Italian Green Beans and Potatoes
This comforting vegetarian side dish is sure to appeal to even the picky vegetable eaters around your table! It's hearty, simple and classic Italian-American! And, you might be surprised to find out that overcooking the beans is the secret to what makes it so good!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds string beans or romano beans, ends trimmed & beans cut in half
- 2 pounds all-purpose potatoes, rinse, scrubbed and cut into 1" chunks, stored in cold water until cooking
- 4-6 Tbsp olive oil (see NOTE below)
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced
- 2 heaping TBSP chopped or thinly sliced garlic
- pinch crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Prep all vegetables according to specifications above.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil, add salt, then the beans. (See NOTE below.)1 1/4 pounds string beans or romano beans,
- Boil the beans for about 5 minutes or until they are soft. Remove & set aside, keeping the water for boiling the potatoes.1 1/4 pounds string beans or romano beans,
- Bring the pot of water back up to a boil, covering the pot if necessary. Then, add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Remove & set aside. Reserve 1-2 cups of the starchy potato water before discarding the rest of the water.2 pounds all-purpose potatoes,
- While the vegetables are boiling, heat the oil in a large sauté pan on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and sauté until they begin to lightly caramelize (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and continue to sauté another 2 minutes.4-6 Tbsp olive oil, 1 medium yellow onion,, 2 heaping TBSP chopped or thinly sliced garlic, pinch crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper
- Add the cooked beans and potatoes to the onions and mix well. Continue to cook the mixture until the beans are very soft, adding a bit of the starchy potato water if more moisture is needed and partially covering the pan.
- Once the beans are cooked to your desired doneness, season the dish with salt and pepper, then finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. Buon Appetito!
Notes
- Once the potatoes are cut, store them in cold water until ready to cook, otherwise, they will start to turn brown.
- Use about 1 teaspoon salt for every quart of water and bring the water to a boil before adding the salt. The water will boil a little more strongly for a second when you do so, and this will ensure that the salt is dissolved immediately. If you add the salt to the pot when the water is cold, it may just deposit on the bottom of the pot.
- Use a spider or large strainer to remove the beans from the boiling water, so that the water can then be used to cook the potatoes.
- There is no need to 'shock' the green beans in ice water to halt the cooking process, as the key to this dish's deliciousness is actually overcooking the beans! So, do not be afraid to leave them in the water or sauté pan longer that you normally would.
- Be sure to reserve 1-2 cups of the starchy potato water for later in the cooking process.
- Add the crushed red pepper in the pan along with the garlic. Heating the crushed red pepper brings out its oils and heat more, thereby flavoring the overall dish better than if just added at the end of the cooking process.
- Once the beans and potatoes are combined with the onions, add some of the reserved starchy potato water if more moisture is needed when further cooking the dish. Remember, for this dish, overcooking the vegetables is preferred!
- Don't forget to drizzle the finished dish with some high quality extra-virgin olive oil for an additional hit of flavor and richness.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!