French-style green beans, better known as Haricots Verts, are a very thin variety and the perfect choice for my Slow-Cooked Tex-Mex Style Green Beans.

I’ve made green beans with tomatoes many times over the years, adding this and leaving out that, but now I’ve tweaked this recipe, and it’s perfect. I think it’s my choice of spices and aromatics that puts a unique twist on these Slow-Cooked Tex-Mex Style Green Beans, and gives a complexity and depth of flavor.

I love cumin for its grassy, earthy flavor, so I decided to add this spice to my recipe. It made a HUGE difference!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yields: 6 servings
Equipment: 1 (3-quart) saucepot, 2 large mixing bowls, spider, chef’s knife, cutting board

Ingredients:
2 pounds of French-style green beans (*Haricots Verts)
2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil (substitute any neutral oil)
1 sweet onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 (15-ounce) can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes and their juice
1 1/2 cups of water
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground

Instructions:
Start by going through the beans and cutting off the root ends. In a pot of boiling salted water, *blanch the beans for 1 to 2 minutes, then immediately transfer to an ice bath. This sets the beautiful green color. Transfer the green beans to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain any excess water. Pat dry with a kitchen towel and place into a large bowl.

In a saucepot over medium heat, add grapeseed oil and ground cumin, allowing the cumin to *bloom. Once you can smell the cumin, add the diced onions and chili powder. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until onions have softened and become translucent.

Next, add the diced green bell pepper, kosher salt, and fresh-ground black pepper. Stir occasionally, cook for another 3-5 minutes. Next, add the dried oregano, rubbing the oregano through your fingers to release its flavor as you drop it into the pot. Finally, add the minced garlic, and stir to combine.

Add the *blanched green beans, a can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes along with the juice, and water. Stir all the ingredients together while bringing the green beans up to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook uncovered for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, and cover until ready to serve.

There you have it, my Slow-Cooked Tex-Mex Style Green Beans. 

Notes:
1) *Blanch: Blanching is a cooking process wherein a food, usually fruit or a vegetable, is scalded in boiling water. Removed after a brief, timed interval and finally plunged into iced water (shocking or refreshing) to halt the cooking process.

2) *Bloom: The process of gently frying spices in oil. It’s a quick way to deepen their flavor. Cook just until the spices smell nice and toasty; any longer and you risk burning them.

3) *Haricots Verts: Usually known as French green beans are a thinner and shorter variety.

4) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through a preferred online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2015/06/16/oven-roasted-whole-grain-mustard-potatoes/

https://lindalouhamel.com/2015/06/22/yogurt-marinade/