Pesto Green Bean Caprese Salad is one of my all-time favorite summer salads. Green beans are in full swing in July and August, along with tomatoes and basil. Crisp-tender cooked green beans, soft, creamy mozzarella, and tangy tomatoes are tossed with basil pesto and served cold in this salad. It’s cool and refreshing, and a perfect side dish to grilled chicken or fish on a hot summer day.

It was a hot summer day 11 years ago when I first had this salad. It was one of the dishes served at my dear friend’s wedding at Greenbank Farm on Whidbey Island here in Washington state. The catering was all-around delicious, but this salad stood out, and I immediately began recreating it at home. Eleven years later, I still make this at least a few times every summer!

This salad is easy to make, and only requires 4 ingredients. If you make your own basil pesto, that’s awesome! By all means, use that in this recipe. But, you can also take the shortcut of using store-bought, prepared pesto. The green beans require minimal cooking, so there’s no heating up your kitchen in the height of summer to make this salad. This salad is best served immediately, but it can also be refrigerated for a few hours (if you’re using freshly made pesto, the pesto might begin to brown a little the longer it sits).

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Original publication date: July 22, 2021