This tomato salad is the perfect fresh-from-the-garden all-purpose summer side dish for the season. It’s bursting with green beans, tomatoes, corn and cucumbers, with toothsome bulgur adding just a touch of heft (and healthy whole grain) while soaking up the tangy dressing.
Ingredients
- 1 cup bulgur, medium grain
- ½ pound green beans, topped
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1-½ cups cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch slices
- 1 ear corn, husked and kernels removed
- 2 tablespoons minced red onion
- ¼ cup roughly chopped basil
Instructions
Bring bulgur to boil with 1 cup lightly salted water. Cover, reduce heat to low ,and simmer for 3 minutes. Turn heat off and let bulgur sit for 10 minutes.
While bulgur is resting, fill a medium bowl with a cup of ice and 2 cups water. Bring an inch of salted water to boil in a pot with a steamer insert. Add the beans, cover, and steam for 2-3 minutes, until just crisp-tender (exact cooking time will depend on size and freshness of the beans â?? your best bet is to taste them starting at 2 minutes and go from there). Use tongs to transfer beans to the ice water (reserve steaming water). When beans have cooled (2-3 minutes), drain in a colander.
Spoon sugar into a large salad bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the hot water from the beans until sugar has dissolved. Whisk in vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Toss in green beans, tomatoes, cucumber, corn, onion and basil, and mix well. Fluff bulgur with a fork and add to salad. Toss well to mix and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
Notes
Cook Time: 13 minutes (includes standing time for bulgur)