Vegetarian Niçoise Salad

This Vegetarian Niçoise Salad is a riff on the traditional recipe, but without any fish! Featuring green beans, potatoes, and eggs, it's an easy and healthy salad that's simplicity at its best. 

So, I have a confession to make: I've never been to Nice. I've never eaten a real Niçoise Salad.

I guess that's two confessions? It doesn't matter.

Let's just start with an upfront apology to the good people of Nice for appropriating your salad. And to any Niçoise salad purists who are going to troll me over the inauthenticity of this vegetarian Niçoise salad let me just say I know it isn't traditional. But you know what? I like this salad very much just the same.

If you've made my Kale Tabbouleh Salad, my Vegetarian Caesar Salad with Kale, or my Vegetarian Cobb Salad, you already know that riffing on classic salad recipes is kinda my thing. This is no exception. 

Authentic or not, I think you're going to like this Vegetarian Niçoise Salad.

What goes into a vegetarian niçoise salad?

I think it's super obvious what doesn't go into a vegetarian Niçoise salad: the fish. But what's actually in here?

• Potatoes
• Green Beans
• Lettuce
• Olives
• Basil
• Tomato
• A tasty vinaigrette

Basically it's a platter of delicious whole foods drizzled with a vinaigrette. That's it! It's so simple!

How do you make a vegetarian Niçoise salad?

It's super easy, my friends!

Step 1:  Scrub and chop your potatoes. I like to leave the skin on because there's lots of nutrients concentrated in the skin, but that's totally up to you. Throw the taters into a pot of salted water, and simmer until tender.

In the last minute or two of cook time for the potatoes, throw the green beans in with them.

Step 2: You're also going to need some cooked eggs. You can do these in advance as part of your weekly batch cooking, or on the fly. Up to you.

My preference is a seven-minute egg with yolks that are juuuust a tad under, but the eggs pictured here are more like nine-minute eggs because I got distracted and forgot to take them off the heat. Whatever your egg-doneness preference is, go for that.

Step 3: Now we need to wash some lettuce, slice a tomato, and whisk together a super simple vinaigrette. Then get arranging your vegetarian Niçoise salad on a platter however disheveled or photogenic you please.

Can I make this salad in advance?

Yes indeed! Each and every one of the components can be prepared in advance. I recommend leaving the dressing off until you serve to maintain optimal freshness.

Is this salad Whole 30 Compliant?

It can be! If you leave the sugar out of the vinaigrette and make sure your mustard and olives are compliant, then you're in Whole 30 heaven.

Is this salad gluten-free?

Yes ma'am. It's naturally gluten-free.

Is this salad FODMAP friendly?

The vinaigrette does contain garlic, which for some folks with FODMAP sensitivities is a hard no. Green beans cause trouble for some, but not for all.

Can I make this salad vegan?

If you leave out the eggs, this salad is vegan AF. I'd replace it with some pan-fried tofu or another vegan protein of your choice.

How do I make perfect hard boiled eggs?

I like this technique.

Hey Nutrition Lady, are potatoes good for you?

You bet they are! Potatoes are a great source of vitamin B6, which does all kinds of important things, like building new cells in your body. B6 is also needed for the creation of amines, like serotonin, melatonin, epinephrine, and norepinephrine that help to regulate mood, sleep, and stress, respectively.

Diets rich in vitamin B6 are attributed to lower rates of heart disease. Also, B6 is vital for the breakdown of gylcogen – the form in which sugar is stored in our body - into usable energy.

Potatoes are also a good source of potassium, copper, vitamin C, manganese, phosphorous, niacin, and dietary fiber. But! Most of the fiber content is in the skin of the potato, so leave the skin on for all of the important benefits of ingesting fiber.

Good to know - potatoes are a member of the nightshade family (along with tomatoes, bell peppers, and eggplants), which some people have adverse reactions to. It's also worth noting that potatoes are on the ‘dirty dozen’ list of foods to buy organic whenever possible.

Other tasty salads you might enjoy:

Spicy Tofu Grain Bowls with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Kale Tabbouleh Salad
Chickpea Mason Jar Salads
Spicy Mung Bean Salad
Greek Cucumber Salad

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5 from 3 votes

Vegetarian Niçoise Salad

This Vegetarian Niçoise Salad is a riff on the traditional recipe, but without any fish! Featuring green beans, potatoes, and eggs, it's an easy and healthy salad that's simplicity at its best. 

Course Salad

Cuisine French

Keyword Green beans, Niçoise, Potatoes

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 302kcal

Author Katie Trant

Ingredients

For the salads

• 1 lb new potatoes scrubbed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 7 oz green beans trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
• 4 large eggs just shy of hard boiled
• 4 cups leafy green lettuce
• 1 large tomato sliced
• ½ cup black olives or whatever your favourite is
• 12 large basil leaves torn

For the vinaigrette

• 1 small clove garlic crushed
• 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon sugar *leave this out for Whole 30
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoon water optional

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Wash the potatoes and chop them into bite sized pieces of roughly the same size.
• Place potatoes into a medium pot, cover with cold water, and a pinch of salt, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 8-10 minutes, until the potatoes are just barely tender.
• When the potatoes are just about done, toss the beans into the pot so they get a quick cook.
• Drain the potatoes and beans in a colander and rinse with cold water. Set aside to drain and cool.
• While the potatoes are cooking you can hard boil your eggs. For this recipe I like the eggs just slightly under done, so I'd stop at the 7 minute mark rather than 9. Run the eggs under cold water to stop cooking, then peel and quarter them.
• To make the vinaigrette, combine the crushed garlic, olive oil, cider vinegar, mustard, and sugar in a small jar and shake, shake, shake it up. If you find it to be on the thick side (I do) add 1-2 tablespoon of water to thin it out.
• Arrange the lettuce, potatoes, beans, tomato, and eggs on a platter or on individual plates. Scatter some olives and torn basil leaves over the top. Drizzle the dressing over the top, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve.

Notes

• Nutrition values are an estimate only. 
• Can I make this salad in advance? Yes indeed! Each and every one of the components can be prepared in advance. I recommend leaving the dressing off until you serve to maintain optimal freshness.
• Is this salad Whole 30 Compliant? It can be! If you leave the sugar out of the vinaigrette and make sure your mustard and olives are compliant, then you're in Whole 30 heaven. 
• Is this salad gluten-free? Yes ma'am. It's naturally gluten-free. 
• Is this salad FODMAP friendly? The vinaigrette does contain garlic, which for some folks with FODMAP sensitivities is a hard no. Green beans cause trouble for some, but not for all. 
• Can I make this salad vegan? If you leave out the eggs, this salad is vegan AF. I'd replace it with some pan-fried tofu or another vegan protein of your choice. 
• How do I make perfect hard boiled eggs? I like this technique. 

Nutrition

Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 186mg | Sodium: 361mg | Potassium: 794mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2550IU | Vitamin C: 31.7mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 3.1mg

This recipe was originally published May 30, 2014. It was retested, rephotographed, and updated on September 11, 2018. Last updated September 1, 2020.