Green beans have a permanent place in healthy cuisine: they score points for their high content of valuable nutrients and are also easy and varied to prepare. Green beans are in season from June to October – now we enjoy them in salads, stews or as a side dish.
With just under 30 kcal per 100 g, green beans are low in calories and almost fat and cholesterol free. They offer a wide range of minerals, vitamins and trace elements, especially potassium, magnesium, zinc as well as vitamin C and the B vitamins are worth mentioning. Their high fibre content supports a stable blood sugar level, ensures long-lasting satiety and a regulated metabolism. Green beans also provide vegetable protein, which makes them particularly valuable for vegetarians and vegans.
Fresh beans can be identified by their solid, evenly deep green pods, which are easy to break when bent and have juicy cracks. Since green beans wilt quickly, they should not be stored in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for longer than two days.
Here is our recipe fort he greek bean casserole with fresh green beans.
Ingredients for 4 servings:
500 g beans, fresh green
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
3 carrots
500 g of tomatoes, happened
Salt
Pepper
2 teaspoons oregano
2 Feta cheese
some water
Preparation of the greek beans casserole:
Preheat the oven to 200 °C top/bottom heat.
Clean the beans and cook them in fresh water for about 6 minutes until they are just tender enough to bite, they will cook in the oven for another 1 hour.
In the meantime, finely chop the onion and garlic clove in a lightning chopper. Chop the carrots as well. Chop or halve the carrots briefly in the lightning chipper and then cut into slices.
Mix with salt, pepper, oregano or Italian herbs, strained tomatoes and beans and place in an ovenproof dish. Fill up with some water so that the beans are just covered. Stir carefully.
Place in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour, creating a creamy sauce. Meanwhile stir 3 – 4 times. Approx. 10 – 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time, put the feta cheese in one piece on top and bake for a short time.
Arrange on plates and cut the pieces of feta cheese in half.
Goes well with potatoes in all varieties (e.g. potatoes in their skins) or simply white bread.
If you want to learn about the health benefits of green beans, have a look at What’s New and Beneficial about Green Beans
