Turn simple summer green beans into a flavorful masterpiece with this Herb Pesto Green Bean Salad recipe. Tossed in an herby homemade pesto, this easy salad takes 15 minutes to put together and is perfect for picnics, barbecues, or dinner parties.
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Spring and summer are a time for fresh and colorful produce, including one of my favorites: green beans! They’re always on my shopping list in the summer so I can make my Garlic French Green Beans, pair on the side of a Garlic Butter Ribeye Steak, or use in this picnic-perfect Herb Pesto Green Bean Salad.
Blanched green beans are tossed in a homemade herb pesto to make this easy vegetarian side dish. The pesto is a little different from your average pesto recipe and uses walnuts, parsley, and dill instead of basil and pine nuts! The layers of flavors bring lots of excitement to this simple vegetable.
Every bite of this green bean salad is crisp and vibrant! Pair it with all of your favorite summer meals or bring a batch to your next party. It’s a real crowd-pleaser you can have ready in just 15 minutes!
Can you make pesto with other herbs?
A classic pesto recipe is made with fresh basil, garlic, oil, pine nuts, and hard cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano. If you’re ever out of basil, pesto pairs well with other fresh herbs and leafy greens like parsley, spinach, kale, dill, arugula, or tarragon.
I made this herb pesto with parsley and dill instead of basil, as well as walnuts instead of pine nuts. With a few other substitutions, this herby version tastes bright and tart.
Cold green bean salad ingredients
- Green beans – Fresh green beans are best in this recipe because they need to be crisp and tender before being tossed in the homemade pesto. Head to your local farmer’s market between May and October for the best seasonal green beans!
- Herb walnut pesto – This homemade pesto recipe is a little different from your average Italian pesto sauce because it’s made with dill, parsley, walnuts, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, and lemon. The flavors are slightly savory thanks to the garlic and oil but are also fresh, tart, and bright.
How to make pesto green bean salad
- To start, make the herb pesto by adding the walnuts, oil, lemon juice, and garlic to a food processor. Blend until smooth, then add the rest of the ingredients and blend again. Set the finished pesto aside until the green beans are ready.
- Prepare a bowl of ice water for the cooked green beans.
- Bring some water to a boil in a pot and add the green beans. Blanch until they’re bright green and tender.
- Immediately drain the water and place the beans in the ice bath.
- Dry the beans really well with paper towels, then transfer them to a bowl. Toss them in the pesto, as well as some extra lemon juice and salt. Serve and enjoy!
Tips and tricks
- Salad toppings – Keep it simple with lemon and salt on top of the assembled salad or add a little extra flavor with feta cheese, crumbled bacon, crushed walnuts, lemon zest, slivered almonds, shaved parmesan, or sunflower seeds.
- Serving – This green bean salad is best served cold instead of warm. It’s meant to be crisp and refreshing!
- Making ahead – The pesto can be made a few days ahead of time and stored in the fridge to save time. To store in the fridge, press a piece of plastic wrap on the top of the pesto in an airtight container so it doesn’t brown.
- Freezing pesto – Make the pesto ahead and pour it into ice cube trays. Let the pesto cubes freeze, then transfer them to a ziploc bag and freeze for about 2 or 3 months. Just let them sit on the counter or in the fridge for a few hours to thaw.
- Storing – Store the leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Serving suggestions
This green bean salad screams summertime! I recommend serving it alongside more refreshing sides like a peach burrata salad and potato salad at barbecues or summer parties. As for the main, the herby flavors of the salad will complement grilled skirt steak and chicken kabobs, or go the vegetarian route and make my colorful beet terrine instead.
Did you end up with leftover pesto? Use it to dress up boiled baby potatoes, toss it with grilled or roasted veggies, or use it as a salad dressing with a little extra olive oil.
More vegetable side dishes
Did you try this Herb Pesto Green Bean Salad? Let me know what you think in the comments below, or share a picture on Instagram! I love to share all of your recreations on my page.
Herb Pesto Green Bean Salad
Ingredients
Green beans
- 1 ½ lbs green beans, trimmed and cut into 1” pieces
Herb pesto
- ¼ cup walnuts, toasted (other nuts can be almonds, pistachios or cashew)
- 1 bunch dill, roughly chopped without stems
- ½ bunch parsley, roughly chopped without stems
- 1 clove garlic
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus extra flaky salt for finishing
- 1 lemon, divided and juiced
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
Instructions
Herb Pesto
- While green beans chill, make the pesto. In a food processor, add toasted walnuts, olive oil, ½ lemon juiced, and garlic. Blend until smooth.
- Then add chopped dill, chopped parsley, vinegar, mustard, and salt.
- Blend until smooth.
Green beans
- Before you cook the beans, prepare an ice bath – fill a large bowl with ice and cold water.
- In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Once it’s boiling, add the green beans that were trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Use a strainer or tongs to immediately transfer the beans to the ice bath. Let them chill in the bath for 5 minutes. Using a paper towel, pat the beans dry before tossing in the pesto.
- Add the beans to a bowl, toss with the pesto. Squeeze the other half of the lemon and sprinkle a pinch of flaky salt if needed and toss again.
- Transfer to a serving dish. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Making ahead – The pesto can be made 2 days ahead of time. To store in the fridge, press a piece of plastic wrap on the top of the pesto in an airtight container so it doesn’t brown.
- Freezing pesto – Pour the finished pesto into ice cube trays. Let the pesto cubes freeze, then transfer them to a ziploc bag and freeze for about 2 or 3 months. Just let them sit on the counter or in the fridge for a few hours to thaw.
- Storing – Store the leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
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