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    String Beans with Sauteed Tomatoes & Garlic

    November 26, 2008 by G. Stephen Jones 5 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Image by The Relucant Gourmet™

    Green Beans with Grape Tomatoes

    I found this recipe in my latest Cuisine at Home cooking magazine and adapted it a little for my family's tastes. I was a little concerned that my girls wouldn't enjoy them because of the garlic, but my 10 year old loved them.

    Most of the time when I cook fresh string beans at home, I steam them and serve. It's quick and easy, but this recipe adds a whole bunch of incredible flavor. The cooking technique is to first blanch the beans, then saute the garlic and tomatoes and finish by combining all together.

    Blanching vegetables before sauteing is a great technique and often done in professional kitchens. It adds another step but it's well worth it.

    Grape tomatoes are now available everywhere and they seem to have a lot more flavor than hot house tomatoes. Normally I don't recommend fresh tomatoes when they are out of season, but I'm finding grape tomatoes are a great alternative. Use sea salt if you have it on your shelves.

    Print Recipe

    String Beans with Sauteed Tomatoes & Garlic

    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time10 mins
    Total Time20 mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 4 servings

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound fresh green beans trimmed
    • 1 cup grape tomatoes halved
    • 3 cloves garlic slivered
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
    • sea salt to taste
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the beans for 4 to 5 minutes.
      I used a strainer to hold the string beans so I could just drop them in and pull them out. While the beans are blanching in the boiling water, add some ice to a bowl and fill three quarters with water.
    • When the beans are done blanching, remove from boiling water and immediately transfer to the bowl of ice water.
      This is called "shocking," and will stop the cooking process and retain the color of the beans. Once the beans are cool, drain and reserve.
    • Heat a saute pan big enough to hold all the string beans. Add the oil and when hot, saute the garlic and tomatoes over medium heat for 2 minutes, being sure not to burn the garlic.
      If the garlic does start to burn, remove it from the heat immediately while keeping the garlic moving in the pan with a wooden spoon.
    • Add the string beans and stir together with the tomatoes and garlic. You are just trying to warm up the beans and combine flavors.
    • Season with salt and serve.

    Notes

    The original recipe calls pepper flakes to give the beans an extra little flavor but my wife and kids would not eat them with pepper flakes so you decide.
    These string beans were so good, my daughter requested we serve them on Thanksgiving. A great testimony for this recipe.
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    I'm a work-at-home dad who enjoys cooking, learning everything I can about the culinary world and sharing it with you. To learn more about me... Read More…

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Corbov

      December 05, 2008 at 12:27 pm

      A variation of this recipe is to saute 3-4 minced garlic cloves in olive oil til softened, add 1 lb green beans and saute slightly to coat with olive oil and garlic. Add 1 med can of diced tomatoes and bring to simmer. Salt/Pepper to taste. Simmer with cover on until beans are tender. Serve warm.

      Reply
    2. AnnieB.

      January 14, 2009 at 7:11 pm

      Hi....this is the way we Greeks do our green beans, delicious!

      Reply
    3. Lexi

      July 15, 2009 at 7:37 pm

      what also works VERY well with this recipe is to add in some balsamic vinegar at the end and saute until the balsamic gets reduced and thick. Its DELICIOUS.

      Reply
    4. RG

      July 20, 2009 at 1:28 am

      Thanks Lexi for the tip of using some balsamic vinegar. Will have to give it a try.

      Reply
    5. LRNL

      September 13, 2010 at 2:55 am

      Great dish. I added the balsamic and the pepper flakes. I really enjoyed this. Thanks 4 sharing.

      Reply

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