Name: GREEK STYLE GREEN BEANS
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 500 g/1lb 2 oz green beans; 4 tbsp olive oil; 1 carrot sliced; 1 potato finely diced; 1 onion finely chopped; 1 clove garlic minced; 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped; 2 ripe tomatoes cored and chopped; 1 tsp runny honey; pinch of cinnamon; salt & pepper

Read on for my recipe for green beans salata

These Greek style green beans make a great light lunch or as part of the traditional Greek style mezze starter with a main meal. They are also good as a side dish with roasted or grilled meats as part of a main course. Or just serve them as a main dish for your meat free Mondays!

Veggie Goodness

The Greeks love their vegetables and it is no wonder when you see how many varieties are grown there. Here in Crete vast swathes of the island are covered in massive green houses that protect the valuable vegetable crops from the sun in summer and keep them warm in winter.

Vegetables are served with every meal be it in salads (salatas) or roasted, braised or sauteed. You can very soon find yourself almost giving up meat entirely unless popping out for a meal. I tend to live mostly on veggies over here as I just adore the freshness and flavour and have learned all sorts of flavour combinations and ways of cooking them to get the very best out of them.

What’s in the dish?

This dish of green beans salata has few other ingredients, just carrot, potato, garlic, tomatoes and onion and the magical touch of cinnamon and honey that makes it all come together so beautifully and makes all those healthy flavours sing on the plate.

I love this just as a lunch or light supper dish on its own but it would be perfect alongside a roast chicken or baked ham for the perfect Sunday lunch instead of your usual peas and carrots etc.

Here it is served simply and in true Greek style, just green beans at their best.

Kali Orexi!

Karon x

Print Recipe

GREEK STYLE GREEN BEANS

Greek style green beans with just a few other veggies plus cinnamon and honey are a flavour packed delight

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: vegetables

Cuisine: Greek

Servings: 2

Author: Karon Grieve

Ingredients

500 g/1lb 2 oz green beans
4 tbsp olive oil
1 carrot sliced
1 potato finely diced
1 onion finely chopped
1 clove garlic minced
2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
2 ripe tomatoes cored and chopped
1 tsp runny honey
pinch of cinnamon
salt & pepper

Instructions

Saute the beans in 2 tbsp of the olive oil for 5 minutes and then add the onion and cook till is just turning golden, add the garlic for 2 minutes
Add the potato, carrot, parsley, honey, cinamon and seasoning along with the chopped tomatoes
Cover with water and bring to the boil and then lower the temperature and simmer till most of the water has evaporated.
Stir in the remaining oil
Serve warm.