Slow-cooked sautéed green beans — so simple and delicious! This recipe is inspired from a Lebanese dish called “Loubia b’zeit“. It’s made with slow-braised green beans, cherry tomatoes, onions, and garlic. It can be enjoyed warm, at room temperature or even cold, as part of a mezze or as a vegetarian (and vegan) side dish.
Lebanese-style Green Beans (Loubia b’zeit) ingredients
Green beans: green beans are the star of this dish. They are available fresh on the market from July to late autumn, so look for them at your weekly Farmer’s Market before they are gone. For the best results, look for beans should be crisp and green. They should be consumed while fresh and will stay that way for up to three days store in the refrigerator.
Tomatoes: canned tomatoes will have a much better flavour than fresh tomatoes that are out of season. In the summer months, you can use fresh tomatoes, which are delicious in this dish. If using fresh summer tomatoes, simply add a little squeeze of tomato paste, plus a little water to thin (60 ml or more).
Shallots and garlic: I love using lots of shallot and garlic because they add so much flavour to the sauce.
Spices: paprika adds a sweet, warm flavour and cayenne subtle heat.
How to serve Lebanese style green beans
Loubia b’zeit is traditionally served as part of a “mezze” along with other side dishes. You enjoy it as a healthy vegetarian side dish with steamed rice, pita bread, or a side of salad such as fattoush or even tabouleh. And depending on your preference you can enjoy this dish warm off the stove, at room temperature or even cold.
How to adapt this slow-cooked sautéed green beans recipe
As simple and delicious as this green bean recipe is, there are always way you can change things up to make it your own.
- Skip the paprika and cayenne and add a pinch of cinnamon.
- Trade out shallots for yellow onion. Or slow cook the onion until it caramelises before adding the beans.
- Add some whole cloves of garlic.
- Use canned diced tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes. Or try fresh ones and a smidgen of tomato paste.
- Top with some crumbled feta near the end of the cooking time or when serving.
- Add sliced sausage such as chorizo to make it more hearty.
If you like this side dish, you might also like these green bean recipes
Sautéed Green Beans with Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 large shallots, thinly sliced
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 500 g green beans, trimmed
- 1 x 400 g can cherry tomatoes (e.g. Mutti)
- 60 ml water
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Nigella seeds, to garnish (optional)
Method
-
In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the sliced shallots and sauté over medium heat until translucent and softened (8-10 minutes). Add the minced garlic, paprika, and cayenne pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant (1-2 minutes). Add the green beans and cook, tossing to coat the beans, for 2 minutes.
-
Add the canned tomatoes and water (use this to rinse the can) and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low to low, cover the skillet with a lid, and gently cook, stirring occasionally, until tender (35-40 minutes), or until the beans react desired tenderness.
Note: this sautéed green beans dish is cooked slowly and gently like a stew. It simmers on low heat so that all the flavours meld together- Ensure the beans lightly cook, without undercooking or overcooking. The beans should be cooked until tender, but not mushy.
-
Season the green beans with salt and pepper. Transfer them to a serving dish and enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- In the summer months, when ripe, flavourful tomatoes are in abundant, use fresh tomatoes instead of canned. Either halved cherry tomatoes or grated or chopped tomatoes and a little tomato paste to add richness.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can enjoy them cold, brought to room temperature or warmed up in a skillet.
Für eine entspannte Atmosphäre in der Küche empfehle ich Euch meine persönliche Elle Republic: Chilled Out Kitchen Tunes Playlist auf Spotify.
Did you try this recipe?
Then tag @ellerepublic on Instagram and hashtag it #ellerepublic
How did you like it?
Please let me know how this Sautéed Green Beans with Tomatoes recipe turned out for you! I would love to hear how you liked it. Simply rate it with the stars above ⭐ or leave me a comment and rate it below.
Did you make any changes to this recipe?
If you have tips for other readers, let me know! It helps me and other readers so much. Sharing is Caring :-).
This post contains affiliate links. If you decide to make a purchase through my link, Amazon will pay me a commission for it. This doesn’t cost you anything additional and the price remains the same. More about advertisements on Elle Republic.