Recipe Corner: Green Beans with Tahini Sauce

Green beans are one of my favorite vegetables and I try to eat as many as I can during the season when they are fresh from my garden or from a local grower. Of course, they are DELICIOUS steamed and topped with butter or ghee, but it is nice to change things up from time to time.

However, too many green bean recipes load on the not-so-good for you items like bacon, cheese or canned soup. When we are focusing on whole food eating, we want to keep the extras simple, clean, and if possible, nutrient dense!

This recipe takes those plain cooked beans and tosses them with ground sesame seeds (tahini), olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and garlic to create an addictive delight!

If you have ever made hummus, you probably have a jar of tahini already lurking in your pantry just waiting to be used again! Tahini should only contain ground sesame seeds. The seed may or may not be hulled (skinned). Unhulled varieties are slightly stronger-tasting and darker in color and contain about 90% more calcium along with additional fiber. Additionally, tahini contains powerful antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, and healthy fats. Pesticide residue is minimal in sesame seeds, so although organic varieties are a better choice, conventionally grown varieties are fine to use.

I have never tried using frozen beans with this recipe. I suppose they would work but might be a little soggy. I usually treat this as a seasonal recipe and enjoy it when beans are fresh and delicious! Hope you will give it a try yourself and let me know what you think!! Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Green Beans with Tahini Sauce

Blanched green beans tossed with a olive oil, tahini, lemon, and garlic sauce!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: Gluten-Free, Green Beans, Plant-Strong, Summer, Tahini

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Mrs. Dornberg

Ingredients

• 1 Pound Fresh Green beans trimmed and cut if desired
• 1/4 Cup Extra-Virgin Olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons Tahini
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh lemon juice
• 1/2-1 Teaspoon Minced garlic worked into a paste
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Chopped parsley

Instructions

• Bring a medium pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat and cook the green beans until crisp-tender, about 3-5 minutes (depending on the bean and how soft you like them). Drain and cool under cold running water. Drain well and set aside.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Add green beans to dressing, taste, and add additional tahini, lemon, salt, or pepper as desired.
• Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately or refrigerate up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.