This Easy Green Bean Salad with Avocado is a simple cold side dish that's full of flavor and texture! It's loaded with fresh garden green beans, creamy avocado, red onion, juicy tomato, and mini mozzarella balls, then tossed together in a bright Italian-inspired dressing. Make it for your next BBQ or for a quick and light weeknight vegetarian dinner!
Ingredients
1lb.fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces
Blanch the beans: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water, leaving room to add the green beans to the bowl. Once the water in the pot is boiling, add the green beans and boil for 3-5 minutes until tender-crisp (or desired doneness) and still bright green. Transfer immediately to the ice bath until cool, then drain and rinse.
Meanwhile, place the onion slices in a small bowl of cold water for 5-15 minutes to soften the flavor. Drain when ready to use.
Whisk together all the dressing ingredients except for the olive oil. Once combined, slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking to emulsify the dressing. Taste test for salt and pepper levels, adjusting as needed. Set aside until ready to toss with the salad.
In a large bowl, add the blanched green beans, onion slices, tomatoes, avocado, and mozzarella. Toss with the desired amount of dressing and garnish with fresh basil as desired. Serve immediately.