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vastasa salad recipe

Insalata Vastasa (Sicilian Salad with Potatoes and Green Beans)

Silvana Nava
If you're looking for a rustic and refreshing summer dish from Sicily, try Vastasa Salad! This traditional recipe from Palermo combines boiled potatoes and green beans with fresh tomatoes, red onions, and extra virgin olive oil.
Its name, vastasa - which in Sicilian slang means “rude” or “rough” - reflects the bold and rustic character of this peasant-style salad.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Resting Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4
Calories 304 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 450 g potatoes - 1 pound
  • 300 g green beans - 10 oz
  • 200 g cherry tomatoes - 7 oz
  • 1 medium red onion - I used Tropea red onion, but regular red onion works just as well.
  • 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 40 g green olives - 1.4 oz
  • 40 g black olives - 1.4 oz
  • salt - to taste
  • black Pepper - to taste

Instructions
 

  • Trim the green beans, removing the ends and any tough strings. Rinse them under running water, then boil them in plenty of salted water until tender. Drain, rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking, and let them cool completely before using.
  • Wash the potatoes and boil them whole, with the skin on, in a large pot of salted water.
    To check if they’re cooked, pierce them with a fork - they should be tender all the way through. Once done, drain them, rinse under cold water, peel them, and allow them to cool completely.
  • While the potatoes and green beans are cooling, peel the onion. Slice it into rings and soak it in cold water with a tablespoon of vinegar for about 20 minutes. This will help make the onion milder and easier to digest.
  • In a large salad bowl, combine the cooked green beans, boiled potatoes, and onion rings.
  • Add the tomatoes and both green and black olives. Gently mix everything together.
  • Season with salt, pepper, dried oregano, white wine vinegar, and a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil.
  • Give the traditional Sicilian Vastasa salad a final stir. Then place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.
  • This Sicilian potato and green bean salad is best served cold, ideally with a nice piece of crusty bread for the perfect scarpetta at the end!

Nutrition

Serving: 100gCalories: 304kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 4gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gSodium: 330mgPotassium: 752mgFiber: 6gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 843IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 58mgIron: 2mg
Keyword Sicilian potato and green beans salad, vastasa salad
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