Make Ahead

Greek String Beans with Stewed Tomato

March  6, 2012
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves 4-6
Author Notes

I love putting marinara sauce on most things, so when I tried a green bean with tomato side dish at a lovely greek seafood restaurant, I knew I'd be trying to recreate the dish at home.
This could be a meal in itself with some crumbled feta and crusty bread, but I usually serve it as a side dish alongside fish or chicken baked with just some olive oil, salt and pepper.
This is great served the day it's made, but is just as good, if not better, the next day. —Oops! Were you gonna eat that?

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 pound string beans
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 1 medium onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
  • 1 generous teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and quartered
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Directions
  1. Rinse the string beans and trim both stem ends. Set aside.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and sweat until softening, about 5-6 minutes.
  3. Add the garlic, chili flakes and oregano. Saute for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. In the meantime, pour the tomatoes and their juices into a large bowl and crush with your hands into bite sized pieces.
  4. Add the tomatoes and their juices as well as the carrot to the pan. Make sure all the beans are nestled in the tomatoes. Cover and bring to a boil. As soon as the mixture boils, uncover and gently simmer for 50 minutes. You want the tomatoes to reduce by nearly half and the beans to become tender. Note: I use a carrot here to add a bit of sweetness in case the tomatoes are too acidic, this can easily be left out or replaced with a teaspoon of honey or sugar.
  5. Fish out the carrot and discard. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

0 Reviews