Braised Green Beans With Tomatoes and Garlic

Braised green beans with tomatoes and garlic is a classic dish you can find in any Middle Eastern country. This dish is very traditional. However, my version is made with no lamb! As I am writing this, I am reminded of the scene in my Big Fat Greek Wedding where they say, “What do you mean, no meat!” Well, the meatless part of this didn’t go well with my husband either, as he loves lamb! But eventually, he came around and loved this version just as much. This dish is similar to the bamia with lamb recipe, except you replace the okra with the green beans. 

Are Green Beans Healthy?

Yes! Green beans are incredibly healthy as they have loads of nutrients and antioxidants. With Vitamin C, A, and K, this vegetable can help provide you with a well-balanced meal. They are also low in calories and high in fiber. If you have food sensitivities, you can also eat green beans as they are a low FODMAP food. 

How to Prepare Green Beans?

There are many different ways to prepare this dish, but this way is my favorite since it takes less time. To prepare the green beans, which are called fasolia khadra in Arabic, you need to wash them, trim the top and bottom tips and cut it into smaller pieces. The pieces should be about one inch in length. There is no need to blanch the green beans for this recipe as we will slow cook them with the tomatoes until tender.

Recipe Tips 

I used a lot of garlic, onion, and spices for this recipe. I also used fresh cherry tomatoes since I have a lot in my garden, and I am trying to use them as much as I can. But you can use canned tomatoes if you don’t have cherry tomatoes. For the entire recipe, I used 16 cloves. I used the first eight cloves to cook them with the onion at the beginning of the cooking process. These were cut into thin slices. The other eight cloves of garlic were minced and added at the end to lock in that aromatic garlic flavor. 

I only added one cup of water as I didn’t want the dish to be too saucy. Feel free to adjust the amount of water or use some chicken or lamb broth and make the green beans as saucy as you want. Just remember to add a bit of tomato paste if you are going to add more liquid, so you don’t lose the tomato flavor in the dish. Before adding the tomatoes, I smash them with the potato masher to just release the juices.

How to Serve Braised Green Beans?

This is a tasty vegan/vegetarian dish that is perfect for a weeknight dinner. You could serve this dish as a main vegetarian dish over rice or as a side dish next to roasted chicken, lamb, or fish!