A Simple green bean stew with a combination of slow-cooked fresh green beans, tomatoes, onion, garlic, chili, olive oil, and salt & pepper. These braised green beans are delicious served hot or cold as part of a main dish or side!
Rinse the green beans, pat dry, and then slice off the hard ends of each bean. You can make this job go by super quickly by holding a few green beans in place and lining up the ends and then slicing them all off in one go.
Chop the green beans into 1-2" pieces and finely dice the onions and garlic. Then, cut the tomatoes in half.
Add the onion to a large pan with a little of the olive oil and saute lightly for a few minutes, until beginning to soften. Next, add the beans, chilies, and tomatoes.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat and simmer, with the lid on, for around 25 minutes, until the beans are tender and the tomatoes have broken down into a delicious braising liquid. If you're using thinner green beans then this may take slightly less time (check at 15-minute mark and continue, as needed).
If you want to remove the tomato skins from the pot then you can, I usually leave them in.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Your green bean stew is now ready to serve. Optionally, garnish with parsley.
How To Store:
Any leftovers will store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. This recipe is also freezer-friendly and will freeze for up to 2 months ( possibly longer, but I've never tried further than that). To reheat, simply allow to thaw in the fridge and then reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. It may be slightly watered down after freezing. Feel free to add a spoonful or two of tomato puree, if wanted.
I use halved plum tomatoes that slowly break down while being braised. However, you can also dice your tomatoes for a more broken down sauce.
Use your choice of green beans. The flat green beans that I used are slightly tougher, so great for a braised green beans dish. However, string beans, french green beans, and runner beans/ flat beans all work.
Depending on what green beans you use, you may need to de-string them before use. Otherwise, the fibrous strings can be quite unpleasant to eat.
Omit the chili peppers if you'd prefer a spiceless green bean stew.
My family recipe has never included lots of additional spices. But if you do want a little extra, then warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice work well. Or even cumin.
You can, optionally, serve with lemon slices. A little bit of lemon juice over the green bean dish tastes absolutely wonderful.
You can use red onions in place of the golden onions.
You can also use frozen green beans for this recipe, or even tinned green beans ( although they will be mushier)!
In a pinch, canned tomatoes will do for the tomato sauce - just choose a high-quality variety like San Marzano tomatoes.
If you want to bulk up the green bean stew, then you could addleftover chickpeas or other beans.