i found Yngvai Malmsteve's review very useful for starting points. though i think 14 minutes baking time was too much, i think 10 will leave the beans more crisp and less wilted. i also left my marinade separate and refrigerated it for 24 hrs to meld all the flavors. i added sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese and pine nuts. was good, but must eat right then as it doesn't save well.

This was good and very simple. I used half raw garlic and half roasted garlic (I had some left from another recipe), and it gave the salad a wonderful flavor that wasn't overpowering. I lightly blanched the beans and served them over romaine. I actually liked it better over the lettuce than just the beans by themselves; it gave a nice variation to the texture.

As written I give this recipe a 3, but I felt it needed more. So the next time I made it, I changed it. I am allergic to garlic so used more shallots instead. I roasted my green beans at 425 degrees for about 12 minutes. My beans had been resting atop a plastic baggie full of fresh dill, and they picked up that flavor, so I thought what they hey. I'll just add a couple of tablespoons of chopped dill to the recipe. I also took the suggestion of others and added some cheese to it. I used Swiss, since I had that on hand. I decided not to use as much oil and vinegar. I used about half. This dish was great. I'll make it again, but using my recipe instead. It brought the recipe up to a four or five. Even my husband who is not that fond of green beans liked this recipe.

This was good, I did make a few changes. to save time and money, I used a store brand balsamic vinagrette and I added mozzarella cubes.

In addition to the beans, I added fresh asparagus spears cut to the same length of the beans. I sprinkled salt, pepper, parsley and garlic powder into the vinegar and olive oil before pouring onto the salad.

I tried this but I steamed the beans, and I didn't use 2 tablespoons of garlic. I thought that was a LOT. I still used too much though and my wife and had the taste in our mouths for a couple of days. Next time, I will not use any at all and see how this turns out. I'm sure we'll enjoy it. Overall, a decent side dish.

Pretty good, but nothing special. Worth it to use slightly higher quality balsamic vinegar here, since it is one of the main flavors. I would add some red pepper flakes next time. Overall, a simple recipe that I wouldn't mind making again, but nothing to rave about.

This was too garlic-y for me, although I did like the balsamic vinegar on the beans.

Very good. I served this salad with traditional lasagna and alfredo lasagna on Christmas. My green beans were a little overcooked, so I am looking forward to making it again with crunchier green beans. Thanks for the recipe.

Got rave reviews on this when I served it at a post Christmas buffet. Like a previous poster, I tossed the green beans in olive oil and broiled them. This really did make them tender and crunchy and infused with flavor. Substituted red wine vinegar for balsamic as I was out and it was still great, but will try with balsamic next time. Great dish to prepare ahead of time.

very good!!

This salad was awesome! I took it to a get together with people I had never met and I became the green bean chef! Thanks for making me look good! I added a handful of reduced fat feta cheese and decreased the amount of olive oil a little. Tried it first with steaming the green beans and then roasting them and I'd give my vote to roasting! Thanks!

Awesome. It does need to marinate. I also ate the whole thing in one sitting. I will add crumbled feta next time.

This was a very good salad but I chose the wrong entree to pair it with. So I put to back in the fridge & we'll eat it for lunch.

I really didn't care for this too much. I have to totally agree wth another reviewer, you have to really like the balsamic flavor to really enjoy this dish. However, my mom devoured it, so it really is a good recipe for those who like the balsamic taste. I didn't have any shallots, so I sauted some diced red onion in sesame oil, then added the vinegar to the onions. Also added some salt and white pepper, then poured it right over the hot beans.

A nice change of pace from ordinary green beans. I find the recipe as written a little plain for my tastes, but it is a great base to add your favorite ingredients to. I added sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese.

First time I made this, I waited 24 hours as it chilled and flavors melded in the fridge. I ended up eating the whole pound of beans in one shot. Three things that improve this, as far as I'm concerned: 1) Instead of boiling or steaming the green beans, toss them with a little olive oil so they get thinly coated, and then roast them on an aluminum foil covered sheet pan at 450F for 14 minutes. The beans taste better this way, plus the dressing sticks to them a bit better. 2) Throw some red pepper flake and fresh ground black pepper in the dressing. 3) Unless you're having some bread on the side, you can cut the amount of the liquid in the dressing by about 20%. Also, since you're not cooking the oil/vinegar, use extra-virgin olive oil.

Excellent! Try adding some slightly toasted pine nuts! Delicious!

Yum! Both my husband and I love this recipe! It's simple to prepare and tastes even better the longer you let it sit in the fridge. The one thing we've changed is to only use half of the olive oil, since we love the taste of the vinegar with the garlic and shallots and that much oil isn't really needed. This is perfect with Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken by Connie, also on this site, and oven roasted red potatoes.