Green Bean Stew
Green bean stew is slow-cooked helping in marrying all the flavors together, giving you a heartwarming stew at the end of a very hard day. This is a great comfort food. Traditionally, it is made with flat Roma green beans, but since those are not always available, regular green beans are just as fantastic.
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Medium Heavy bottom stockpot
- Wooden Spoon
- Measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
- 2 pounds green beans
- 1 pound chuck roast, or stew beef cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 large onion diced into small pieces
- 1 ½ cups diced tomatoes
- 1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon salt or to taste
- 4 cups of boiling water
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
Instructions
- Before you begin, you’ll want to prepare your green beans. Rinse the beans under cold water. Remove the ends on both sides of the beans. Snap them into thirds, or about 2 and a half-inch each. If the beans are fat, you’ll want to slice them down in the middle lengthwise (like French beans). Set them aside until you’re ready to use them.
- Into a medium stockpot add in the olive oil. Place the pot onto medium heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the cubed beef to the pot. Brown for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Once the beef has been browned, add the chopped onions, and cook until they’re translucent. About 3 to 5 minutes. Stirring frequently.
- Add the minced garlic, and the ground coriander and cook for 3 minutes, or until the garlic is aromatic.
- Add the green beans into the pot containing the beef, onions, and garlic. Cook on medium-high for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the diced tomatoes. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let it cook for 25 minutes.
- Add the 4 cups of boiling water or enough to cover the green beans with about ¼ to a ½ inch of water. Add in the cinnamon, salt, and black pepper into the pot. Turn the heat to high. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 25 to 40 minutes or until the beef and the green beans are tender.
- Serve over Mediterranean rice, or you could have it as a “soup” with a piece of gluten-free bread on the side.
Video
Notes
If you are using flat Roma green beans, you will need to cook them a bit longer than the regular green beans.
If you are using a cut of meat that is not meant for stew. Cut it lengthwise following the grain of the meat. The “grain” is the lines that you see in a big chunk of meat. They resemble wood grain.
If you cut along those lines, length wise about 1 inch wide pieces, and then chop it into cubes opposite the grain, you will end up with a tender cut of meat regardless of the type of meat that you have purchased.
I follow this same technique all the time, and I always end up with tender meat, plus it saves me money.
You could use this recipe as a crockpot recipe. You’ll still want to stir fry most of the ingredients except the tomatoes before you add them into the crock-pot. This will give you the same flavors as if it were cooked over the stovetop, and it will actually enhance them because of the slow cooking method. After you’ve added everything into the crockpot, you can cook it on low for 6 to 8 hours. I actually prefer this method because it really does enhance the flavor. I just have to remember to start early in the morning before it’s too late.