Green Bean, Red Potato & Zucchini Salad with Caesar Dressing Recipe

A while back, I tasked Laura with finding some healthy recipes online to share on this website. As time passed, I prepared what she found and posted them here. Since she’s very diligent and continues to pick out the best of the best, I’ll continue putting them together and bringing them to you via this blog. Today’s recipe is a good example of what I’m talking about. It’s a perfectly guilt-free salad shared by none other than Dr. Andrew Weil. He calls it a French Bean Salad, but I know it’s much more than that.

The Recipe

This salad is chock full of great tasting vegetables that are tied together by some nice Caesar dressing. The potatoes in this salad are oven roasted and the green beans are blanched for tenderness. I toasted the pecans to add some fragrance and flavor because toasted pecans are almost always better than them any other way. The remaining ingredients in this recipe are left raw, which is fine because them, mixed with the cooked ingredients adds a lot of welcomed diversity.

Ingredients

Serves: 4-6

1 Pound Red Potatoes, Cut into 1/2 Inch Cubes
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
1 Pound Green Beans, Trimmed
2 Medium Zucchini, Trimmed, Sliced Lengthwise and Cut into 1/4 Inch Pieces
1/2 Cup Pecans, Toasted
2 Medium Sized Tomatoes, Cored and Cut into 1/2 Inch Cubes
1 15-Ounce Can of Kidney Beans, Rinsed
1/3 Cup Kalamata Olives, Sliced
1/2 Cup Parsley, Chopped
1/3 Cup Caesar Dressing

Step-by-Step Instructions

I changed this recipe up a bit. I substituted the basil for parsley because it was too late at night to get to our garden for the basil. Also, I used red potatoes instead of fingerling and used pecans instead of almonds. I prefer them much more than almonds. Feel free to use what you enjoy.

Pre-Heat Your Oven

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Also, be sure one of the racks is in the middle position.

Prep the Ingredients

I decided to take a few photos as I was prepping the vegetables for this salad.

First, I washed and cubed the potatoes.

Next, I trimmed the ends from the green beans.

Then, I cut the tomatoes up into small pieces.

And finally, I trimmed and cut up the zucchini and the parsley.

Roast the Potatoes

While the potatoes are in the bowl, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a few pinches of salt and a few pinches of pepper. Then, toss everything until the potatoes are coated with the oil. When that’s finished, spread the potato pieces out on a baking sheet, place the sheet in the oven and let cook at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. When done, remove the tray from the oven and turn off the heat.

Blanch the Beans

Fill a large pot about half way with water. Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the water and bring to a boil over high heat. When the water is boiling, add the beans and let cook for 4 minutes. When finished, pour everything into a colander and rinse a few times with cold water to stop the cooking.

Toast the Pecans

Warm a small skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans to the skillet, along with a drizzle of olive oil. Cook at this temperature, while flipping the nuts, for a few minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when you begin to smell them and they start to turn slightly brown. At this point, remove the skillet from the heat because they burn rather easily.

Combine Ingredients

In a large bowl, add the zucchini, tomato, parsley, olives and kidney beans.

Then, add in the beans, potatoes, pecans and Caesar dressing. Toss well and season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Plate & Serve

Divide the salad among bowls and serve.

The Final Green Bean & Roasted Potato Salad

This salad looks great and is actually really good tasting. Give this a try and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!