Green Beans Marinara

Serves 4 as a main dish, 6 to 8 as a side dish

This is one of my favorite Italian vegetable recipes that is delicious as an easy side dish or a vegetarian main dish. You can use regular snap beans or pole beans. See the notes below for information on prepping the beans. This is equally good when served as a main dish with the addition of some Italian sausage. Slice and brown the meat before adding the garlic, then continue with the recipe as written.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh green beans
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) whole tomatoes, crushed with fingers, with juices (can use 4 large fresh tomatoes, chopped)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 to 2 tablespoons dried oregano leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the beans. Remove the stem ends and snap into 2-inch pieces (see notes below).

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until softened. Add the tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered, until tomatoes start to break down. Add the green beans and cook, covered, until tender, about 30 minutes, depending on age and size, adding a little water as they cook if needed. Taste the for seasoning and, if desired, add more salt, pepper or oregano.

Notes: If the beans you can purchase are large and probably not very tender, you might want to blanche them first in some lightly salted boiling water for about 2 minutes to soften a little. Drain well and continue with the recipe as written. In true Italian style, the beans should be cooked until very tender but, if preferred, you can cook them less so they remain slightly crispy.