Week 11: Bean Salad with Walnuts and Capers

So many beans, and so many lovely ways to eat them! We decided to make this slightly different and seriously delicious salad this week. It was inspired from a pasta salad recipe that actually uses zucchini instead of beans but with the same flavour profile, shared with us by a good friend. But swap the zucchini for beans and take away the pasta, and you’ve got a really tasty salad that serves well as a side dish for a bbq or as part of a light meal. It comes together so quickly, and it packs a good flavour punch for how simple it is.

Bean Salad with Walnuts and Capers

Ingredients

  • 1 bag green, yellow, or dragon beans, trimmed
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, broken into pieces
  • 2 Tbsp capers
  • several good glugs of olive oil
  • 1-2 tsp lemon zest (from about 1 lemon)
  • splash of lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese
  • 5-10 basil leaves, torn
  • freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

  1. Bring a pot of liberally salted water to boil. Toss in beans and allow to cook on a simmer until just tender with still a good bite and colour, about 3-5 minutes.

  2. Allow to cool enough to handle, and cut beans in half or thirds.

  3. Toss all ingredients in a salad bowl. Salt and adjust other seasonings to taste. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cool.