Green Beans and New Potato Salad with Honey Vinaigrette

Full of fresh summer flavors, this cold green bean salad recipe adds in tender new potatoes for a refreshing take on a classic summer meal. Once you’ve boiled the potatoes and fresh beans, you’re basically done! The homemade dressing gets a boost from honey and red onion for a tangy, but delicate flavor that’ll be the star of summer cookouts to come. This salad may not sound like much, but it’s a great combination of flavors and textures that turn into the perfect side dish.

 

​Refreshing Green Bean Potato Salad

Fresh ingredients can turn a good recipe into a great one, which is why I love to pull this out during the summer months. But what I also love about this recipe is that the salad dressing is so good it can make up for lackluster beans that you get in the middle of winter!

While it sounds like a normal vinaigrette, it’s so much better with the addition of honey. The sweetness is the perfect compliment to the white balsamic vinegar from Trader Joe’s that I used. White balsamic vinegar is milder than regular vinegar, but if that’s all you have I recommend increasing the amount of honey to your personal preference.

It’s just as delicious cold as it is at room temperature—and since there’s no mayo—it’s a great salad for a holiday potluck, picnic, or BBQ that doesn’t have mayonnaise like a 7 layer salad. I love sneaking in a healthy side for big events since so much focus is put on hearty (but delicious) mains.

This salad would be the perfect complement to slow cooker ribs, scalloped potatoes and ham, and pimento mac and cheese. The acidic sweetness of the dressing will cut through all the cream, cheese, and red meat you usually find at big gatherings. 

Looking for other BBQ side dishes? Some of my favorites are baked beans, creamy macaroni salad, or summer squash casserole. For a full list of more of my favorite side dishes, visit my Southern BBQ Sides list.

Fall In Love With Cold Green Bean Salad

• Bold, Fresh Flavors – Seasonal ingredients make all the difference, especially when making such a simple salad. I recommend visiting your local farmers market this spring and summer, such a small change will make a major difference come dinner time. 
• The Perfect Bite – By blanching the green beans, you get that summer bright color and crisp-tender green beans that hold up beautifully to the dressing. 
• Excellent Leftovers – This is one of those recipes that taste even better the next day, thanks to the veggies getting to marinate in the dressing—and since there are no leafy greens in this summer salad, it won’t wilt overnight!

Ingredients For Easy Green Bean Salad With New Potatoes

• Produce – We’ll need two pounds each of new potatoes and fresh green beans. Make sure you trim the green beans before cooking! If you are buying them pre- packaged, sometimes they will be trimmed.
  
• Honey – This is the secret ingredient for that homemade vinaigrette! 
  
• Garlic – Is any recipe complete without it? 
  
• Fresh Rosemary – Remove the stems and finely chop the rosemary.
  
• Red Onion – I love the pale pink color and mild flavor it adds to the dressing, you can use a Vidalia instead.
  
• Pantry Staples  – Extra virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, salt, and black pepper.
  
• Country Dijon Mustard – I like the texture and flavor of country Dijon, but you can use regular Dijon if that’s what you have on hand. 

What Are New Potatoes? 

New potatoes have actually been around for quite a while! They are typically the first potatoes ready to harvest each summer and have a thin skin that you don’t have to remove when making potato salad. 

How To Make Fresh Green Bean Salad

Step One: Boil potatoes. 

Place quartered new potatoes in a large pot of salted water, just enough to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook until a fork will go in with little resistance, about 13-15 minutes. Drain and let cool.

If the potatoes are large, you may need to cut them into 8 pieces instead of 4.

Step Two: Blanche Green Beans.

Using the same pot, bring salted water to a boil then add the green beans. Cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and immediately place in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. This will also shock them into a brilliant bright green color.

Step Three: Make Dressing. 

In the bowl of a food processor, add vinegar, honey, garlic, chopped rosemary, onion, and mustard. You don’t need to chop the onion or garlic. Process until combined and the onion and garlic are finely chopped. With the processor on, slowly add the olive oil and process until smooth. 

Step Four: Toss Salad.

Combine the cooled potatoes and beans in a large bowl and pour dressing over them, gently stirring to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve

Fun Spins On This Green Bean Potato Salad

• Try swapping out the white balsamic vinegar for regular vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or red wine vinegar!  
• Need cheese? Try sprinkles of parmesan or feta cheese or tossing mini mozzarella balls in during step four. 
• Try a little lemon zest and crushed pine nuts or almonds as a finishing touch before serving. It’ll add brightness and crunch. 
• Try adding some chopped, cooked chicken breast or rotisserie chicken to take this from a side dish to a protein-packed meal.

Grab some fresh beans and new potatoes at the farmer’s market this week, you’ll be glad you did.

More Salad Recipes To Try

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