Are you looking for a new way to spice up your common, ordinary green beans? This Italian Green Bean Salad with Potatoes is a deliciously tangy way to turn green beans from ordinary to extraordinary! String beans are cooked with potatoes and tossed in a simple Italian oil and vinegar dressing. Yummy!
This is my mother’s preferred way to serve green beans and she gets no complaints from any of us. Growing up this is how we ate our green beans. My mother would pick the beans fresh from the garden and whip up this salad in what seemed to me to be a few minutes. Now I realize that it takes a little longer than that, but not much. You won’t believe how quick and easy this is to make.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Green Beans: I love to use fresh beans from the garden or the market, but you can also make this using frozen green beans as well. I used string beans in this recipe but this is delicious with Italian green beans too.
- Potatoes: Use your favorite potato. A waxier potato such as a white potato works well because it holds its shape while tossing it with the other ingredients. A starchy potato such as a russet will break down more easily.
- Onions: Just a plain white onion is all you need. Cooking a section of onion with the vegetables will impart sweetness to the potatoes and green beans.
- Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil will provide maximum flavor and a luscious coating on the vegetables.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: My mother starting using apple cider vinegar years ago, so that is how I make this salad, but you can use red wine vinegar or white vinegar and it will be just as good.
- Oregano: We always used dried oregano. If you have fresh and you want to use it, just make sure to use a full teaspoonful.
How to make this salad
- Boil the potatoes for about 10-15 minutes. Then add the beans and onion. Cook until tender.
- Drain the vegetables and discard the onion.
- Toss all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Adjust seasoning to your liking and serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips for making the Best Italian Green Bean Salad with Potatoes
- Cook the potatoes with the skins on. This will make the potatoes sturdier when mixing the salad.
- Make sure to generously salt the water you cook the vegetables in. You want the green beans and potatoes to be seasoned all the way through not just on top.
- A starchy potato such as a baking potato, will break down more when you mix the salad, and it will create a creamy coating on the green beans. It is actually very good, but if you want your salad to look clean and crisp, I recommend using a waxy potato such as a white or a red potato.
FAQ
The Italian variety of green beans are called Romano beans. Their pods are broader and flatter then string beans and they hold larger beans. They are also known to be very flavorful and crunchy.
Yes, it does. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and it will stay fresh for several days. Leftovers maintain their flavor and texture very well.
What can you serve this salad with?
Looking for some suggestions of dishes that go well with this salad? Try one of these delicious recipes:
Lemon Garlic Herb Marinated Chicken
Simple Lemon Rosemary Roasted Chicken
Oven Roasted Rosemary and Balsamic Marinated Pork Tenderloin
Sausage Burgers with Basil Pesto Aioli
Italian Green Bean Salad with Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 Potatoes Large, cut in to 2 inch pieces
- 12 oz. Green beans
- ½ Onion
- ⅓ cup Onion sliced
- 5 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp Apple cider vinegar white or red wine vinegar can be substituted
- ½ tsp Oregano dried or 1 tsp of fresh
- ¼ tsp Salt Kosher
- ⅛ tso Black Pepper ground
Instructions
- Boil Potatoes in a pan of salted water. When the potatoes are just tender, add the green beans and 1/2 onion to the pan. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until the beans are tender.
- Remove the cooked onion and drain the vegetables then transfer them to a serving bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients and toss well. Can be served hot or at room temperature.
