Green beans are a vegetable that I could eat all day long, second only to broccoli.
When I was younger, steamed green beans with soy sauce and fresh lemon were a favorite of mine! But trading in the soy sauce for olive oil, fresh tomatoes, and thyme has yet to disappoint the palate.
And this combo can be played up to accommodate many dishes by swapping in different spices. Simple salt and pepper is pleasing as well!
I grew up eating lots of vegetables, and I can only hope that the same appreciation for the taste of them will transpire in my kids.
I will admit that the kids aren’t completely won over with green beans (they’re green, remember?), but I still put them on their plates, as they will still rip the pods open and eat the actual tiny “beans” inside. I call it positive progress, ha!
This was originally from one of Rachael Ray’s “30-Minute Meals” episodes years ago, but as I look for the recipe now, it seems to no longer exist online. Hmmm…
I have approximated the ingredients and measurements for my own adaptation which you see here, so please don’t be too upset if they’re off. All I can say is estimate, to taste.
My Notes:
- Ingredients and measurements are approximate. My best advice is to add seasonings to taste.
- Dried thyme can be used in place of fresh. Fresh lemon and/or lemon zest can be added for extra oomph!
Family Verdict:
The kids love ripping the beans open to eat the insides… so they do literally eat the beans – lol! I have yet to fully win them over with the full bean itself, but I’ll get them eventually. Maybe our recipes for crispy, oven-baked green bean fries or this spicy garlic version will be the ultimate winners!
Hubs likes this side dish, and so do I. And although we’re halfway to hitting the top of the charts with this one, I will still continue to make it.
Recommended:
Yes, yes!
Bon appetit,
Lynne
Thyme-Seasoned Green Beans with Tomatoes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Make delicious green beans flavored with thyme, tomatoes, and some lemon. My kids love it and I’m sure yours will too! And they’re so easy to prepare.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds green beans, washed and trimmed
- 3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme (or fresh, if available)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Lemon juice and/or zest (optional)
Instructions
- Steam the green beans in 1-2 inches of water until crisp or fork tender. Drain.
- Drizzle with olive oil, and toss with the remaining ingredients. That’s it!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegetables
Keywords: green beans, tomato, thyme
If you love green beans as much as we do, then you’ll really enjoy these tasty recipes:
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Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Lynne Jaques
Lynne is a stay-at-home mother of two boys. As a former US military officer and the spouse of an active duty US military member, Lynne enjoys traveling the world (although not the moving part!) and finding new cuisine and methods of preparing food. She also has the habit of using parenthesis way too much!
I am intrigued by the fresh approach the recipe and I have tried recipe above and I loved serving it for my family recently. I prepared my beans until they were tender for the family. I am the only one who like them to remain crisp.
I love green beans, so this appeals to me. I’m always looking for new side dishes.
One of my kids is a green bean lover like myself. Next time she comes home, I’ll have to make these for her. I will have to add some garlic though, but then I put garlic in pretty much everything.
These look great. I really like green beans, but don’t know many ways to fix them.
Wow! I like the simplicity of the green beans recipe. I have been looking a healthy low-cost meal that is easy to cook. I must try it out this weekend, since my mom and aunts are the vegetarian in the family. I wish not to overly cook the beans.Thanks for posting this one!
Mmm. I’ve never added tomatoes to my beans. That’s an excellent idea. I make mine a similar way, but will definitely try the addition of tomato. My worst problem when making a green bean side dish is to not eat all the raw beans as soon as I snap the ends off. It’s a problem. I also have that problem when I grow them. I go to pick them and it’s one for the basket, one for my mouth. It makes for terrible harvests đŸ˜‰
Wow! that looks great and easy to cook. đŸ™‚
I usually cook my beans with a can of tuna and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Good to here that you have another way to prepare it. đŸ™‚ Although i’m not sure if I’ll like thyme, i’ll still try cooking this next week.
Thanks for the recipe.
Is it O.K. that I’m an adult and sometimes *I* rip them open and eat the beans too? I’ve always played with my food đŸ™‚
This recipe looks good–I’ve never tried fresh thyme with green beans before. I’m always looking for new was to prepare veggies. I try to eat vegetarian for a few meals a week to cut back on meat and save a few dollars.
Looking forward to trying it as always. Thanks!
I’m the same! I can eat a whole plate of green beans for a meal. This just looks divine!
This recipe is simple and fresh. I will try this later tonight. I am trying to eat healthy and incorporate as much vegetables as I can. I am diabetic at the age of 12 and I have been struggling with my diet for quite sometime. My doctor mentioned that I can all kinds of food in portion; however, I can all the vegetables that I can. I am trying to be more into vegetables so I do not feel hungry and always in need of sugary food all the time. I hope I can see more of delicious recipes here that I can try and enjoy. I am sure though that since you are a mother of 2 kids the recipe will be fun to eat đŸ™‚
Thyme makes everything better :). I use it in almost everything. I like the use of olive oil instead of soy sauce in this recipe. I should try it. Maybe I will eat green beans more often lol.
I’ve always been a big fan of green beans. They make an easy add-on to any meal and they also taste great just by themselves. I’m always looks for ways to spice them up. This looks like it would taste really good and will go with a lot of different things. I’ve never put green beans and tomatoes together before. That will be something different.
Oh my! I am a BIG green bean fan and these look absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to give these a try! I love the taste of green beans!
I must admit I love to cook and mess around in the kitchen, but to tell the truth I have never used thyme when cooking. Judging by the amount of comment and what sound like recommendations, I had better start experimenting. What a great and simple way to create a yummy side! Adding this to my “will try” list”!
I love green beans too. I’ve never tried cooking them with thyme. So, I’ll be doing that this week. But I have tried cooking them with sweet peppers cut vertically (in length) with only salt and pepper added in for extra taste. And it’s so yummy!!!
These sound really good. We have fresh green beans all of the time, but I usually just season them with butter, salt, and pepper. I wonder if they would also be good seasoned with dill.
I love all kinds of beans, not just green beans. As for a tomato nothing bets a home grown one. A store bought tomato is nothing compared to home grown. You put that together with green beans two thumbs up. I think this dish looks so good. I would love to try this with a side of pork or maybe beef.
I’m an adult, but I don’t like my vegetables, too! Anyhow, when I got sick I was forced to eat my greens! Slowly, I discovered that I love green beans. That, or green beans have been an acquired taste recently, hehe!! Anyhow, this is something that I can truly enjoy. I’ve tried this recipe before, minus the tomatoes, though. Also, instead of steaming – I just blanched the green beans.
Simple and cheap! It’s always good to learn new ways to jazz up vegetables – although green beans are one of my favorites, they can get boring at times. I’d serve this side dish with a juicy steak or chicken breast.
I like green beans, they’re cheap and tasty when you season them right. They are a healthy food as well. I always cook mine sauteed with a bit of salt and soy sauce but this looks nice as well. I’m going to try it.
Green Beans are one of my favorites too, after greens. They have a flavor all their own and also go well with many combinations of seasonings. This tomatoes thyme recipe gives me a new option. I usually cook mine with garlic, basil, salt and brewer’s yeast, with either carrots or potatoes added in. It depends if I want a light or a robust dish. The lemon in your recipe is an unusual twist. I like to venture out with cooking, so I will probably add the zest as well.
I would like to add that I’d really love to see more side dish recipes here. I’m always looking for some new ideas for what to serve on the side, and this blog has such great stuff. More, please!
I really like green beans, and I serve them most any way they can be prepared. I do prefer whole, fresh ones, but around here, we’ll eat any variety.
I love the simplicity of this recipe, and since I’ve never steamed green beans, I want to try this out. Roma tomatoes are my favorite, and the addition of the lemon and thyme will liven the dish up a bit from the ordinary side of green beans.
OOO, I’m liking this one and so easy. I like to undercook stuff like this so it is still crispy. This is funny about the kids ripping the beans open. I would have hid the under the plate at that age. Now I love food like this. We had entirely too much junk food and didn’t want to even look at good food. Now I would probably eat the two pounds all by myself as a meal. This dish I might spice up a bit more. I’ll have to think about what I would put. I guess if you put enough pepper that would do it.
This recipe is amazing! So fresh and flavorful, yet so simple. Definitely keeping this one to make over and over again.
I love green beans but I am not a huge experimenter and I often cook them the same way all the time and get bored of it. I’m always looking for new recipes to cook them hot and cold (to make a salad). This is a great meal and since I grow so many tomatoes during the summer time I’m really looking forward to trying it out.
Seems quite delicious. We usually just season the water with salt and pepper. Nothing like cooked veg.
Freshly steamed green beans are the best. I would add bacon to this recipe since it gives great flavor. I know pork is not good but in moderation is what I do. I love the thyme and tomatoes combination. This rocks by itself…but adding it to the beans is refreshing and another great take on fresh green beans. I love adding fresh herbs and spices to bring out the flavor in other wise boring veggies. I wonder if my kids would like them…worth a try.
As a child I hated green beans because I was forced to eat them. Only as an adult have I discovered their true wonderfulness and versatility. I would never have thought of putting them with tomato, but then it can be used with most foods!
Green beans are one of my favorites and I always cook them every week. The only complaint is finding recipes where the beans are seasoned good. I have a problem with cooking bland green beans, I tried seasoning meat, but the flavor did not appeal to me. I will try this out and maybe at last I can eat a good green bean without drowning them in sodium.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I love green beans, but have come to dread eating them lately due to flavor fatigue (is that a thing?). I can only eat plain green beans so much before I’m going insane. I have tried cooking them with garlic and onions, but even those have been tasting dull lately. It never crossed my mind to toss in tomatoes. It seems so obvious now, but years of seeing carrots and lima beans in frozen mixed veggie bags has killed my creativity.
I am reading a lot of vegan related meals over here and I’m already loving it. One of these days would be a good decision to get out of the routine and try one of those. And I really liked this one, I am a big fan of green beans and tomatoes, and I am already picturing how it would taste with pepper and some lemon on them, the perfect acidic taste!
Thank you so much for sharing :).
What a beautifully simple and elegant dish – It had never occurred to me to serve green beans with tomato, but it does seem to make sense, perhaps even with a few pieces of fresh orange as well? I will definitely give this a shot, and I will try the peeling open trick for getting my young nephew to possibly ingest one or two green things!