Italian Style Green Beans with Tomatoes

This simple and very flavorful vegan recipe for these Italian Style Green Beans with Tomatoes will provide you with the perfect side dish throughout the year.

For the past couple of years, it has been a real challenge trying to keep up with an over-abundance of string beans from our backyard garden.

The wonderful thing about this is that fresh green beans can easily be prepared in so many ways.

They are great to have in this Italian potato salad. Equally delicious are these garlicky steamed green beans -one of the easiest and tastiest recipes you will ever make! 

The same can be said about preserving this wonderful vegetable.

Think about it.

It’s the middle of winter, and you have just prepared your favorite green bean recipe with a vegetable you grew from your own garden. 

If you love this idea, don’t miss my step-by-step tutorial on How to Freeze Green Beans.

This method is efficient for all varieties of green beans including those great-tasting Italian flat green beans.

In fact, even if you don’t have a garden in your backyard, visit your Farmers Market. Summer is a great time to stock up on all the local produce.

Today, I am sharing yet another one of my favorite string bean recipes… are you ready? 

Instructions

We need to bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. While waiting, let’s prepare the vegetables.

Rinse and trim the green beans (1 pound) and set them aside.  Finely chop one medium onion and 1-2 garlic cloves. 

For the tomatoes, you can use canned or fresh.

If using canned tomatoes (14 ounces) simply crush them with your fingers, a potato masher or the back of a spoon (like we did for this marinara sauce). If using fresh or frozen tomatoes (about 1 pound, usually 4-5) remove the skin (or blanch them) and chop.

It’s now time to put everything together in order to make green beans in the tomato sauce!

In a large skillet, over medium heat, warm the oil (2 tablespoons).

Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 5 minutes or until they become translucent. Stir occasionally. 

Add a pinch of red pepper flakes (if using) and the minced garlic and sauté for another minute or so.

It’s now time to add the chopped tomatoes. Bring the whole mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to obtain a good vigorous simmer. You need to simmer for about ten minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken.

By this time, that large pot of heavily salted water should be boiling. Cook the string beans for about five minutes; they should still be crisp.

Drain the water and add them to the stewed tomatoes.

Simmer, uncovered, until beans become tender but are still firm. Taste to make sure you get the right texture. Be mindful not to overcook as we do not want them to become mushy.

If the stewed tomatoes mixture appears dry, add a little water. Finally, add the chopped fresh basil (1-2 sprigs) and parsley (1-2 sprigs) during the last few minutes of cooking. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Now, wasn’t that easy?

Tips

• How to Trim Green Beans: Simply line up all the beans, so that the part that was attached to the plant are placed together. With a sharp knife, simply cut. Note that the bottom of the string bean is a lot more tender and does not need to be removed.
• Cooking times will vary so taste and taste again. There are over 130 varieties of green beans so use the cooking times outlined in this recipe as a guideline in order to cook green beans to the perfect tenderness. 

Can I use frozen or canned beans?

Yes, cooking times will need to be adjusted. Always rinse the canned beans before using due to high sodium content.

What are the best fresh tomatoes to use?

Garden fresh Roma or San Marzano tomatoes will usually produce the best results.

Italian vegetable recipes we love

• Sauteed Garlic Asparagus
• Rapini
• Sauteed Broccolini 
• Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables
• Grilled Radicchio

Research continues to prove that eating green vegetables (especially leafy ones) is vital in order to achieve optimal health. [source] So, go ahead and take advantage of all the wonderful local produce readily available in the spring and summer.

Recipe inspiration

My mom would refer to this recipe as Fagiolini in umido. It was one of those vegetarian sides that made an appearance a few times a week… especially in the summer. Oftentimes, she would add a sliced boiled potato.

Absolutely delicious.

This Italian-style stewed tomato with green beans recipe is truly a great accompaniment with any main meal.

Although I have to admit, I often make this my supper during those hot summer months.

I prepare a large batch of this recipe, grate some cheese over the top and serve it with a nice Italian crusty bread.  The role of the bread is to mop up the stewed tomatoes. I can’t tell you how delicious this is! 

Once again, this recipe demonstrates that only a few quality ingredients are required to create a truly delicious side dish for this Baked Cod Fish recipe that your family and friends will devour.

THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.

Ciao for now,

Maria

★★★★★ If you have made this Italian green beans recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

Recipe

Green Beans with Tomatoes

This simple and flavorful vegan recipe for these Italian Style Green Beans with Tomatoes will provide you with the perfect side dish throughout the year.

5 from 7 votes

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 portions

Calories: 131kcal

Author: Maria Vannelli RD

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Ingredients

• 1 pound (500 grams) green beans (approximately)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small-medium onion finely chopped
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes optional
• 1-2 cloves garlic minced
• 4-5 medium fresh tomatoes blanched and chopped OR 1 14-ounce can Italian peeled and crushed tomatoes
• 1-2 sprigs of fresh basil chopped
• 1-2 sprigs of fresh parsley chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Wash and trim the ends of the green beans. Set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.
• Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 4-5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Make sure to give it a few stirs.
• Add the red pepper flakes (if using) and the minced garlic and sauté for about 1 minute.
• Add the tomatoes.
• Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to obtain a vigorous simmer.
• Simmer for about 10 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken.
• In the meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
• Cook the beans for about 5 minutes. Beans should still be crisp.
• Drain and add to simmering tomatoes.
• Simmer, uncovered, until beans become tender but still firm (not mushy). If the sauce appears dry, add some water.
• Add the herbs during the last few minutes of cooking.
• Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Enhance Your Cooking Experience!SCROLL UP for essential step-by-step photos embedded in the article above. When available, videos can be found in the next section. These visuals are designed to help you achieve perfect results every time. Happy cooking!

Notes

• How to Trim Green Beans: Simply line up all the beans, so that the part that was attached to the plant are placed together. With a sharp knife, simply cut. Note that the bottom of the string bean is a lot more tender and does not need to be removed.
• Cooking times will vary so taste and taste again. There are over 130 varieties of green beans so use the cooking times outlined in this recipe as a guideline in order to cook green beans to the perfect tenderness. 

Can I use frozen or canned beans? Yes, cooking times will need to be adjusted. Always rinse the canned beans before using due to high sodium content.

What are the best fresh tomatoes to use? Garden fresh Roma or San Marzano tomatoes will usually produce the best results.

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. 

Nutrition

Serving: 125g | Calories: 131kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 14mg | Potassium: 570mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1830IU | Vitamin C: 33.2mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 1.6mg

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This post was originally published on August 19, 2017 and republished on June 13, 2019 with updated content.