Potato and Green Bean Salad Recipe (With Video)

Prep Time:

10 mins

Cook Time:

15 mins

Total Time:

25 mins

Servings:

4

Our potato and green bean salad is a lively side dish that makes a great accompaniment to grilled chicken, pork, or steak. This French-inspired recipe is reminiscent of a salade Niçoise, with tender baby potatoes and crisp green beans mingling in a mustardy vinaigrette. To make it, the beans are boiled until they turn bright green and just begin to soften. After transferring them to an ice bath, the potatoes are cooked in the same pot until tender. All that’s left to do is whip up a quick and easy vinaigrette to toss with the warm potatoes, crisp beans, and a little crunchy red onion. Just as delicious served warm as at room temperature, this salad is perfect for summer potlucks and picnics or an anynight dinner, and it's ready in under 30 minutes.

Key Ingredients for Potato and Green Bean Salad

Green beans: Fresh green beans add welcome crunch. Use whatever looks best to you when shopping, from classic green beans to yellow wax beans to thinner haricots verts. Just be sure to trim off the stems before cooking.

Baby potatoes: You can use any small, quick-cooking potatoes for this salad, from baby red and yellow potatoes to fingerlings. We prefer to peel the potatoes, but you can certainly leave the thin skins on if you'd like.

Red onion: Half of a cup of thinly sliced red onion lends a bit of bite to this side dish. If you prefer a milder flavor, soak the red onion in cold water for 10 minutes before adding it to the mix. In place of red onion, you could swap in an equal amount of thinly sliced shallot.

Whole grain mustard: While we usually reach for creamy Dijon mustard for our vinaigrettes, we love the tangy pop that whole grain mustard provides here. If you can't find it, substitute Dijon in its place.

Fresh thyme: A bit of fresh thyme adds subtle earthiness to the vinaigrette. If you only have dried thyme on hand, use 3/4 teaspoon.

Blanching: Be sure to have an ice bath set up by the time the green beans come out of the pot. It's crucial to stop their cooking right away so they maintain their bright green color and a bit of crunch.

Make Ahead

You can make this potato and green bean salad one day before you plan to serve it, but we'd recommend leaving out the red onion until the day you serve the salad as its flavor can become stronger the longer it sits. Be sure to let the salad come to room temperature before serving and give it a quick taste—you may want to add a little more oil, lemon juice, or salt.

Directions

Cook beans:

Simmer green beans in salted water until barely tender and bright green, 2 to 3 minutes.

Brie Goldman
Transfer to ice bath; drain:

Remove with a slotted spoon or wire-mesh skimmer, and transfer to a bowl of ice water. Drain, and pat dry.

Brie Goldman
Add potatoes to pot; cook:

Add potatoes to the same pot of salted water, and simmer until tender, about 12 minutes.

Brie Goldman
Drain potatoes; halve:

Drain potatoes, and halve them.

Brie Goldman
Make vinaigrette:

Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, and thyme in a large bowl.

Brie Goldman
Toss with potatoes, beans, and onion; season:

Add potatoes, beans, and red onion. Gently toss. Season with salt.

Brie Goldman

Storage

Our potato and green bean salad can be refrigerated for up to four days in an airtight container. For best results, let it come to room temperature before serving as the olive oil will solidify when refrigerated.

Variations

This salad is delicious as is, but there are plenty of ways to make it your own:

Try switching up the herbs—basil, chives, and tarragon would all be delicious here.
A handful of capers or finely chopped cornichons would add even more zing.
For more heft, add a few quartered, hard-boiled eggs.
To bump up the crunch, toss in a handful of baby greens like arugula or spinach.

What to Serve With This Salad

Tangy and bright, this salad makes a wonderful accompaniment to a variety of meat, seafood, and vegetarians mains.

Try it alongside grilled or roasted proteins like these lemony roasted pork chops, grilled buttermilk chicken tenders, or our marinated hanger steaks.
Seafood would also pair well with the potatoes and green beans, like this simple recipe for sautéed shrimp, this herby shrimp-and-feta bake, or our lemon-parsley fish cakes.
For something handheld, consider these dressed-to-the-nines bistro burgers or our barbecue pulled mushroom sandwiches. This large-format pressed sandwich, featuring tuna and olive tapenade, would also be a winning choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I tell when potatoes are cooked?

Boiled potatoes are cooked when a fork can slide in without any resistance. Be careful not to overcook them; the potatoes shouldn't be so tender that they fall apart when pricked as it can make for a mushy salad.
How can I tell when green beans are cooked?

The green beans are cooked when they are crisp-tender, which means they've lost most of their raw bite but aren't completely soft. They should be bright green, retain a bit of crunch, and still hold their shape. Be sure to transfer them to an ice bath immediately to halt the cooking.
How long can this potato salad sit out?

This potato salad can sit out for up to two hours at room temperature, or one hour in a very warm environment. Even though it doesn't contain mayonnaise or eggs, the salad can still spoil if left out for too long. Be sure to refrigerate leftovers promptly, or toss them if the two-hour mark has passed.

5 More Potato Salad Recipes to Try

Updated by

Esther Reynolds

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Potato and Green Bean Salad

Key Ingredients for Potato and Green Bean Salad

Make Ahead

Directions

Cook beans:

Transfer to ice bath; drain:

Add potatoes to pot; cook:

Drain potatoes; halve:

Make vinaigrette:

Toss with potatoes, beans, and onion; season: