In my opinion, green beans are not the most flavorful vegetable on the planet – nevertheless, they are awesome and great for your diet, due to the fact that they are high in fiber and vitamin C. Therefore, sometimes veggies may just need a little helping hand in order to get them where they belong – into your stomach and, especially if you are a member of the green bean haters club.

The following homemade green bean recipe is quick and easy to make, pairing well as a side dish for practically anything you choose to make - as well as being flavorful, nutritional and as always - made with fresh ingredients! This isn’t your dry version of green beans, as this recipe produces a little sauce to drizzle over the finished dish making it all that more delicious!

A great alternative to the traditional/regular green beans are the Asian long beans (link at bottom of page). They are a little more expensive than the regular beans, but are milder in flavor. Also, from a preparation point of view, they are a blessing as they have no strings to pull, which saves an enormous amount of time. Cut them into the length you like and proceed with the recipe as normal. Easy for you and me = Awesome!

Ingredients

2 tbsp. olive oil
2 lb. green beans, trimmed
1 tbsp. crushed fresh garlic
1 medium yellow onion
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. dried crushed basil
1/2 cup white wine, optional
1 cup crushed tomatoes

Method

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the beans for 2 minutes. Drain and then plunge them into an ice bath to stop them from cooking further and drain again. Set aside.

2. Slice the onion in to thin half-moons, sauté for 3 minutes with the garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil over a medium heat. Raise the heat to medium high and add the red pepper flakes, basil, and white wine, if using. Cook until the wine has been absorbed by 50% or cook for 1 minute if you are not using the wine.

3. Add the tomatoes and beans, heating through for 3 minutes or until the beans are, fork tender. Do not overcook. Adjust the seasoning with more salt, pepper and red chili flakes if necessary.

This recipe is delicious as a warm side, a potluck dish everyone will love and is great cold as a salad for a picnic.