This Green Bean and Tomato Salad with Scallion Buttermilk Dressing is bursting with fresh, vibrant summer flavors. The green beans are gently simmered in savory chicken broth or flavorful vegetable stock to bring out their natural flavor. The creamy scallion buttermilk dressing—similar to classic ranch—adds a tangy, herbaceous finish that perfectly ties the dish together.
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🫛 The Ingredients
Using farm-fresh ingredients makes this recipe truly sing, bringing vibrant flavors and crisp textures that elevate every bite. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and variations) below.
🌿 Substitutions and Variations
- Vegetables – Fresh green beans are vibrant and are key to making this salad so good. Frozen green beans can be used in a pinch. We don’t recommend drained canned beans. The leek adds a nice complement to the salad, but can be omitted, if desired. For the tomatoes, seek out the freshest, colorful varieties. They not only add amazing flavor, they make the salad beautiful.
- Broth – We love to soften the beans and leeks with vegetable broth. To keep it vegetarian, go with vegetable stock. You can use water to soften the beans, and still have great flavor.
- The Dressing – The scallions do not overpower the taste of the dressing at all. If desired, substitute homemade ranch dressing. In a pinch, you can go with a top-notch purchased ranch dressing. We tried this recipe with homemade Caesar salad dressing and it was wonderful.
See the recipe card (with video) below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
👩🏼🍳 How To Make Green Bean and Tomato Salad
- Step 1: Chop the scallions in a blender or food processor.
- Step 2: Add the remaining dressing ingredients, purée, and transfer to jar.
- Step 3: Simmer the green beans and leeks in broth until tender, and then place in ice bath
- Step 4: Place bean, leeks, and tomatoes in bowl and toss with oil, salt, and pepper.
- Step 5: Place sliced heirlooms on platter and top with green bean and tomato mixture.
- Step 6: Drizzle dressing over the top and garnish with more scallions and mint.
Exper Tip
As mentioned, you can braise the beans and leeks in vegetable (or chicken) broth, or just go with water. We strongly recommend going with fresh green beans for this recipe. Besides being delicious, they are really nutritious and so good for a healthy body and mind!
🍽️ How To Serve
- This salad is a beautiful addition to any feast at any time of the year, but especially during the warm months.
- Pile the salad high onto a platter, drizzle a little of the dressing over the top, garnish with fresh mint and scallions, and then serve with more dressing on the side.
- You can easily prepare each layer of the salad separately and then assemble it just before serving.
- This is perfect to serve with other platters of classic salads such as Thai beef salad, Chinese chicken salad, best-ever tuna salad, and classic Cobb salad.
Expert Tip
Simmer the green beans and leek until tender. If you like your beans with a little crunch to them, only simmer them for about 5 minutes. If you like them very tender, then let them go for 10 to 15 minutes. Do a taste test to determine the appropriate tenderness for you.
🙋🏽♂️ Frequently Asked Questions
While fresh green beans are preferred for their crisp texture, you can use frozen green beans—just be sure to thaw and drain them well before simmering.
Yes, the scallion buttermilk dressing has a creamy, tangy flavor profile similar to ranch, but with a fresh scallion twist.
Absolutely! The dressing can be prepared 1 to 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to meld beautifully.
Ready to make the best salad for the summer and beyond? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a picture, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!
Green Bean and Tomato Salad with Scallion Buttermilk Dressing
Video
Equipment
- 1 pot for braising
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
For the Scallion-Buttermilk Dressing
- ½ cup scallions fresh, sliced, white and green parts
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh
- 1½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- 1 teaspoon basil dried
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves dried
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the Salad
- 6 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth/stock, or water
- 1 lb green beans fresh, trimmed
- 1 large leek white and pale-green parts only, washed and sliced into 1" pieces
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large heirloom tomatoes sliced
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup mint leaves fresh, chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh scallions
Instructions
Make the Dressing
- Place the scallions (½ cup) in a blender or food processor. Pulse several times. Remove the lid and push the scallions down the sides of the blender/bowl. Do this a couple more times (the scallions won't purée, but they should be somewhat finely chopped).½ cup scallions
- Add the remaining ingredients and purée until well blended. Transfer to a jar with a lid and chill for at least 1 hour.½ cup buttermilk, ½ cup sour cream, ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Prepare the Salad
- In a large pot, bring the broth (or water) to a boil. Carefully add the beans and simmer until desired consistency is reached (4 minutes for crisp, 8 to 10 minutes for tender). Add the leeks to the simmering water during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Meanwhile, add water and ice to a large bowl that will hold the cooked vegetables.6 cups vegetable broth, 1 lb green beans, 1 large leek
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beans to the ice water.
- Drain the vegetables into a colander in the sink. Place the vegetables on paper towels and pat them dry.
- Place the cooked beans and leeks into a large bowl and add the halved cherry tomatoes. Toss with the olive oil and season with a healthy pinch of salt and pepper.2 cups cherry tomatoes, 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Arrange the sliced heirlooms on a platter and sprinkle salt and pepper all over them. Pile the green bean/tomato/leek mixture on top of the tomatoes. Drizzle some of the dressing over the top of the salad (about ½ to 1 cup).2 large heirloom tomatoes, Salt and pepper
- Garnish with mint and scallions and extra dressing on the side. Serve at once.½ cup mint leaves, ¼ cup chopped fresh scallions
Notes
Nutrition
POST UPDATE: This recipe was originally published in August 2015, but was updated with improved tweaks to the recipe with new tips and photography and a fabulous new video in August 2022!
Jake says
The freshnes of this salad was amazing and a perfect combonation of flavores. Love that the green beans were the star and the scallion buttermilk dressing was delicious!
Kris Longwell says
Hi Jake! So glad you enjoyed the salad! It’s definitely one of our favorites!
Kris Longwell says
This salad is one of our all-time favorite summer salads. Although the ingredients are easy to find all year long, we have it all the time! The dressing puts it over the top!