Turkish Braised Green Beans

Unpopular opinion: I have never been a fan of green beans at Thanksgiving. The green bean casseroles or the soggy plain green beans are just not for me and I blame it on this recipe. No other green beans come close to comparing to this recipe! This is my mom’s recipe that I tweaked over the years but her’s somehow always tastes better! She is known for this dish at Turkish dinner parties and it is always the first dish to be polished off. Even if you don’t like green beans, I strongly recommend trying this dish. I didn’t like green beans for years and then I tried this and never looked back. Here is everything you’ll need:

Ingredients:

• 1 Large Yellow Onion

• 3 Medium Tomatoes

• 1 Pepper of choice (I prefer Hungarian or jalapeño)

• 2 Tb Tomato Paste

• 1 C Water or Broth

• 4 Garlic Cloves

• 3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive oil

• 1 lb Green Beans - trimmed

• 1 T cracked pepper*

• 2 T salt*

• 1 T Aleppo Pepper (can use Paprika as sub)
  Optional 1/4 or 1/2 ts Cayenne or Red Pepper Flakes if you like spicy
  ** Don’t hesitate to add more pepper or salt depending on taste preference
  
  Directions:
  Wash and trim the green beans set aside.
  
  Dice the onion and slice the pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pot at medium heat. Add in the onion pepper and 1 ts of salt. Cover with a lid and sweat the onion for about 10 min / till it gets soft.
  
  Put the tomatoes + tomato paste + garlic in a food processor and blend. Add into the pot with the onion and pepper then add the rest of your spices and water/broth. Cook for about 7 more minutes then add in the green beans. Close the lid on top and turn the heat in medium- low (mine was at 4). Stir occasionally and let everything cook for 15 minutes or at least until the green beans are soft. If the stew starts to get dry add in another 1/2 c water or broth. Once cooked, let it cool then add in the extra 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
  
  Best served with tzatziki on top or a little lemon zest 😋 enjoy! hell I’m sure fried onions on top would be a great topper too!

P.S. Be sure to tag me on Instagram if you make this because I love seeing you all make my recipes! @stay.wellwithmel - I also have a step-by-step reel of how to make this here