Purple Potato Salad with Green Beans, Baby Spinach & Smoked Trout. Finally, a salad that’s both nutritious and budget-conscious, featuring beautiful seasonal produce.

If you’re tired of the usual Greek salads, Caesar salads, or in Italy the notorious “insalatone” (which are often mixed greens hard-boiled eggs and corn), here’s a flavorful variation that’s also cheerful thanks to its vibrant color.

You can substitute the trout with your favorite fish or with a plant-based alternative like smoked tofu or seitan, or feta or smoked cheese.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• Large purple potatoes – 2 (500 grams)
• Black olives – 5 tablespoons
• Green beans – 1 pound (454g) (fresh)
• Canned smoked trout or other smoked fish of your choice like salmon or mackerel 80g total (2.7 oz, drained)
• Baby spinach – half bag, about 85g (fresh)
• Organic lemon – 1 (you’ll need both zest and juice)
• Extra virgin olive oil – about 25g (1½ tablespoons)
• Salt and black pepper – to taste

Cost estimate:

Total recipe cost: $14.70 (3.67 each portion). Prices calculated as of September 2025. Purple potatoes and organic lemon are from Whole Foods; organic baby spianch, organic green beans, Kalamata black olives and smoked trout are are from Trader Joe’s.

Instructions

First, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Wash the potatoes, peel them with a potato peeler, cut into thick slices and place in a Dutch oven with half a tablespoon of oil and ¼ cup of water. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, checking doneness and ensuring the potatoes aren’t overcooked*.

While the potatoes cook, fill a spacious saucepan with unsalted water and set it on the stove to boil. Wash the green beans, trim both ends (if you don’t buy them pre-trimmed), and as soon as the water boils, add them. Cook for 15 minutes keeping them al dente, then drain in a colander.

Place the drained trout (from oil in the can) in a small bowl, rinse the organic lemon and grate the zest of the whole lemon over the fish using a grater, then add the lemon juice and mix with a fork.

Rinse the baby spinach and let drain.

Now assemble the salad. You can either toss everything together in a bowl or arrange the ingredients on a serving dish: add the potato slices (cut in half for bite-sized pieces), green beans, baby spinach, black olives, and trout along with the lemon juice. Mix and add pepper and 1 tablespoon of oil. Add a little salt because the olives and smoked trout are usually already salty.

Tips

* I love cooking with the Dutch oven method because it keeps all the flavor and nutrients locked in without wasting them into water. If you’re in a rush, boiling works too (just don’t overcook!), or try the microwave. One thing I learned years ago: skip adding the salt at the beginning when cooking colorful vegetables, as it can make them look dull. Just add them at the end.

Instead of fresh green beans – if you can’t find them or don’t have time to trim them – you can use frozen whole green beans.

It’s important that the lemon is organic/untreated because you’ll be using the zest, and you want to avoid any chemical residues on the peel.