Making a full pot of green beans, potatoes, and tomatoes is delicious, satisfying, budget-friendly, healthy, and so easy! This simple green bean stew with potatoes is the perfect end-of-summer dish, and I could easily eat it every other day.
Green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, a few pantry spices, and ingredients are all you need to make this flavorful dish.
You can then have it for lunch or dinner, as a main course, or as a side dish for cast iron chicken breasts, baked brats, air-fried thin pork chops, or pretty much anything else you feel like having.
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Recipe ingredients
Fresh green beans are the best choice, but if you only have frozen ones, go ahead and use them - the dish will still be just as delicious. Check French Green Beans or Romanian Garlic Green Beans, too.
Potatoes: I use all-purpose potatoes, whatever sort I have in the pantry. Don’t use floury potatoes to make green beans and potatoes with tomatoes; they will break up too much in the dish. Good options include Yukon Golds or red potatoes.
Tomatoes: Crushed tomatoes from a can. You can also make this dish with fresh tomatoes, but only if they are really ripe, flavorful, and juicy. In this case, add an extra ½ tablespoon of tomato paste and a bit of extra broth if the dish seems too dry.
Sauce and seasoning: Onion, fresh garlic cloves, vegetable broth, extra virgin olive oil, tomato paste, flour, thyme, balsamic vinegar, a bit of sugar, fine sea salt, and ground black pepper.
Variations
Add sausage: I sometimes like to add a bit of sausage, something like cabanossi or chorizo. If using chorizo, cook the slices before cooking the onions. Discard most of the fat it releases, leaving just about 2 tablespoons or enough to sauté the onions. Cabanossi won’t release so much fat, so you can sauté it with the onions.
Add chicken: Cut chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs into pieces a bit larger than the potato pieces. Sauté them lightly with the onions, then proceed with the recipe. Try Romanian Chicken and Pea Stew or Eggplant Chicken Stew, too.
To make this a Greek recipe, sprinkle the dish with good-quality feta cheese before serving. To give it an Italian touch, sprinkle it with Parmesan or drizzle it with basil pesto.
How to cook green beans with potatoes and tomatoes?
Preparations: Top and tail the fresh beans and cut them into 2-3 pieces, depending on their size. Peel and chop the potatoes, finely chop the onion and the garlic.
Step #1: Heat the oil and sauté the onions with a pinch of salt in a large pot until soft and lightly golden. Add garlic and stir briefly.
Step #2: Add tomato paste, stir, and add the flour.
Step #3: Add green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, broth, and seasoning. Stir well.
Step 4: Simmer on medium-low heat until the potatoes and the green beans are tender. Adjust the taste and sprinkle with fresh parsley.
Good to know!
Peeling potatoes: You can peel them or leave the peel on - whatever you prefer. Personally, I always peel them; I can't seem to get friendly with potato skins.
Frozen beans don't need to be prepared; they are already topped and tailed. While still frozen, snap them into smaller pieces and leave them on the counter until ready to add to the stew; they don't need to be fully thawed.
Acid balance: If your tomatoes are very acidic (it often depends on the brand of canned tomatoes you are using), balance the flavor with a pinch of sugar or a splash of balsamic vinegar.
Make ahead and store
You can braise green beans, potatoes, and tomatoes 2-3 days ahead and refrigerate them in the pot. Then, reheat them on the stovetop, occasionally stirring.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days (less if you have cooked this dish beforehand). Reheat in a small pan on the stovetop or in the microwave.
I don’t recommend freezing any dish with potatoes; their texture changes significantly after freezing and thawing, and I am pretty sure you won’t like it.
What to serve with the stewed green beans and potatoes?
Fresh bread is all I need! But, of course, you can serve them with some protein dish, like Dutch oven roast chicken, chicken thighs cooked from frozen, pork meatballs, and so on.
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Green Beans, Potatoes and Tomatoes
Equipment
- Dutch oven or another large pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb green beans 450 g, Note 1
- 1 ½ lbs potatoes all-purpose like Yukon gold, 700 g
- 1 medium onion about 4 oz/ 120 g
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 can crushed tomatoes 14 oz/ 400 g
- 1 ½ cup vegetable broth or chicken stock, 350 ml
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- ½ to 1 teaspoon granulated sugar Note 2
- ½ to 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
- fresh parsley
Instructions
- Green beans: Rinse them under cold water. Top and tail them by cutting off the stem end and any tough tip. Cut the beans into 2-3 inch pieces, depending on their size.1 lb green beans / 450 g
- Chop: Peel and cut potatoes into cubes (not too small). Finely chop the onion and the garlic cloves and set them aside separately.1 ½ lbs potatoes all-purpose / 700 g + 1 medium onion + 3 garlic cloves
- Sauté onions: Heat the oil and sauté the onions with a pinch of salt over medium-low heat until they are soft and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. If they begin to color too much, lower the heat and add a tiny splash of water to prevent them from getting too dark.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and stir for 1 minute, then sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir for another minute.garlic + 1 tablespoon tomato paste + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- Simmer: Add green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, broth, thyme, ½ teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer on medium-low heat for about 25 minutes or until the potatoes and the green beans are tender.beans + potatoes + 1 can crushed tomatoes + 1 ½ cup vegetable broth / 350 ml + 1 teaspoon thyme + ½ to 1 teaspoon granulated sugar + fine sea salt and ground black pepper
- Adjust the taste with balsamic vinegar, more sugar, salt, and pepper (if necessary). Start with ½ teaspoon of balsamic vinegar, stir, and add more to taste. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.½ to 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar + fresh parsley
Notes
- Green beans: Both fresh and frozen work well. Frozen beans are already topped and tailed; just snap them into smaller pieces while they are still frozen and leave them to defrost slightly on the counter until you are ready to add them to the pot; they don’t have to be fully thawed.
- Sugar: The amount you need depends on the acidity of the canned tomatoes, as some brands are more acidic than others.
Helene says
I loved it! So simple and tasty. Love your blog.
Adina says
Thank you, Helene.