I tried this cold and hot, and I like it much better hot! If you do try it as a salad, I'd recommend adding a little more vinegar since there's not much dresing for 2 lb. of beans. Also, hot or cold, I think 8-10 minutes is too long to cook the beans. 3-5 minutes is plenty if you like your beans cooked but not mushy.
Double Wow! I made this refreshingly cool, colorful dish a day ahead for a Labor Day get together of some major 'foodies' - got rave reviews and was named "MVC" - Most Valuabe Cook - of the day! I had tiny pearl to grape size red and yellow tomatoes so I just crushed them slightly when I added them to the marinade ingredients. The dainty tomatoes really enhanced the presentation! Our small town did not have fresh oregano to offer, so I took a chance with dried oregano - the taste was still great. Also had to use regular olives this time - but this dish is a classic - it can be tweaked many ways with successful results. Will make again soon with the fresh herbs - and then again and again and . . .
This was a terrific combination of flavors. I made some substitutions though: instead of fresh seeded tomatoes I used oil-packed sundried tomatoes as the flavor is more intense and I omitted the olives (only because I was also serving a pasta salad with fresh tomatoes and kalamata olives and didn't want the salads too similar). And the cooking time for the beans is way too long: 3-4 minutes is sufficient. Be sure the pepper is freshly ground and fairly coarse too. I love balsamic vinegar and wanted to use it rather than the red wine vinegar but I think the lighter flavor of the red wine vinegar was a good choice. All in all a refreshingly different salad.
VERY GOOD!! This is light and refreshing! I cooked my beans for 5 1/2 min. before shocking them in ice water and they were perfectly crisp-tender. I combined everything except the feta which I just sprinkled on top - I think it's prettier that way. And next time I'll prep the salad and dressing but keep them separate and toss together just before serving. The beans lost some of their bright beautiful green color when they were coated with dressing that far ahead.
this dish is amazing and so simple. i used grape tomatoes and cut them in half and cooked the olive/tomato/oregano mixture in the garlic for an additional 30 seconds to blend the flavors even more. definitely tastes better the next day however when i make it again tonight i will hold off on putting the feta on the salad until serving. i wish green beans were in season all year round because this dish is my new favorite!
I changed the recipe slightly I halved the amount of green beans and still had leftovers. Hubby loved it and took some for lunch the next day.
try using greek seasoning instead of just oregano
Great pot luck dish. I too used grape tomatoes halved. You do have to watch the cooking time on the green beans and be sure to chill at least 3 hours preferably overnight.
This is an excellent side dish - but you definitely have to use fresh oregano. I prefer to cut back on the olives but that is a matter of taste. Thanks for submitting.
