Green Beans and Tomatoes
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When you need a simple, quick, easy, and healthy Southern side dish to accompany your favorite main meal, try this recipe for last-minute green beans and tomatoes. It’s lightly seasoned, only needs 5 ingredients, and is ready in just 15 minutes.
In the continual search for something green to add to our meals, this green beans and tomatoes recipe is a great quick and easy Southern side dish that makes canned green beans delicious. I say this with surprise because, until I made them this way, there was nothing more un-delicious to me than a can of green beans. Usually, I only served green beans when I had time to fry up bacon and make them sweet and sour style.
I was skeptical when my friend, Heather, told me this recipe for last-minute green beans was her son’s absolute favorite side dish, but I tried it. I have to say, it has become one of our favorite side dishes, too. This is handy because you can keep the ingredients on hand easily enough and whip the recipe up at the last minute with very little thought (hence the nickname). Let me just say, it tastes great with my sticky chicken and maple-glazed pork chops. We do thorough taste-testing around here, of course!
So, what ingredients do you need on hand? Well, it’s super simple: cans of French green beans, an onion, a can of diced tomatoes, and salt and pepper. That’s it! Your green beans and tomatoes will be ready to eat in 15 minutes. Sound good?
P.S. I really don’t fret over whether or not I have something green on every supper table. One of my favorite meal combinations includes sides of creamed corn, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and rolls! But we try to toss some green in there (like these green beans and tomatoes) for good measure to keep all of our home economics teachers from rolling over in their graves. I have a home economics degree, so it’s my duty!
Now, time to make some last-minute green beans.
Recipe Ingredients
- Diced tomatoes
- French-style green beans (regular green beans work just fine)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Onion
Helpful Kitchen Tools
How to Make Last-Minute Green Beans and Tomatoes
First, chop your onion.
Drain your green beans and dump them into a pot.
Say hello to your green beans because they’re being all sweet and posing for you. They look like they are seeking approval. HELLO, GREEN BEANS! You look mighty pretty today!
Add chopped onion and canned tomatoes (with juice).
And salt and pepper to taste.
Stirry stirry.
Cook over medium-high heat until it just comes to a light boil.
Then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
The end result? A big bowl of green beans and tomatoes.
There are several serving suggestions below, but may I suggest some delicious chicken legs to accompany your green beans and tomatoes?
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Recipe Notes
- You can also use fresh tomatoes or cherry tomatoes if you like. Just dice it up and go for it. Another option is to swap the diced tomatoes for canned fire-roasted tomatoes.
- To make them extra tasty, add a teaspoon of garlic powder or minced garlic cloves. You can also add a tablespoon of sugar or brown sugar if you want a touch of sweetness.
- For heat, you’ll want to add a pinch of cayenne pepper, paprika, or crushed red pepper flakes to this (whatever spice you have on hand).
- As mentioned, you can use either canned, fresh, or frozen green beans.
- If your saucepot isn’t non-stick, add a dash of olive oil or some butter to add flavor and ensure nothing sticks to the bottom.
- Just before serving, stir through 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley or chopped fresh basil if you like for Italian green beans and tomatoes (a very similar side dish).
- Some Southern versions of this dish add crumbled bacon bits too.
Recipe FAQs
What do you serve with green beans and tomatoes?
Now, I know I included quite a few serving ideas in the intro, but hey, here are some more:
- Serve them as a side with all sorts of main dishes, like Southern fried catfish, Southern fried chicken, pan-seared pork chops with velvet cream sauce, or pulled pork.
- They also work great as a side dish with pasta, like my slow cooker angel chicken pasta.
You may also like these other Southern side dish recipes:
Southern Deviled Eggs Recipe (Keto-Friendly)
Hush Puppies Recipe, Southern-Style
Ingredients
- 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 14.5-ounce cans green beans, drained
- 1 chopped onion
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place drained green beans in a medium saucepot. Add in chopped onion, tomatoes with juice, salt, and pepper. Stir.1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained, 2 14.5-ounce cans green beans, drained, 1 chopped onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Place over medium-high heat and bring just to a light boil.
- Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Serve.
Nutrition
If you pray for God to move a mountain, be prepared to wake up next to a shovel.
~Unknown. Submitted by Rick (thanks, Rick!)
I have found the green beans (won’t give name brand) that are in the white lined cans are soooooo much better than beans packed in plain tin cans. Have been making the family eat them for years just draining, rinsing, adding water, salt, pepper, and onion. Imagine my surprise when I bought these beans on sale and they WERE GOOD STRAIGHT OUT OF THE CAN.
Thanks for the heartwarming and tearjerking story. My kids are grown and it truly does seem like just yesterday they were toddlers. We can only hand them over to God and have faith that he will guide them in all ways.
Thank you for all your wonderful stories and recipes. You are truly a blessing.
Love, this story. Mine is 15 and now spends more time away than at home. I just have to remember that’s the way it’s suppose to be. If you raise them right they go off into the world
My son married with a family, seems like only yesterday!
my heart was with you reading this post. letting go is so hard but you are such a good mama for pretending to do it. i hope i can pretend someday too!
Okay, it’s hard to read recipes through misty eyes. 🙂 I had to *pretend* to let go this morning so this touched my heart. You are such a good mama.
Of Christy…I feel for you I really do. My babies (at the time were 13 and 11)a couple of years ago when on a week trip with the girl scout troop to Walt Disney down in Florida. It had to be the longest week on my life without my little chicks under my feet. The worst thing that happen was the the airliners lost their luggage and the girl scout leaders had to scrounge up some clothes for them to wear. They ended up getting their luggage the day before they were leaving. My oldest called me the day before the flight back and asked if we could drive the hour and half to Indianapolis to pick them up (if she had ask for us to drive to Flordia I would have told her we be there in 16 hours or less) because they wanted us to take them home. The best feeling I had was seeing my girls smile and wave at us when they got off the plane.
On a another note both my hubby would love this so I definately will try it. I have another quick fix that I use for green beans. Take to cans, drain and rinse and add a cup of water to beans and to chicken boubillon cubes. works really well in getting rid to the metal taste of the can.