Green Beans & More

Fresh green beans make for a wonderful side dish simply steamed with salt and pepper.

For a jazzed up version add a few basic ingredients and you will have a versatile side dish that can accompany any meal. I blended the flavors of onions, garlic, red pepper and tomatoes with the green beans to keep the flavors light and fresh. Mushrooms would have been a great addition as well but I didn't have any when putting this dish together.

Cook the green beans for no more than 4 -6 minutes to maintain the crisp freshness of the green beans. Sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper before serving.

To give the beans an Italian twist, squeeze a little lemon juice and top with grated parmesan cheese.

SIMPLE GREEN BEANS and MORE
1 -2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 pound fresh green beans
½ onion, sliced thin
1 clove garlic, minced
½ red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 tomato, diced
¼ cup water
Kosher salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

1. Heat a sauté pan on med and add the olive oil.
2. Cook the onions until soft.
3. Add the garlic, red peppers and tomatoes and toss to mix.
4. Add the green beans and water and cover.
5. Cook for 4 minutes.
6. Remove cover and season with kosher salt and pepper.