This quick and easy 30-minute green bean salad features bacon, pecans, dried cranberries, and feta, all tossed in a vibrant Lemon Honey Mustard Dressing. It’s a delicious side dish for both weeknight meals and festive holiday gatherings!
If you’re searching for a recipe that brings green beans to life in a vibrant, colorful, and exciting way beyond the classic green bean casserole, this is it! This simple and flavorful green bean salad is a delicious way to add a healthy, green option to your holiday menu or weeknight dinners. It pairs beautifully with grilled meats, seafood, and pasta and makes a festive side dish for holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas, adding color and brightness to your table. The combination of green beans with classic holiday ingredients like pecans and dried cranberries is perfect for the cooler months of fall and winter.
Why you’ll love it
- Fresh and crisp. Made with fresh green beans (Haricots Verts), never canned.
- Packed with flavor. Bacon, dried cranberries, and pecans elevate this dish beyond the usual green bean recipes—sure to impress!
- Simple dressing made from scratch. The refreshing salad dressing combines just 4 ingredients: olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, and lemon juice.
The ingredients and substitutions
- Green beans – Always use fresh, uncooked beans (not canned). You can also use haricots verts – they are similar to green beans but not identical. Haricots verts are thinner, longer, and more tender than regular green beans, with a slightly sweeter flavor. Still, they work great in this recipe!
- Bacon – I used chopped cooked bacon, but you can also use bacon bits or crisped prosciutto.
- Dried cranberries – I used Craisins; you could also try dried cherries, blueberries, or figs.
- Feta cheese – Swap it out for goat cheese, or try blue or gorgonzola cheese.
- Pecans – I toasted them briefly to enhance their flavor and add crunch. You can substitute with walnuts, pine nuts, or sliced almonds.
- Homemade salad dressing is made with olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
How to make a green bean salad
Use fresh green beans (not canned). Blanch them in boiling water for no more than 5 minutes until they’re crisp-tender and vibrant green. Immediately transfer the beans to a large bowl of ice water to halt the cooking process and preserve their crispness and freshness. Drain any excess water and blot them dry.
Place the green beans in a bowl and toss with chopped cooked bacon, toasted pecans, dried cranberries, and a small amount of dressing. Transfer the salad to a serving dish, then top with crumbled feta cheese and drizzle with more dressing.
How to cook green beans without making them mushy?
- Blanch the beans by boiling them in water for no more than 3–5 minutes until they’re crisp-tender. The beans should still have a slight snap when bitten.
- After boiling, immediately transfer the beans to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and lock in their bright color and texture.
- After blanching and cooling in ice water, drain and blot the beans dry to remove excess moisture, which can make them soggy.
Serving suggestions
Green beans pair well with a variety of dishes, including roasted chicken, rotisserie chicken, grilled steak, seared lamb chops, pork, and salmon. Here are some great main course ideas to serve alongside this green bean salad:
- Sheet Pan Salmon and Broccoli with Garlic and Parmesan
- Roast Duck
- Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Balsamic Plum Sauce
- Chicken and Wild Rice with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Mushrooms
More green bean side dishes to try
- Green Beans with Pine Nuts
- Green Bean Pasta Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash, Pecans, and Cranberries
- Garlic and Bacon Green Beans
- Green Beans with Bacon and Parmesan Cheese
Other fall and winter salads to try
- Fall Pasta Salad with Butternut Squash and Maple-Lime Dressing
- Apple Spinach Salad with Pecans and Goat Cheese
- Christmas Salad with Spinach, Mandarins, Cranberries, and Pecans
- Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Apples
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cinnamon Butternut Squash with Pecans and Cranberries
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Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
Green bean salad
- 12 ounces fresh green beans
- 6 strips cooked bacon
- ½ cup pecans toasted
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ⅓ cup feta cheese
Instructions
Make salad dressing
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Combine olive oil, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and honey in a mason jar. Whisk well with a fork for a minute or 2 until emulsified. Add more honey or mustard, to taste.
Cook green beans
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Blanch green beans by boiling them in water for no more than 3–5 minutes until they’re crisp-tender. The beans should still have a slight snap when bitten.
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After boiling, immediately transfer the beans to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
Assemble
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Add pecans and 2 tablespoons of honey in a small cup or mixing bowl and mix to coat.
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Toss green beans with half of the dressing in a serving bowl.
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Top with pecans (some whole, some chopped), chopped cooked bacon, dried cranberries, and crumbled feta.
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Drizzle the remaining salad dressing on top.
Nutrition
