BEST Marinated Green Beans Recipe (Served Hot OR Cold!) (2024)

With only 35 minutes of cook and prep time, these Marinated Green Beans will be your family’s new favorite side dish. Fresh and delicious!

The holidays are over, and after all the heavy holiday meals, everyone is looking for healthy recipes. The main meal is what everyone tends to think of first, but we can’t forget about the side dishes!

These marinated green beans are bursting with flavor! They needs to sit for 4 hours so all the flavors can combine, but it’s quick and easy to prep. And the best part? They are tangy and savory and since it has to sit is a perfect make-ahead salad!

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring. And you don’t have to always stick with a green salad to get in those veggies. This perfect side dish is great for summer cookouts, hot summer days, or any time you’re looking to try out new recipes.

So put aside the green bean casserole and discover new way to make a healthy side dish!

Marinated Green Beans Ingredients

Simple ingredients is one of the things that makes this recipe so great. With a simple marinade and a few pantry ingredients, this will be one of your new favorite ways to make green beans.

• Fresh green beans – Rather than using canned green beans like french beans, trimmed, fresh green beans are the way to go.
• Extra-virgin olive oil – Any neutral oil will work here. Just make sure it doesn’t have a strong flavor. Avocado oil or regular vegetable oil also work great.
• Red wine vinegar – I love the flavor that red wine vinegar gives, but you can swap it for balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar as well.
• Garlic – Fresh garlic is the way to go. Mincing your own garlic cloves provides a much bolder flavor than the jarred minced garlic at the store.
• Dijon mustard – You’d be surprised at the amount of flavor a good dijon mustard can add to a recipe! It’s one of my favorite easy ways to add flavor.
• Salt and pepper – I like to use a blend of coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to season these marinated green beans.
• Veggies – Here’s where the fresh green bean salad part comes in. I like to add red onion and cherry tomatoes to bring in some color and flavor to this easy green bean salad.
• Parmesan cheese – This is optional, but I love topping mine with some freshly grated parmesan cheese.

How to Make Marinated Green Beans

1. Boil green beans. Place the green beans in a large stock pot. Cover the green beans with water 2 inches above the beans. Place on the stove over high heat, and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, lower the heat to medium and simmer. Strain and set aside.
2. Make marinade. In a large bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, dijon, salt, and pepper. Add the warm green beans and onion, toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill.This stops the cooking process of the green beans and helps them to keep their crunchy texture.
3. Toss to combine. Before serving add the tomatoes and cheese, toss to combine, and serve immediately.

Variations

There are several ways to make this cold green bean salad your own. Below are a few suggestions.

• Switch the veggies – Instead of making a marinated green beans recipe, you could use other veggies too. Asparagus, bell peppers, corn and garbanzo beans can all be cooked the same way.
• Add ins – Want to take this delicious side dish up a notch? Throw in some sliced almonds, hard-boiled eggs, bacon, chopped fresh basil, chopped fresh oregano, or mozzarella pearls.
• Citrus – Add a splash of citrus by squeezing some lemon juice over the green beans.
• Spice it up – If you’d like to take the spice level up a notch, try sprinkling some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper on top of your green beans.
• Cheese – Don’t want to add parmesan? You could totally swap it out for something like goat or feta cheese.

Storage, Make Ahead and Freezing

Storage: You can keep marinated green beans in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to four days.

Reheating: This is a great salad to bring to a potluck or a party where it will be sitting out, it is good served room temperature or cold, and can sit out for a while and not go bad since it is not a cream based dressing.

Freezing: I would not recommend freezing these. When thawed, they tend to get a little soggy.

More Easy Side Dishes

• PF Chang’s Spicy Green Beans
• Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes
• Green Beans with Bacon