Mediterranean Green Beans

 

green beans

We grow several varieties of green beans in our garden and in a good summer, we harvest more than we can eat. I happily blanch, cool and freeze our garden bounty knowing that come January, I’m going to be thrilled to pull this taste of summer from our deep freeze. The olives and sun-dried tomatoes bring lots of umami to the table and the walnuts show up with those good fats. This recipe is so tasty, it makes it easy to eat healthy!

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil (or oil from sun-dried tomatoes)
  • 3/4 pound fresh or frozen (thawed) green beans, ends trimmed
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped mixed olives
  • 2 Tbsp. sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
  • 1-1/2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
  • handful of fresh herbs like rosemary, oregano, chives or parsley, coarsely chopped (optional)

Instructions

  1. Warm large, heavy-bottom skillet over medium heat. Cook walnut pieces 5 minutes until toasted, stirring frequently. Remove from skillet and set aside.
  2. Heat oil in same skillet on medium high. Add beans. If using fresh, cook 4 minutes until softened. For frozen, cook until heated through and any extra water has cooked out of the beans. Stir frequently.
  3. Add olives, tomatoes, lemon juice and salt. Cook 2 more minutes, until everything is well-heated.
  4. Top with walnuts and herbs and serve.