Greek-style green beans really seem much more like a “stew” to me. The liquid in which it cooks turns into a wonderful tomato-based broth flavored with onions and garlic, infused with the vegetal flavor from the green beans as it cooks. Fresh lemon juice, fresh dill, and extra-virgin olive oil added after cooking at the very end give it a bright flavor, and the oil adds body to the broth. They’re great as a side, but I’d be happy with this as a meal served over rice or with crusty bread to mop up that delicious sauce! Throw a couple of thick pieces of feta cheese on there and you’re good to go for a simple vegetarian meal. The other awesome thing about this is that it reheats really well, so it can easily be made in advance. I’ve served this at the past two Thanksgivings, and each time I cook it the day before. If you make it in advance, make sure to add the lemon juice, dill, and olive oil just before serving after you’ve reheated it (on the stovetop or in the microwave is fine!). These ingredients taste best when fresh (and there’s some thought that extra-virgin olive oil is healthier when it isn’t heated up). These are GREAT on the side of roast chicken, Greek Chicken Bites, or sea bass. Or LAMB. Yum! I used fresh tomatoes for this, but you can use canned if you want. In fact, unless you have really good ripe fresh tomatoes, I’d recommend using canned. It’s one of the few ingredients that often is better than fresh since good fresh tomatoes are hard to come by, especially out of season. There are a few other recipes like this that add potatoes to the mix, which is delicious, since they soak up a lot of the yummy liquid. If you want to do this, just add some diced potatoes (about 2 cups), and add more water and salt to the mix. You can also make this in your slow cooker if you want! Just add all the ingredients except for the lemon juice, dill, and olive oil to the crockpot and cook on high for three hours or low for six. Stir in the lemon juice, dill, and olive oil after it’s done. One last thing- you can use frozen green beans if you want. No need to defrost- just throw them right in as you would with fresh! If you like these Greek Green Beans, you’ll love this recipe for Slow Cooker Greek-Style Green Beans and Chicken Thighs, these Southern Style Green Beans, and these Sautéed Green Beans with Blue Cheese and Walnuts. Here’s the recipe!
