This cold summer salad combines fresh green beans with fresh sweet corn and diced red bell pepper. It’s tossed with a simple, 5-minute parmesan-lemon dressing that makes it a versatile summer side dish.
Be sure to check out more of my fresh summer salads including my Persian cucumber salad with mango, peach and mint salad with a lemony dressing and my quinoa, corn & blueberry salad.
Blanching the Veggies
Blanching is a cooking method that briefly cooks veggies in salted boiling water and then cools them in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.
Blanching is perfect for green beans. The brief time in the boiling water turns the green beans a bright green color and softens them just a little bit, but keeps them slightly crunchy. It’s very important to complete the process by dropping them in an ice bath to stop the cooking process, otherwise the residual heat will overcook them.
The corn on the cob will also be cooked briefly in the same water and then cooled in the ice water bath. This is just enough to soften the corn without making it mushy.
Once the corn and beans are cool, be sure to transfer them to an absorbent towel to dry. If they are too wet, it will make the salad watery.
Ingredients
The salad has just three veggies but they complement each other perfectly. Sweet corn, tangy, sweet red bell pepper and savory green beans make for a deliciously balanced salad.
Fresh corn – I highly recommend using fresh corn on the cob. There’s nothing like sweet summer corn straight off the cob. If you can’t find fresh ears of corn, frozen corn can be substituted and does not need to be blanched.
Fresh, crisp summer green beans are best for the salad. The green beans will be blanched to bring out their bright green color, but still have a nice snap to them. It’s difficult to get that with frozen green beans
Red bell pepper is a great flavor partner with both green beans and sweet corn and makes this a beautiful colorful salad.
Parmesan-Lemon Dressing
The salad is tossed with a parmesan-lemon dressing that mixes up in just a few minutes. The dressing has simple ingredients but packs a punch in flavor. Lemon, oil, parmesan, salt and pepper and a little bit of sugar brings it all together.
Mix it in the blender, in the food processor or in a bowl with an immersion blender. I like using the immersion blender to save washing extra dishes. Use a large mixing bowl with the immersion blender and then add the veggies to the same bowl for easier clean up.
Make Ahead Tips
The green beans will turn a darker color if they sit overnight in the dressing. So if you need to make this salad ahead of time here’s how to do it.
- Blanche the green beans and corn and dry them completely.
- Cut the green beans into bite sized pieces.
- Cut the corn from the cob.
- Dice the bell pepper.
- Make the dressing.
- Store the dressing and veggies separately in the fridge in tightly sealed containers.
- Simply toss everything together right before you serve.
Summer Fresh Green Bean Salad with Sweet Corn
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt (for blanching the corn and beans)
- 1 medium – large sized ear of fresh corn
- Β½ lb fresh green beans
- 1 medium sized red bell pepper
Parmesan Lemon Dressing
- Β½ c grated parmesan cheese (2 ounces) plus extra for garnish
- 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ΒΌ c fresh squeezed lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
- 1 tsp sugar
- ΒΌ tsp + 2 pinches salt
- 3 pinches finely ground black pepper
Instructions
Prepare the Veggies
- Fill a 2 quart pot with water (about 3/4 way full) and place on the stovetop over high heat. Add the kosher salt. Cover the pot to make it boil faster.
- Husk the ear of corn and break it in half. Meanwhile rinse the green beans and trim the stems.
- Make an ice bath by placing 2-3 cups cold water and 4 cups of ice in a large mixing bowl. This will be used to cool the corn and green beans and halt the cooking process so that they don't overcook.
- When the water boils add the corn and cook for 3 minutes.
- Remove the corn and place it in the ice bath.
- Keep the water boiling and add the beans. Cook them for 1Β½ minutes.
- Transfer them to the ice bath to cool.
- Once completely cooled, transfer the corn and beans to an absorbent kitchen towel and blot dry. Leave them spread out to dry completely. If they are too wet when added to the dressing the salad will be watery.
- Dice enough bell pepper to get 1/2 cup.
Make the Dressing
- This dressing can be mixed with a blender, food processor or an immersion blender. These tools work best to puree the parmesan into the liquids.
- Place all of the ingredients into the food processor, blender or a bowl and blend until the mixture is creamy.
Assemble the Salad
- Cut the green beans into bite sized pieces.
- Cut the corn from the cob.
- Make ahead tip: The green beans will turn a darker color if they sit overnight in the dressing. So if you need to make this salad ahead of time, complete all the steps above and store the veggies and dressing separately in the fridge in tightly sealed containers. Toss together just before serving.
- Toss the beans, corn and most of the red pepper (hold back a small handful) in a large mixing bowl with the dressing.
- For a nice presentation, top the salad with the remaining red pepper and a sprinkling of grated parmesan.
- This salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 2-3 days
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