Garlic Green Beans with Tomato

After a small hiatus during the Christmas season, we’re back with another recipe honoring the Italian flavors we love so much. Our GARLIC GREEN BEANS WITH TOMATO has a well rounded flavor made from the combination of garlic, tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, and classic Italian herbs; oregano, basil, and parsley. Fresh green beans are sauteed to the perfect consistency of tenderness but still retain a fresh crisp bite. This dish is good to serve with pasta or on its own but we’ve chosen to pair these garlicky green beans with white rice. Rice is the perfect partner to our Garlic Green Beans with Tomato because the tomato olive oil sauce the beans cook in is just the right consistency for this dish– not too thick, not too thin and the sauce soaks into the rice and infuses into the green beans. To add more flavor to this dish we cooked the rice in vegetable broth. This extra touch of flavor gives these beans the flourish it needs for a complete whole bodied flavor profile. Oh, I can’t wait to heat up the leftovers! So, let’s hop to it!

GARLIC GREEN BEANS WITH TOMATO

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups fresh green beans, washed and with the ends snipped off.
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• Extra virgin olive oil, enough for cooking
• 1 stalk celery, chopped small
• 1 small cooking onion, diced
• 10 ounce can of tomato wedges
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• Fresh parsley for garnish

METHOD:

• Add about 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to a high edge skillet. Heat the skillet on medium-high heat. When the pan is heated add the dried oregano, chopped onion, and chopped celery. Saute until onion and celery are translucent. 
• When celery and onion are translucent add chopped garlic cloves. Stir around to heat through for a minute or two. Then add in the green beans, dried parsley, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Fold together. Sprinkle a little more extra virgin olive oil (about 1-2 Tablespoons) over the green beans. Cover with a lid and let saute until the green beans are tender.
• After the green beans have become tender, add in tomato paste and pour in the canned tomatoes- juice and all. Turn heat down on low-med heat with the lid on and cook for five minutes. After five minutes, remove from heat so the sauce has time to settle.
• If you haven’t already, now’s a good time to cook your rice. We cooked our rice as suggested on the package. Except instead of cooking in water, we cooked the rice in vegetable broth.
• Before serving, sprinkle the top with a little freshly chopped parsley.
• Enjoy!