I do not enjoy picking green beans. Or rather, my back doesn’t like picking beans. However, I couldn’t imagine a summer spread without them, whether they’re slow cooked like my great-grandmother made them or blanched until just tender and tossed in a salad. My great-grandfather swore by Contender, a stringless heirloom bush variety that I still sow every season. A reliable crop with an incredible, sweet flavor, they are definitely worth seeking out at farmers markets. Gold Rush is another favorite variety in the garden. True to the name, these beans are a vibrant yellow hue and maintain their texture extremely well, making them a great choice for braised recipes.
Country green beans
Ingredients:
4 strips thick cut bacon, preferably extra smokey, diced
1 onion, sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon each garlic and onion powder
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste
3-4 small to medium sized new potatoes, cut in half if needed
Cook the bacon in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat until crisp. Add the onions and minced garlic and sauté until softened and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the green beans, garlic and onion powder, salt, pepper and new potatoes. Add enough water to just barely cover the green beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until the beans and potatoes are tender. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Green beans with mushrooms
Adapted from a recipe in Madhur Jaffrey’s Quick and Easy Indian Cooking.
This is a fabulous accompaniment to simple grilled fish or chicken. It also makes a great vegetarian main with the addition of a can of drained chickpeas or lentils for added protein. If you’re not a fan of mushrooms, just omit and replace with more green beans.
Ingredients:
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 onion, sliced
1-inch section of fresh ginger, grated or minced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch segments
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 ½ teaspoons cumin
½ teaspoon turmeric
¾ teaspoon garam masala
¾ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder (available locally at Capital Bazaar on Wabash Ave), or cayenne, to taste
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium tomato, chopped
½ cup water
Chopped mint, cilantro and toasted almonds, to serve
Heat the oil in a wide, deep saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds. As soon as the seeds begin to pop and sizzle, add the onions. Sauté until the onion turns a deep toffee brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for two to three minutes until the garlic is fragrant and just beginning to brown. Add the mushrooms to the onion mixture and sauté for two to three minutes before adding the green beans, coriander, cumin, turmeric, garam masala, chili powder or cayenne, salt, chopped tomato and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the water has mostly evaporated away. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with toasted almonds and roughly chopped herbs. Serve over hot rice.
Linguini with pesto, beans and potatoes
This dish is a perfect expression of the phrase: “What grows together, goes together.” Just when the beans begin to burst forth, the basil is at its zenith and the potatoes are ready to be unearthed. Arguably the quintessential pasta with pesto, this recipe from the gorgeous Ligurian Coast in Northwest Italy makes good use of the garden’s abundance.
For the pesto:
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts or walnuts
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 or 2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
A generous pinch of salt
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup grated Parmesan, to serve
For the pasta:
6 small red new potatoes
2 cups trimmed young green beans
1 pound linguini pasta
Freshly grated Parmesan, to serve
First make the pesto. Combine the nuts, basil, garlic and salt in the large bowl of a mortar and grind with the pestle until the mixture forms a paste. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while beating constantly with a rubber spatula. Add in the cheese a tablespoon at a time, stirring until the mixture forms a thick paste. This can also be done in a food processer, however the texture won’t be as fine. Set aside while you prepare the pasta.
Add the potatoes to a large spaghetti pot fitted with a strainer. Cover with cold water and a tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are tender, then use the strainer to remove them from the boiling water, but don’t drain the hot water. Cut the potatoes in half and put them in a large bowl, then set aside. Have an ice bath ready. Bring the water back up to a boil and add the beans. Cook until the beans are crisp-tender, about 2-3 minutes. Remove the beans from the water with the strainer and immediately plunge them into the ice bath. Drain them from the ice bath and add them to the potatoes.
Add more water to the spaghetti pot if necessary and bring back to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until al dente, then drain. Add the hot pasta to the bowl along with the potatoes and beans and pour over the pesto. Toss to coat everything with the pesto and serve with additional cheese on the side.
This article appears in July 16-22, 2026.
