I am very particular when it comes to green beans. When it’s the peak of the season and they are crisp and super sweet, oh do they hit the spot. I had a bag of green beans that I knew wouldn’t last long in my fridge so I came up with this. It’s another one of those recipes where I threw things together that I had in the house: it was one of the best salads/sides I’ve made in a long time. I could eat this every day. In fact, for a few days I did. I had it as a side, as a main, put it on top of arugula and added some raw Dos Lunas cheese for a filling lunch salad, and had it as a snack too.

Squash, Green Bean, and Cherry Tomato Salad with Pesto
3/4 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 lb butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, and cubed
1/4 cup pesto, plus more if you prefer
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1/2 a lemon
extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 450. Spread squash out in a pan, large enough so that the squash is all in one layer. Drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. Roast for approximately 20-25 minutes, shaking the pan once. The squash should be slightly browned and completely cooked through.

While squash is roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and cook until JUST BARELY tender. They should still have a crispy bite to them. This should be about 2-3 minutes. Drain green beans and reserve 2 tablespoons of the liquid. Cut green beans in half.

While the green beans are still hot, toss them with the pesto in a large bowl. If the pesto is not melting into the green beans, add the reserved water. Add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper.

When the beans and the liquid ingredients are completely mixed, add the cherry tomatoes and mix. Finally, add the squash and mix. I add the squash last so that it doesn’t lose it’s shape with all the mixing.

Leftovers Over Salad