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!
Recommended Products:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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
My father used to make this (without the pistachios) and he was a Sicilian Catholic. I wonder if had some Sephardic blood. My mother does, but this recipe came from my dad. We’re all God’s children, eh?
I made this for rosh hashanah. Was a huge hit! Thank you!
Great Sara! Happy to hear it. 🙂
This was a wonderful addition to my holiday menu this year. I loved that much of the preparation could be done ahead of time without compromising the flavor. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to make the date honey syrup, and I am anxious for your recommendations for using the leftovers in other recipes. The combination of ingredients looked beautiful on the platter, and my guests loved the taste! Thinking ahead to the next time I make this, do you see any reason why I couldn’t prepare the string beans by roasting them in the oven rather than sautéing them? Because I had doubled the recipe, I had to sauté in batches, and it took a very long time. Roasting, I think, would make it a bit easier.
Marcia, absolutely! Roasting should work just fine for a larger batch. You could also steam them in a large pot, but I prefer the bit of browning (and extra flavor) that comes from sauteing/roasting.
Tori, I can’t thank you enough for your quick response here. My holiday table will be chock full of several of your outstanding recipes, and I am very grateful to you for your guidance. Will let you know how it all turns out. Wishing you and your family a very Happy New Year!
Fabulous Marcia! Please do report back, I love hearing about everybody’s holiday (after all the dishes are done, of course!). 🙂
I have served your Roasted Beet Salad with Mint recipe on several occasions and besides the fact that it is delicious, I love the fact that most of the recipe can be prepared the day before. However, this salad looks absolutely divine and too good to pass up. I have four questions: It looks like the date honey syrup can be prepared and the beets roasted the day before. Would it be possible to sauté the green beans ahead, keep everything separate in the refrigerator, and then arrange the ingredients and bring to room temperature for serving? I buy dry roasted pistachios at Trader Joe’s, so is it necessary to roast them again for this recipe? Is it OK to use any kind of pitted date? And, finally, how long will the date honey syrup keep in the refrigerator without spoiling?
Marcia– yes, ok to make ahead. Yes, toast the pistachios in the pan a little even if they’re roasted, it helps bring out their flavor (best to do 2 hours ahead or just before serving). Any kind of pitted dried date will work, I usually use Medjool. The syrups keeps for a long time, I’ve kept it for 3-4 weeks without a problem and I’m guessing it would last even longer (but it never lasts very long in our home because it’s so good!).
This salad looks so yummy! What a great combination of flavors!!
Thanks, Tori!!
I’d love this dish without the nuts. Just don’t want nuts mixed into any dish. Otherwise, it looks great, Tori.
I bet it would be just fine substituting dried chow mein noodles, or dried fried onions before serving. Both products are commonly sold in supermarkets.
This sounds delicious! When you make that amount of date honey syrup, what else do you use it for (since you only use 1 tbsp for this recipe)?
Thanks!
Hi Vivian! It can be used for all kinds of things. I’ll be sharing more recipes that include date honey in the coming weeks, but off the top of my head it can be used as a substitute for maple syrup, a marinade or glaze for meat or fish, a substitute for sweetener in tea… so many possibilities!
Yum!! Date honey looks gorgeous!