Green Bean and Tomato Salad

Recipe by Marcia Stanley, MS, RDN, Culinary Dietician

Prep time 20 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

1 pound fresh, slender green beans, ends trimmed
1 small clove garlic, peeled
3/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
dash crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup 1-inch fresh mozzarella cheese balls (ciliegine), drained and halved (about 5 oz.)
2 tablespoons chopped red onion

The deliciously smooth and luscious texture of fresh mozzarella balls perfectly pairs with straight-from-the-garden green beans, basil leaves and cherry tomatoes.

Instructions

In Dutch oven cook green beans in 1 to 2 inches of boiling salted water for 4 to 6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Drain well. Loosely cover and refrigerate for 1 to 24 hours.
Meanwhile, for dressing, place garlic in small food processor bowl. Cover and process until finely minced. Add basil, olive oil, vinegar, salt and red pepper. Cover and process until basil is finely chopped.
Just before serving, in large bowl combine cold green beans, tomatoes, mozzarella and red onion. Drizzle with dressing. Toss to combine.