Vibrant green and red “Christmas” salad featuring parboiled green beans, feta, tomatoes, herbs, and healthy dressing for a unique flavor and texture experience.
I made a new dish for a Holiday party last weekend which I’m now calling my “Christmas salad”. The vibrant green and red color with a wreath-like appearance in a large bowl struck me as quite festive!
It’s made with parboiled green beans, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, and an easy, freshly blended dressing.
I first tasted this dish at my niece’s wedding shower last summer. The unique flavor and slightly crunchy texture were delightful and quite unlike typical salad fare.
My Niece-in-law, who was hosting the shower, shared the recipe with me, which she originally found on Pinterest.
My slightly tweaked variation below makes a large bowl that is great to take to a party or potluck but can easily be halved for family meals.
As leftovers, it goes fabulously well as a side dish for wild salmon fillet.
Below is a picture of all the ingredients prepped and ready to toss together.
Christmas Salad
Vibrant green and red salad featuring parboiled green beans, feta, tomatoes, herbs, and healthy dressing for a unique flavor experience.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds green beans trimmed
- 1 cup feta cheese cubed
- 1 pint red cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1/2 cup fresh basil finely chopped
- 1/4 cup Italian parsley leaves finely chopped
Dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large lemons
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- sea salt and pepper
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of filtered water to a rolling boil.
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Add green beans and parboil uncovered for 4 minutes.
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Promptly strain off water from the green beans and quickly add fresh filtered water to cover and 12 large cubes of ice to halt the cooking process.
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While the green beans are sitting in the ice bath, halve the tomatoes, cube the feta, and chop the basil & parsley. Set aside.
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Squeeze the lemons and blend the fresh juice with olive oil, dried oregano, and garlic powder. Add a pinch of sea salt and pepper to taste.
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Pat green beans dry with a cotton towel and place in a large glass bowl.
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Arrange the halved tomatoes, feta, chopped basil, and parsley evenly across the top of the green beans and drizzle the dressing over the top.
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Toss the salad gently with tongs to evenly distribute the vegetables, herbs, and dressing.
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Cover with green food wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
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Refrigerated salad lasts for up to 5 days.
This recipe is easy and delicious! Comes together quickly and works with substitutions! I’ll definitely be making again!
So easy, so delicious, and the entire family loved this!! I made the pickled veggies to make it more tasty and it was easy and a hit with everyone.