Appetizer, Salad, Salad Bar, Summer Foods, Vegetables

Green Bean Salad — 1961

by Elaine

In my quest to add interest to my catered salad bars, I took inspiration from a recipe for Green Bean Salad in The New York Times Cook Book 1961 (below). After tinkering with this recipe for several years, I came up with a dressing that is jazzy and delicious. This salad is served cold after marinating several hours or overnight, so it is a great summer salad and/or side-dish especially when serving Italian food. Enjoy!

green bean salad 001

Below is my interpretation of this “lost” recipe. I call it Marinated Green Bean Salad:

Wash and snap one pound of green beans.
Combine dressing ingredients.
Boil green beans four minutes.
Drain.
Arrange cooked green beans in an air-tight container.
Add dressing and marinate at least two hours.
Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Marinated Green Bean Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. young slender green beans
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Dressing:

  • 2/3 cup Olive Garden Italian Dressing
  • 2 – 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • Dash cracked black pepper

Garnish:

  • 1 – 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions

  1. Wash and drain green beans and snap off blossom ends (snap off tails if desired).
  2. Bring a quart of water and 1/2 tsp salt to a boil in a medium pot; add prepared green beans and cover.
  3. Once pot returns to a boil, set timer for four minutes (Cook time depends on size of green beans. If beans are a little thicker, add another minute to the  cook time).
  4. Immediately plunge cooked green beans into very cold water to cool. Drain and set aside.
  5. Combine dressing ingredients and set aside.
  6. Arrange green beans in an air-tight container, drizzle dressing over beans, cover and refrigerate for at least two hours. (Swirl the beans around in the container from time to time while marinating). 
  7. To serve, arrange green beans on a platter draining away most of the dressing. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Recipe Compliments of Cookbooklady.com