Harvest the last of your green beans and cherry tomatoes and make this quick and simple side dish that is both healthy and appetizing!
I literally make this dish every month all year long. Snapping beans and the “thunk” of each pod hitting the bottom of a large, white bucket is burned into my childhood memory . We’d busily snap beans for my mom to can during the summer in Washington and then enjoy them all year long.
Nowadays I’ve leaned away from canning a bit and instead savor those summery flavors every month but keeping two basic ingredients in hand, just cherry tomatoes and green beans. So simple and budget friendly!
Recommended Equipment
Before You Begin…
You’ll want to get started by washing and trimming your green beans and giving them a quick blanch. See section below for how to blanch green beans.
What Do I Need for Sautéed Green Beans and Tomatoes?
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty vegetable side dish.
- Green Beans: fresh is best, either from the garden or grocery store
- Kosher Salt: adds flavor to the water that you boil the green beans in
- Water: used to boil the green beans
- Olive Oil: helps sauté the shallots and vegetables
- Shallot: adds a mild onion flavor
- Garlic: adds flavor
- Cherry Tomatoes: different varieties are best, grape tomatoes also work great
- Salt and Pepper: adds flavor
- Lemon: adds a bright citrusy flavor
- Fresh Herbs: You can use any combination you want. We like to use herbs such as thyme, parsley, dill or oregano.
- Feta: or cotija works too…and the cheese is totally optional
The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
How to Blanch Green Beans So They Actually Stay Crisp
Blanching is the process of cooking a fruit or vegetable by quickly scalding them in boiling water then moving them to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. For this recipe, you will only leave the green beans in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes. This is just enough time to cook the green beans until tender but still crisp.
If you let them go much longer, they will start to get soggy and lose their bright green color. By transferring the cooked green beans to a bowl of ice water, they stop cooking and stay crisp for the next step of the recipe.
Do You Have to Trim Green Beans?
You should remove the top end of the green bean. This is the end that was once connected to the plant. It can be quite hard and chewy, so you wouldn’t want to eat it. Some people like to also remove t