Best Italian Green Beans
You’ll love this Italian style string bean recipe! Fresh, crispy green beans with bacon, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and onions all nestled in a tomato-based sauce with balsamic vinegar, pine nuts and Pecorino Romano cheese.
My recipe is different than the majority of recipes you’ll come across for Italian green beans. In fact, in my research, I found that most, if not all of of those versions use Italian breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese-oh joy! How predictable.) I’ve incorporated mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar to elevate the flavor profile to the next level.
The beauty of this recipe is that you don’t have to serve it with Italian food.The savory beans pair beautifully with Mustard Pork Tenderloin, Pan Fried Pork Chops or even your favorite Chicken Spaghetti!
The secret to this recipe is all about how you cook the beans. According to renowned food scientist Harold McGee and the fine folks at Cook’s Illustrated, it’s all about the type and amount of salt and duration of cooking the beans.
How to make Italian green beans
This is a brief overview; for more detailed instructions, see the recipe card below.
- Boil the beans in salted water for 7 minutes, then immediately transfer to a bowl full of ice water.
- Cook the bacon, onions and mushrooms in a large skillet. Add in tomato paste, sun dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Return cooked beans to this skillet; add pine nuts and cheese; toss well; garnish with remaining nuts and cheese.
Make ahead and storage
Italian style green beans can be made up to three days in advance when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, saute in a skillet on medium low heat or microwave for a few minutes until the beans are warm throughout.
Italian Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1½ -2 pounds fresh green beans
- 8 cups water
- 4 tablespoons table salt – do not substitute See Recipe Notes
- big bowl of ice water to put the cooked green beans in
- 2 slices bacon cut into small pieces (or about 1½ ounces of pancetta)
- 8 ounces whole mushrooms , sliced
- 7 ounces small Cippoline onions, boiler onions or pearl onions See Recipe Notes
- 2 tablespoons fresh finely minced garlic (about 3 medium cloves)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 ounces drained sun dried tomatoes cut into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons dark balsamic vineger
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ – ½ cup pinenuts
- ¼ -½ cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
Instructions
- Prep: 1. Bring the water to a boil; add salt; stir; add green beans, set timer for 7 minutes.2. Gather a large bowl and put water and ice in it. Set it next to the stove. Once the beans are at 7 minutes, use a spider or slotted spoon and immediately transfer them to the bowl of ice water. Just leave them in the ice water until you're ready to put them in with the rest of the ingredients.3. While the beans are cooking, slice the mushrooms, peel the onions, cut the bacon, mince the garlic and drain the sun dried tomatoes. If the sun dried tomatoes are whole, cut them into small pieces and set aside.1½ -2 pounds fresh green beans, 8 cups water, 4 tablespoons table salt – do not substitute, 2 slices bacon cut into small pieces, 8 ounces whole mushrooms, 7 ounces small Cippoline onions, boiler onions or pearl onions, 2 tablespoons fresh finely minced garlic (about 3 medium cloves), 8 ounces drained sun dried tomatoes cut into small pieces, big bowl of ice water to put the cooked green beans in
- In a large skillet on medium heat, add bacon and cook till crispy. Add onions the cook for a few minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook 3-4 minutes, until the moisture has cooked out of them and they are a light golden brown. Add minced garlic and drained sun dried tomatoes; season with black pepper and turn heat to medium low. Remove the onions if they start to get too dark;1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Add tomato paste and water to the skillet and stir until well combined. Add in brown sugar and balsamic vineger; combine well; season with oregano and garlic powder.2 tablespoons tomato paste, ½ cup water, 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons dark balsamic vineger, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Add cooked beans to the skillet and toss with tongs until well-coated and warmed throughout. Transfer to serving dish; add in 1/4 each of pine nut and grated Pecorino cheese; add in the onions (if you took them out of the skillet earlier); toss well. Garnish with remaining pine nuts and cheese. Serve warm or room temperature.¼ – ½ cup pinenuts, ¼ -½ cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
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