Make a big bowl of flavorful vegetables for a cookout, picnic, or a week of lunches. Tender cooked green beans and red onions mingle with ripe tomatoes and black olives. A surprise ingredient adds zip without turning the green beans gray. It’s wildly affordable: a serving costs just $1.16 using organic ingredients, or $11.60 for a big bowl.
I was dreaming about one of my favorite fall dishes when I came up with this recipe: Greek green beans braised slowly with tomatoes. That recipe cooks for an hour and traditionally takes a lot more olive oil. My version is quicker, lighter, and more summery. Whole sliced olives add flavor and fiber without piling on the calories.
| Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Passive Time | 1 hour |
| Servings |
1/2 cup servings
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- 1 pound green beans fresh
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound ripe fresh tomato preferably heirlooms of mixed color
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium red onion
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/8 teaspoon dried ground chipotle powder optional
- 1 teaspoon mustard bottled
- 3/4 cup black olives pitted
Ingredients
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Rate this recipe!
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- Cut green beans into bite-sized pieces, discarding stem ends. Put in a medium pot with salt, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 7 to 9 minutes, until easy to bite through but not mushy.
- Cut tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Chop red onion. Mince garlic. Slice olives.
- Drain green beans and put in a serving bowl or storage container. Rinse pot and dry. Heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add red onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until soft. Stir in garlic and chipotle, if using, and cook for a minute more. Add to green beans.
- Put chopped tomatoes and mustard in the pot and stir to release remaining spicy goodness. Pour over green beans. Add olives and toss to combine. Cover and chill for at least one hour.
- To serve, toss to coat with juices at the bottom of the bowl and scoop onto plates.
- If you want a show-off dish for a potluck or Instagram, reserve half the olives to sprinkle on top as the last step.
- Toss with double servings with a scoop of cooked quinoa and a handful of salted cashews for a vegan main dish.
Nutritional Information for Chilled Mediterranean Green Beans and Tomatoes
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