Green bean salad

When you want to serve a large family or don’t mind leftovers and are in a pinch, this is what you want.  Easy and tastes good.  If you get all postal with me about the canned beans, feel free to use fresh – I won’t stop you.  This is where that $2.50 #10 can of Blue Lake green beans from Costco comes in.

Easy Green Bean Salad

1 #10 can (big, big can) of green beans (not French cut, please)
1/2 red onion, large, finely chopped
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup canola oil
About 3 T sugar
S&P

Intersperse the drained beans and chopped onion in a large, shallow bowl.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and sugar, ensuring that all the sugar dissolves — you might have to leave it and come back to it a couple times.  Taste it.  You want the sugar to significantly cut the acidity of the vinegar so that it is sweet-sour.  Adjust as needed.  Whisk in a large pinch of salt and a couple big dashes of pepper.  Whisk in the oil.  You are making, basically, a watery vinaigrette.  Use more or less of each, as you like, but don’t make a traditional vinaigrette for this dish.  Adjust S&P.  Pour over the green beans and leave out for an hour.  Every 15 mins or so bring the beans from the bottom of the bowl to the top so they are all equally marinated.  If you use a large, stainless steel bowl, this will work well since you can take a large spoon and run it down the side to pull beans up from the bottom.  What you don’t want to do it create a mush, so be gentle.  If you are serving the next day just cover and pop in fridge.  Take out a good hour before you serve so it is not ice cold.

Notes:  Better the next day and good with tuna sandwiches.