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Home » Recipes » Main meals

Green beans with tomatoes and black olives

September 9, 2015 by Mandy Mazliah 3 Comments

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green beans in ceramic bowl with tomato sauce and olives
green beans in ceramic bowl with tomato sauce and olives
olives and green beans in bowl with tomato sauce
green beans in ceramic bowl with tomato sauce and olives

A delicious recipe for green beans with tomatoes and black olives. A wonderful, yet simple, summer side dish that makes the best of the beans.

overhead shot of green beans cooked in tomato sauce with black olives - wood background

Olives have long been a favourite here.

Despite our long history of of picky eating, veg avoidance and distrust of new foods, all three of my children adore olives.

I know right - I don't understand it either!

green beans and black olives in tomatoes

The challenges of getting my kids to eat veggies

Any vegetables served up on the side of a main meal to R and Miss R get ignored - almost without exception. Vegetables are consumed in sauces, in cakes, in bread - but very, very rarely on their own.

Since I started this blog we've come a very long way - I can serve up mixed vegetable curry or butternut squash mac and cheese and they (almost) don't bat an eyelid.

Vegetables on their own though? Still ignored. I was thinking about this the other day and something very obvious occurred to me. Frozen peas, plain green beans, broccoli - none of these things are particularly exciting on their own, unseasoned and rapidly going cold on the side of the plate. 

As a consequence I'm focusing on making vegetable side dishes more exciting at the moment to try to entice my kids to eat them. This green beans and tomatoes with black olives dish wouldn't be a main course on its own, but it's a lovely addition to any meal as a side dish.

Green beans in tomato sauce with black olives close up shot

How to cook green beans

Green beans are very easy to prepare. All you need to do is trim the beans - slicing off the non-pointy end. Unless they're looking brown and old there's no need to trim the pointed end of your green beans.

Boil them

The easiest way to cook them is to boil them. Simply bring a pan of water to the boil. Add the beans and return to the boil. Simmer for 4-5 minutes until the beans are tender, then drain.

Add to iced water

If you like you can put your drained beans in a bowl of iced water. This helps them to retain their green colour and stops them from cooking any more. I don't usually bother with this because, let's face it, meal times with three hungry kids clamouring to be fed don't leave a lot of time for extras!

You can then eat your green beans as they are, make this green beans in tomato sauce recipe, add them to a vegetable curry, use them in a bean salad or sauté them with some lemon and garlic.

Green beans are also delicious in a stir fry - you don't need to boil them first.

green beans in ceramic bowl with tomato sauce and olives

What to serve with green beans in tomato sauce 

Green beans with tomato sauce and black olives is a delicious side dish. It works really well with a simple kid-friendly meal. We particularly like it with a mezze.

Here are some ideas for how to make a meal that goes well with green beans in tomato sauce.

  • serve with veggie sausages and sweet potato wedges
  • make it into a mezze and serve with hummus, pitta breads, falafel and any of your favourite dips and mezze dishes
  • dish up with rice and chickpeas for a simple, healthy vegetarian meal
  • alongside a frittata 
  • add onions, dill and extra lemon juice to make them into Greek green beans. Some recipes also add potato
  • add to a selection of summer salads such as fresh lettuce leaves, new potatoes or perhaps with my vegetable pilau
  • as a side dish for some quick carrot fritters
  • alternatively add cumin and cinnamon to add a Lebanese twist to your green beans.

Other recipes you might like

  • Broccoli pesto pasta with green beans and potatoes
  • Hasselback potatoes
  • Butternut squash chips
  • Leek, pear and parsnip cakes

How to make green beans with tomatoes and black olives:

green beans in ceramic bowl with tomato sauce and olives

Green beans with tomatoes and black olives

Mandy Mazliah
A delicious recipe for green beans with tomatoes and black olives. A wonderful, yet simple, summer side dish that makes the best of the beans.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine British
Servings 4
Calories 53 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 handfuls of green beans trimmed (around 150-200g)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
  • handful pitted black olives drained and rinsed (around 100g)
  • 400 g chopped tomatoes from a tin a 400g
  • dash balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • a squeeze of lemon juice
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the green beans, bring to the boil again, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for around 4-5 minutes until the beans are tender.
  • Drain and set aside. If you wish you can place them in a bowl filled with iced water to stop them from cooking further but this isn't essential.
  • Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for a minute before adding the chopped tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and oregano.
  • Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
  • Stir in the olives, the green beans, add a squeeze of lemon juice and grind in some salt and black pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Notes

Nutritional information is approximate and is intended as a guide.

Nutrition

Calories: 53kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 1gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 144mgPotassium: 206mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 145IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 1mg
Keyword green beans in tomato sauce, green beans with tomatoes
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olives and green beans in bowl with tomato sauce

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. María del Carmen

    June 29, 2021 at 2:35 pm

    5 stars
    I’m going to try it

    Reply
  2. Kirsty Hijacked By Twins

    September 16, 2015 at 3:00 pm

    I love all of these ingredients as do the twins so I am sure this would go down well! Thank you for sharing with #cookblogshare x

    Reply
    • Mandy Mazliah

      September 19, 2015 at 7:48 pm

      Thanks Kirsty. It was a lovely side dish x

      Reply
5 from 1 vote

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