Green Bean Beet and Pistachio Salad –
Flavorful and Festive Vegan Side Dish Recipe
I was putting together my Rosh Hashanah menu last week and realized that I’m bored with the same old side dishes we always serve. I mean, certain dishes are expected, of course– family favorites that have become obligatory over the years (like matzo ball soup, which my family expects on pretty much every Jewish holiday now even though it’s a Passover thing). In addition to these holiday favorites, I wanted to venture into some new side dish concepts and liven things up a bit. In my home beets are always a crowd-pleaser, so I decided to combine them with green beans, toasted pistachios and some festive flavors to create a new salad.
Beets are an important part of the Jewish diet. They’re mentioned in Yiddish literature dating back to the Middle Ages. For centuries Ashkenazi Jews have used beets to make borscht, a bright red sweet-and-sour soup, as well as pickles, ground horseradish and preserves. Moroccan Sephardic Jews enjoy them in salads and mezze. To show delight in the Sabbath, the Talmud suggests consuming beet greens. Beets even play a part in the Rosh Hashanah blessing, which makes them particularly appropriate at this time of year.
Here I’ve combined roasted beet wedges with young green beans, olive oil, dill and toasted pistachios. A thin drizzle of date honey adds a touch of sweetness for a sweet new year. The salty/sweet combination makes for a really tasty and festive salad. It also looks really pretty on the table. Enjoy!
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Green Bean Beet and Pistachio Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound young green beans trimmed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup pistachios
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
- 1 pound roasted peeled beets about 1 1/2 lbs. fresh beets before roasting, cut into bite-sized wedges
- 1 tablespoon date honey syrup
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, toss the green beans with the olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Pour the olive oil-coated seasoned green beans into the skillet and sauté for 6-8 minutes, or until just tender. If the green beans are browning faster than they're cooking, cover the skillet and reduce heat to medium, then let them cook until they become tender. Remove from heat and let the beans return to room temperature.Toast the pistachios in a small skillet over medium heat until lightly toasted and fragrant.
- Toss cooked green beans with the pistachios and 1 1/2 tbsp fresh dill, then transfer to your serving dish.
- Sprinkle the beetroot wedges lightly with salt and then arrange them amongst the green beans. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 tbsp dill over the top of the salad.
- Drizzle the top of the salad with 1 tbsp date honey syrup. Serve at room temperature.
Nutrition
This looks wonderful for Rosh Hashanah, but being basically lazy I don’t want to bother making the date syrup for 1 tbsp. Can I use maple syrup? I promise I’ll make the date syrup another time!
Hi Gina, I would recommend making a quick balsamic reduction instead – it’s easier to make than date syrup and more interesting than maple syrup. Take 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar and simmer it on the stove for 5-6 minutes until it’s thick enough to coat the back of the spoon (it will thicken further as it cools). This will give a better flavor than maple syrup for this particular recipe, in my opinion. 🙂 Good luck!
Do you think this could be made ahead and just brought to room temperature before serving?
Yes, but I would save the drizzle of date syrup for just before serving.
Made this with asparagus instead of green beans for Pesach. Excellent!
One detail you might want to remember, especially those making this dish for Rosh Hashanah: it is Ashkenazi custom not to eat nuts on RH, so omit the pistachios. (I read in one source that is because the gematria–the mystical numerical significance–of the Hebrew word for “nuts” is the same as for “sin,” which makes nuts symbolically inappropriate for RH as the beginning of the Jewish penitential season. But then I read another source disputing the gematria. Oy.)
I took this to our annual Thanksgiving potluck and came home with an empty dish. That says it all, doesn’t it? My friends especially enjoyed the date honey. Thanks for the recipe and the clear instructions at every step.
This looks delicious! Do you think one could replace the silan with pomegranate molasses?
Sarah yes, absolutely– it will give it a slightly tart flavor that will be lovely. Enjoy!
I liked this combination of flavors, though used regular honey to make it easier. However next time I think I will make some alterations, making the pieces of beet and bean smaller and making a pistachio pesto with ground pistachios, olive oil, honey and arugula maybe? Mixing that altogether I think will ensure getting all the flavors in one bite – otherwise it’s no more than the sum of its (albeit delicious) parts.
Hi Tori,
I LOVE your recipies! It all started with Rosh Hashanah and now you are in my kitchen every holiday.
Question: what can I substitute for the the one tbsp of honey date syrup? It’s a patchka to make for only that small amount. Can I use honey?
Thanks
Leah
,
Hi Leah, you can purchase date honey at most kosher markets if you have one close by. It’s definitely worth having on hand, it’s got a deeper and more robust flavor than honey. That said, if you decide not to use it you could potentially whisk together a little honey, lemon juice and salt to make a thick drizzle. I haven’t tried it so I can’t offer amounts. Glad you’re enjoying the recipes!