A simple yet tasty recipe for green (French) beans stew in a rich tomato sauce. Easy to make, a great idea for a healthy and nutritious meal during the week.
I have to confess that I didn’t like green beans at all during my childhood. My mother use to cook them in the summer, when green beans are seasonal. It was not something to look forward to.
Things have changed and I started appreciating slowly the beauty of this simple meal. It has now become one of my favourite summer meals in Greece, especially during lunchtime. But my sister still hates them! Some people never change…
The key for a successful stew with green beans is the quality of the beans itself and the fresh tomatoes. There is a huge variety of beans you can find in an open market in Greece but it works fine with the ones you can find in the supermarkets.
The end result has to be juicy, oily and beans should melt in your mouth. Make sure you have nice bread to dip in the gorgeous sauce!
- 400 gr (14 oz) green beans
- 1 ½ large onion coarsely chopped.
- 1 red bell pepper chopped.
- 3-4 sweet and ripe tomatoes.
- 2-3 large potatoes cut in big chunks.
- 500 ml (17 fl oz) tomato purée or passata.
- A bunch of flat-leaf parsley.
- ½ cup of extra-virgin olive oil.
- Salt and ground pepper.
- Cut the edges of the beans (if not cut already), wash and drain them. Set aside.
- Warm up the olive oil in a large pot on medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and start frying them until they start getting golden.
- Prepare a tomato paste with the tomatoes and parsley using a blender.
- Add the onion and red pepper and cook until they start getting soft. Add the green beans, give it a good stir and cook for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the fresh tomato paste, the tomato purée (or passata). Stir well and make sure that the juices cover all of the ingredients. If not, add some hot water.
- Bring it to boil and reduce the heat to minimum. Cook for ~ 1 hour until the beans are soft. Remember to stir from time to time.
- Serve with lots of bread and Feta cheese.
- Bon appetit!