NIÇOISE – STYLE SALAD
This Niçoise – Style Salad is bursting with a mix of flavors and textures, fresh greens, tangy olives, caramelized tomatoes and packed with fiber and plant-based protein. It’s the perfect wholesome meal!
What I Iove from this salad, it is its vibrant colors that ensure we’re getting enough essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and much more for our body. It’s super easy to make and simple, for a laid back lunch or dinner.
INGREDIENTS AND INSPIRATION
Niçoise salad is a composed French salad that’s serves as a main dish. The classic one comes with tomatoes, niçoise olives, tuna or anchovies, and eggs. However in some point, a chef decided to add potatoes, green beans and since then, the variations have become endless. The following is our inspired take on this delicious salad!
- Spring mix
- roasted tomatoes
- blanched green beans
- kalamata olives
- cooked chickpeas
- hemp seeds
- brown rice
Dressing
- tahini sauce
- fresh lemon juice
- Dijon mustard
- salt and black pepper
STEPS TO MAKE NIÇOISE – STYLE SALAD
This vibrant, wholesome, and plant-based recipe comes together in only a few simple steps:
- Cut the cherry tomatoes in slices and Roast in a pan until start to soften and lose their firmness.
- Blanch the green beans for 3-5 minutes.
- In the meantime, whisk some tahini sauce, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper together for a simple dressing.
- Plate with vegetables, chickpeas and hemp seeds for a plant based protein, add in some fresh, top with dressing, and serve!
MAKE YOUR OWN VERSION!
I personally, like this salad as it is but it doesn’t mean you can inspire and create your own Niçoise salad version with the ingredients you like the most:
- No vegan: adding tuna and hard boiled eggs is the most classic and closest version to enjoy this French salad.
- For more volume: add green leaves, you have among spring mix, spinach, kale, lettuce, though not traditional.
- For ever more nourishment: You can add brown rice, farro, quinoa, millet or roasted root veggies (potatoes) for complex carbs and vitamins.
- More crunch: try to add cucumber, shredded carrots, red onion and if you want, you can replace green beans for asparagus.
At this point it’s not really a Niçoise salad at all, but hey! …What really matters is that you can play around with the ingredients you like the most and explore that creativity side you have in the kitchen!
You’ll like every bit of it. It’s finger-lickin’ good! Enjoy it, friends! 🌞
For more hearty salads like this, check these:
Detoxing Beet and Carrot Salad
Lentil Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato
Thank you for your support and follow us along here! That’s a sunshine in my heart! If you would like to see more, you also can find us on Instagram and follow us there as well! Did you make this recipe? I’d love to see your creations by tagging a picture here #thesunshinekitchen__. If you want to support our business, the best way to do it, it’s sharing our recipes, so more people will know about them. Your opinion is important to us! Leave us your feedback by rating and commenting at the bottom of this page!
NIÇOISE – STYLE SALAD
Ingredients
- 2 cups salad greens
- 250 gr green beans cut in two inches pieces and blanched
- 1 cup chickpeas fresh or canned
- 1 cup brown rice cooked
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes roasted (optional)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 6 tbsp Nicoise or Kalamata olives
- 4 tbsp hemp seeds (optional)
- ¼ cup sliced scallions (green onions)
Dressing
- ¼ cup tahini sauce
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a pan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic to the oil and cook for about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, thyme and stir for few seconds. Add balsamic vinegar, salt and black pepper. stirring frequently so that all sides of the tomatoes roast evenly, until the tomatoes start to soften
- Blanched green beans: Add water and salt to a large pot or sauce pan. Heat over high heat and bring to a rolling boil. Prepare an ice bath by setting out a large bowl filled with water and ice, add the beans to the hot water and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the beans are bright green and crisp-tender. Remove the green beans from the hot water and immediately transfer them to the iced water. Drain and set aside.
- Make the Dressing: in the meantime, whisk tahini, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper together in a small bowl until emulsified.
- To serve, divide the salad greens and brown rice in two large serving bowls or plates and top with green beans, roasted tomatoes, chickpeas, hemp seeds, olives and dressing. Garnish with green onions. Niçoise salad is usually served with the elements divided and at a slightly warm or room temperature.
Notes
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2tbsp Maple syrup
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp sliced green beans or scallions