This easy green bean salad makes a delicious keto summer side dish. Crisp blanched green beans with bacon, cherry tomatoes, and feta. Did I mention bacon?
I love summer produce, especially at this time of year when everything is really coming in. I love the tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini coming out of my own garden. And I love hitting my local farmer’s market for things I can’t grow myself.
This bright and fresh green bean salad is inspired by summer’s bounty. Colorful and easy, it makes a wonderful healthy side dish. Pair it with your favorite grilled meat or keto chicken recipes.
Keto Summer Salads
Salad and summer go together like PB & J. When it’s too hot to cook, salad is my go to. And there are so many delicious ways to enjoy keto salads.
You can make salad the whole meal, like this Chopped Greek Chicken Salad or my Salmon Avocado Spinach Salad. Or it can be just a side dish to round out the meal, such as my Keto Cauliflower Salad or this flavorful Thai Cucumber Salad.
Salads make the most of the wide variety of fresh ingredients available in the summer. It’s a great way to get in all those vegetables and nutrients in one big meal.
Are green beans keto friendly?
For all of my waxing poetic about salads, I often get stuck in a salad rut, just going with the basics of lettuce, cucumbers, and peppers.
But the gorgeous green beans at the farmer’s market got me thinking about fresh ways to serve them up to my family.
Green beans are a perfect keto vegetable, as they have only 7g of carbs per cup, and 3.4g of fiber. They’re also a great source of Vitamin C and folic acid.
They also taste delicious and are easy to cook, making them an ideal low carb side dish.
How to blanch green beans
Preparing green beans for a fresh cold salad means minimal cooking. But you do still want to cook them a bit to make them more tender. Fresh green beans can be a bit tough, so the trick is to blanch them first.
Blanching is a quick cooking technique for fruits and vegetables that preserves their freshness while breaking down the tough outer skins.
It’s really quite simple. The beans are scalded for about 2 minutes in boiling salted water, and then transferred to an ice bath to halt the cooking process.
The beans turn bright green in the hot water, and they become tender crisp. Perfect for a fresh green bean salad.
Can you make green been salad in advance?
A salad like this one is best served fresh, so I recommend making it on the day you plan to serve it.
However, you can go as far as blanching the green beans ahead of time, and then transfer them to the fridge for a day or two. I don’t recommend doing anything more in advance than that.
Ready to make some delicious Keto Green Bean Salad?
More keto green bean recipes
- Keto Green Bean Casserole
- Sheet Pan Steakhouse Dinner
- Paleo Blistered Green Beans
- Roasted Green Beans with Parmesan
- Sautéed Green Beans and Mushrooms
- Crispy Air Fryer Green Beans
Green Bean Salad with Bacon, Tomatoes, and Feta
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta or cotija cheese
Dijon Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, (can sub avocado oil)
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Salad
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
- Fill a large bowl with ice water. Fill a medium saucepan with water and set over medium high heat. Add a little salt and bring to a full boil.
- Add the green beans to the saucepan and cook until tender crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beans to the ice water to halt the cooking process.
- Drain the beans and transfer to a tea towel to pat dry, then transfer to a salad bowl. Add the tomatoes, bacon, and feta.
Dijon Vinaigrette
- Add all of the ingredients to a jar with a sealable lid. Shake well to combine.
- Pour over the salad before serving or pass at the table to allow everyone to dress their own.
Nutrition
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My mouth is watering at the idea of this. Can’t wait to try it!
The perfect side dish with any dinner. So yummy!
Yummy, I love green bean salads, especially with tomatoes, cheese, and bacon!
I made this the day it was published and it’s a winner! It’s good the first day but way better the next. I am fortunate to have an olive oil boutique type store where I live. I used my pesto flavored oil along with an additional splash of Ume Plum Vinegar. So good!!! I think next time I’ll use Halloumi cheese. I’ll have another opportunity to try that soon because our tomatoes are now ripe and delicious. Thanks, Carolyn, for another great recipe.
Enjoy!