· soy-free ·

Green beans —who doesn’t love them on Thanksgiving? But maybe you want to try something other than green bean casserole this year? You want to make a vegan side dish but you just don’t want to make another casserole. Well, we guarantee you haven’t had green beans like this before: steamed and served with delicious tomato cashew sauce with charred poblano pepper and topped with homemade croutons.

This dish is perfect if you want to give yourself a break from the usual flavors you associate with green beans and give them a fresh new twist that’ll make everyone want more!

Scroll down for the recipe and video ↓

  

 

A different kind of sauce

This tomato sauce is a little different than your average sauce. Think Italian, with a Mexican twist. It’s got the classic flavors of garlic, onion, and tomatoes, but it’s also got charred Poblano pepper and cranberry beans, which give it real character. The cashews add a creaminess as well as some nuttiness, while the parsley freshens everything up. When you mix it into the green beans it just elevates them and gives them such a great flavor.

It may seem like something complicated to make, but it’s actually really simple and is made up of simple ingredients. You can choose to blend it into a smooth sauce or leave it chunky for a more rustic dish like we did. It’s completely up to you.

Paired with the crunchy garlic croutons and roasted cashews, this plate of green beans is sure to be a big hit with your family and friends this Thanksgiving. And did we mention it goes great with some red wine?

 

Watch the recipe video here:

Steamed Green Beans with Tomato Cashew Sauce

Serves 4 (as a side)

CROUTONS

2 tbsp | 11g vegan butter or olive oil

1 1/2 cups | 103g diced bread

4 sprigs fresh thyme

Sea salt, to taste

Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

1 clove | 5g garlic, chopped

TOMATO CASHEW SAUCE

5 tbsp | 55ml olive oil, divided

4 cloves | 18g garlic, sliced

1/3 cup | 50g raw cashews

1 cup | 90g sliced red onion

2 1/2 cups | 375g diced Roma tomatoes

sea salt, to taste

freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup | 100ml vegetable broth (SEE RECIPE HERE)

1 medium poblano pepper

1 cup | 250g cooked cranberry beans, or other beans of choice

1/4 cup | 16g chopped parsley

GREEN BEANS

1 lb | 454g green beans, cleaned

sea salt, to taste

freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

1 tbsp | 11ml olive oil

1/4 cup | 16g chopped parsley

3 tbsp | 40g toasted cashews

CROUTONS

1. Heat a medium pan on medium-high heat. Add olive oil, diced bread, and thyme sprigs. Season with salt and pepper, lower the heat, stir and cook for 5 minutes on low flame, or until starting to brown. Make some space in the pan and add olive oil and garlic. Cook for 30 seconds, then stir into the bread to combine.

2. Add vegan butter and stir to combine. Cook for 1 more minute, or until everything is nice and golden. Remove from heat and place croutons on a plate with a paper towel to drain any excess oil. Set aside.

TOMATO CASHEW SAUCE

1. In a large clean pan, add 3 tbsp of olive oil and garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds on low flame, or until about to brown. Add cashews. Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes or until cashews are starting to brown. Add sliced onion and cook for another 5 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the tomato has broken down and is falling apart.

3. Add vegetable broth to deglaze the pan and cook for a couple more minutes, or until the liquid in the pan has reduced by half.

4. Transfer mixture to a food processor or blender and pulse until most of the mixture has broken down and formed a sauce. You can choose whether you want to leave it chunky or make it smooth. We chose to leave it quite chunky to be able to taste all the elements in it, but if you want a smoother sauce, blend until completely smooth. Set aside.

5. Char the poblano pepper over an open flame (you can do this on a gas stove). Use tongs to move it around until all sides are charred. Transfer immediately to an ice bath.

6. Keep the pepper submerged with your hands or the tongs if it’s still too hot to handle. When it’s cooled down, use your hands to peel the skin off underwater and reveal the bright green color of the pepper. It should come off easily. Discard the water and the skin.

7. Shake off any excess water from the peeled pepper, transfer to a chopping board, and chop it into a medium dice. Set aside.

8. Heat a clean pan over medium heat and add 2 tbsp olive oil and the diced poblano pepper. Season with salt and cook for 2 minutes. Add cooked beans, stir, and cook for 3 more minutes. Now add parsley and tomato cashew sauce. Stir to combine and cook on medium flame for 7 minutes or until it thickens to the consistency that you want. Set aside.

GREEN BEANS

1. Place green beans in a large steamer over medium heat. Steam for 6-10 minutes. The exact time will depend on the thickness of your green beans. You want them to be cooked on the inside but not limp. They should still be bright green in color. When done, remove from beans steamer basket and set aside.

2. If serving straight away, transfer beans into a large bowl and season with salt, pepper, and half of the parsley. Toss to combine and coat all of the green beans. Set aside for plating. If not serving right away, refrigerate green beans immediately (this will stop the cooking process and prevent them from losing their color). Gently reheat when ready to serve.

PLATING

1. You can choose to toss the green beans in the sauce or plate them on top of the sauce. Add 2 big spoonfuls of sauce to the bottom of a serving plate and spread out in a circle. Place green beans on top and finish with leftover parsley, croutons, and toasted cashews. Serve warm.

  

Did you make this recipe? tag us on Instagram @eatogether.co so that we can see it!

 

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