, I have done a number of times myself. I actually listed a couple variations in the recipe notes. And there is also another variation or rather related recipe for green bean and tomato lovers is my Green Bean Tomato Salad with Capers and Basil or my Green Bean Potato Salad. They also one of my favorite types of summer salad. One that despite its simplicity can “wake up your mouth and make your tongue sing”. I love it when just of handful of ingredients can do this.
Mediterranean Green Bean and Tomato Salad
A simple, quick and healthy recipe for a green bean and tomato salad full of Mediterranean flavors. Perfect side dish for your next BBQ or summer picnic. Or for a light meal, serve with a baguette or some crusty bread.
Ingredients
- 200 g green beans trimmed and halved (snap beans or Haricots verts)
- 300 g baby Roma or cherry tomatoes (a mix is nice), halved
- 1 tablespoon capers (in brine), drained
- a handful of mixed olives, halved
- 1 small red onion, finely sliced
- 2 anchovy fillets, finely minced
- 150 g mini buffalo mozzarella balls
- generous handful fresh basil leaves (10-15 leaves)
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- freshly squeezed juice from 1/2 a lemon
Method
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Blanch the green beans in boiling salted water until crisp-tender, for about 2-3 minutes (or to desired degree of doneness). Drain and cool under cold running water (or plunge into an ice bath). Shake out the excess water and transfer to a large salad bowl.
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Add the tomatoes, capers, olives, red onion, anchovies, mozzarella and basil to the green beans. Toss well to combine. Drizzle with the olive oil and juice of half a lemon; season with salt and pepper. Gently toss and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- I have made this green bean and cherry tomato salad recipe a number of times with a few variations. It can be made with OR without the red onion and although I really like it with the mini mozzarella, it also tastes great without.
- And in place of the cheese you even throw in some boiled new potatoes! And I for anyone who can’t stand the thought of anchovies, you could stick to a potato version of this salad and added some fried pancetta or prosciutto di Parma in its place. The salty flavors go great with potatoes!
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