sometimes Joey goes grocery shopping solo and he often comes home bearing some unusual grocery store finds. on his most recent trip Joey came home with a 2 lb bag of Haricots Verts (which are basically slimmer, more tender green beans - i mean, let's be honest, they're "green beans" in french). did y'all read that? a 2 pound bag of greenbeans! mind you, it's only the two of us eating, except our two cats and last time i checked, they're not huge fans of haricots verts - even if they were smothered in sardines.
thus, my challenge was to figure out what to cook with this lifetime supply of green beans - so here's what i came up with...
1. Green Bean Pasta with Tofu Ricotta 2. Green Bean Salad with Balsamic and Shallots
the culprit! i divided the bag in half: half for the pasta dish and half for the salad. the salad is best left to marinate overnight and it makes a great meal the next day so you don't have to eat green bean pasta with a side of green bean salad! that's pushing it people!
- 1 bag of pasta - i used brown rice fusilli
- 1 jar of marinara sauce
- 1.5 cups of Tofu Ricotta (i got the Tofutti brand at Whole Foods)
- 2 cloves of garlic - chopped
- 1 pound of green beans or haricots verts sliced in 1 inch pieces
- olive oil
- boil water for your pasta and after it boils, before you put the pasta in, use tongs to submerge your green beans for a few seconds in the water to tenderize them a bit. then use the water to cook your pasta per the package instructions.
- in a sauce pan use a couple tablespoons of olive oil over low/medium heat to saute the garlic and your green beans. once the green beans are tender, add your marinara sauce and stir all together.
- mix your cooked pasta with the sauce and add the ricotta - use more or less, depending on how creamy/salty you want it.
- serve!
Green Bean Salad with Balsamic and Shallots
serve this salad cold and it's delicious for lunch or a side dish for dinner. you can use a pre-made balsamic dressing, like i did, or make your own. it keeps well in the fridge for 3 or 4 days.
Prep It:
- 1 pound of green beans (or haricots verts)
- 2 or 3 shallots - sliced
- 1.5 cups of mushrooms - sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic - minced
- balsamic dressing (or make your own with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper)
- olive oil
- in a saucepan with olive oil saute your shallots, mushrooms and garlic over medium/low heat.
- in a pot with a little water and a steamer basket, steam your green beans until they're bright green and tender. tip: flip the green beans in the steamer basket a couple times as they steam so they cook evenly.
- mix your sauteed shallots and mushrooms with your freshly steamed green beans and allow to cool to room temp.
- add your balsamic dressing to taste - i like it pretty well dressed because it will marinate in the fridge and get more flavorful.
- let your dressed salad chill in the fridge for a couple hours before eating or eat it the next day.
- yum!
