Italian Flat Green Beans (with Tomatoes and Garlic)
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Italian Flat Green Beans (with Tomatoes and Garlic) is your next easy and flavorful side dish that comes together in 25 minutes! This Italian green beans with tomatoes and garlic are one of the healthiest, tastiest and easiest side dishes.
Serve as a delicious side dish to accompany Traditional Italian Meatballs (Polpette) or Salmon Piccata.
Quick Look: Italian Flat Green Beans (with Tomatoes and Garlic)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Servings: 6 people
- Dietary Info: Vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free adaptable, vegan-friendly (omit cheese)
- Method: Stovetop
- Technique: Sauté aromatics like garlic and shallots in olive oil until soft and fragrant, then add flat green beans and cook until they develop light caramelized spots while staying tender-crisp. Stir in tomatoes and let them blister and release their juices, lightly pressing them to build a simple rustic sauce. Finish off-heat with fresh basil for a fresh herbal lift.
- Flavor & Texture: Savory and lightly sweet with a bright tomato-garlic base. The flat green beans are tender-crisp with a slight bite, balanced by juicy, softened tomatoes.
Why You’ll Love This Simple Side!
Tired of the routine canned green veggies accompanying each meal? Then give this Italian flat beans recipe a try! You will love this Italian green beans recipe. You can even serve them as a healthy option and a great side dish to a Thanksgiving meal.
Flat Italian green beans are a style of beans that are meatier, wider and like the name flat instead of round and this variety of green beans while picked young are stringless. They are less common than your average string bean.
Try my Sautéed Frozen Green Beans and Roasted Green Beans Recipe with Garlic next!
Made With Amore,
“It was so good that my husband and I ate the entire amount as a side with our dinner. The beans were cooked perfectly, the dish is very flavorful!”
– Lynne
Table of Contents
- Quick Look: Italian Flat Green Beans (with Tomatoes and Garlic)
- Why You’ll Love This Simple Side!
- Simple Ingredients
- Variations & Substitutions
- How To Make Italian Flat Green Beans (with Tomatoes and Garlic)
- Italian Flat Green Beans FAQs
- Serving Suggestions
- Recipe Tips
- More Italian Side Dish Recipes
- Italian Green Beans Recipe
Simple Ingredients
This is another “cucina povera” (like this ribollita soup) recipe that has a few simple ingredients to make a wonderful Italian style dish.
- Italian Romano Flat Green Beans: The star of the dish, offering a tender-crisp texture and fresh, earthy flavor
- Olive Oil: The rich base used for sautéing and building depth of flavor
- Shallots & Garlic Cloves: Add aromatic sweetness and savory depth that form the flavor foundation
- Cherry or Grape Tomatoes: Bring brightness and natural sweetness as they soften and burst into a light sauce
- Balsamic Vinegar & Basil Leaves: Add tangy richness and a fresh, fragrant finish that elevates the dish
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations & Substitutions
- Deluxe Version: Sauté pancetta, bacon, Italian sausage or other meat and add with the cooked green beans. If you have a little bacon grease left over from making Pasta Carbonara, add it to the beans to add extra flavor.
- Make it Cheesy: Top with parmigiano cheese if desired.
- Italian Seasoning: Add extra dried or fresh herbs such as oregano, or rosemary. Use my Homemade Italian Seasoning!
- Use Different Beans: Substitute regular green beans for the Italian-style if desired. You could also try this recipe with cannellini beans, white beans, or frozen green beans. Try my Beans and Greens and Warm White Bean Salad.
How To Make Italian Flat Green Beans (with Tomatoes and Garlic)
Making this super tasty green bean dish is super easy, you will love the simplicity and freshness of this green bean dish.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add the shallots and sauté over medium heat about 1 minute. Add the garlic and continue to sauté for 30 to 45 seconds, until tender and fragrant but not browned. Add the beans and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté over medium heat, stirring frequently until the beans are browned in spots and tender but retain some crispness, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Cook an additional 7-10 minutes, until they are blistered and soft. You can press down on the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon to help them “pop.”
- Remove the pan from heat and let the beans cool slightly.
- Garnish with fresh basil. Transfer to a serving platter. Serve warm or cold!
Italian Flat Green Beans FAQs
Italian flat beans are also known as Romano beans and are meatier than regular green beans. The pods are wider and flatter than standard green beans.
In this recipe the green beans are raw and then sautéed. If you like your beans a little more soft you can lightly boil them before sautéing them. Fill a large pot half full of water, add 1 tsp. of salt, and cover the pot. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, add the beans (cut into 1-2 inch pieces), and boil until desired tenderness.
Bonus: this recipe is even better the next day! The green beans will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, if stored in an airtight container.
Serving Suggestions
If looking to serve these Italian green beans as a main dish, serve atop quinoa, brown rice, Farro Salad, or other whole grains. You can also toss with Homemade Pappardelle Pasta and more veggies! My favorite way to serve these beans is with a protein source, like with Mediterranean Baked Cod, Italian Meatloaf Recipe, or Chicken Piccata Meatballs. Don’t forget your Crusty Bread to go with the meal!
My Pro Tips
Recipe Tips
- Clean and Trim the Beans: To use fresh Romano beans (Italian flat beans), snap or trim off the ends and rinse the pods to remove any dirt. If you buy them frozen- don’t worry about cleaning them. When picking them fresh avoid beans with soft spots. Look for the firm texture and bright green color.
- Cook to Preferred Doneness: You can lightly cook these beans to retain their great crunch texture, or cooked until they are extremely tender.
- Don’t Overcook: This will cause the beans to turn into a tasteless mush, so set your timers when preparing them with long time cooking methods. Add the green beans to hot water instead of putting the beans into water and then letting it heat up.
More Italian Side Dish Recipes
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Italian Green Beans Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound flat Italian Romano beans, fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup cherry or grape tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon basil leaves for garnish
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add the shallots and sauté over medium heat about 1 minute. Add the garlic and continue to sauté for 30 to 45 seconds, until tender and fragrant but not browned.
- Add the beans and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté over medium heat, stirring frequently until the beans are browned in spots and tender but retain some crispness, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Cook an additional 7-10 minutes, until they are blistered and soft. You can press down on the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon to help them “pop”.
- Remove the pan from heat and let the beans cool slightly. Garnish with fresh basil. Transfer to a serving platter. Serve warm or cold!
Notes
- Clean and Trim the Beans: To use fresh Romano beans (Italian flat beans), snap or trim off the ends and rinse the pods to remove any dirt. If you buy them frozen- don’t worry about cleaning them. When picking them fresh avoid beans with soft spots. Look for the firm texture and bright green color.
- Cook to Preferred Doneness: You can lightly cook these beans to retain their great crunch texture, or cooked until they are extremely tender.
- Don’t Overcook: This will cause the beans to turn into a tasteless mush, so set your timers when preparing them with long time cooking methods. Add the green beans to hot water instead of putting the beans into water and then letting it heat up.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
very flavourful but the beans I bought were so stringy! I guess I should have deveined them.
Yes, it does depend on how tender the beans are that you use. I am happy you loved the recipe.
I am sorry to hear that, yes, some green beans may require deveining if they are very tough.
My Father always grew these Italian Flat Beans in his vast garden since I can remember, and my Mother would use them to make a delicious side veggie dish with potatoes and a simple dressing of garlic, basil and olive oil, other times she’d use them in her minestrone. My Father is 94 and hasn’t gardened for years now, but I use to find these flat beans in the frozen veggie aisle for some time, but I haven’t seen them for the last few years. These beans were always so tender, they melt in your mouth! Thanks for posting this recipe, looks really delicious!
I absolutely love this family story and connection to the recipe- these are my favorite kind of comments. I hope you love the recipe 🙂
My dad when he was alive would make these blanch string beans and a ton of garlic. I wanna say there might’ve been a little olive oil and vinegar and some salt and pepper. Are you familiar with anything like that? Thank you for taking the time to read this comment.
Mcasa41@yahoo.com
Hi Melissa, I am not familiar with this recipe. I do have other green bean recipes you may enjoy. I hope you can make a recipe that is close to the one your father used to make- it sounds special.
I love, love, love these beans. Love the suggestions. I sometimes swap out the balsamic vinegar with red vinegar or White Balsamic.
Thank you.
You are most welcome! Happy you loved them.
When I received flat beans in my CSA farm box I had no idea what to do with them. This recipe foreverrrr now. I don’t even like tomatoes usually, but this turned out amazing. I love a simple, but amazingly flavorful dish like this.
So happy you loved it!!
I made this recipe this evening – had bought Italian flat beans and my favorite farm stand. It was so good that my husband and I ate the entire amount (we do eat a LOT of vegs) as a side with our dinner. The beans were cooked perfectly, the dish is very flavorful! I added about twice the quantity of tomatos as called for, and a bit more balsamic. (Also had to guess re the quantity of shallot as the recipe has no quantity: used one sizeable bulb and was just right.)
Thanks, Elena
I am thrilled you loved the recipe. It is one of my favorite ways to enjoy green beans. I fixed the glitch in the recipe card and added the amount for the shallot. All the best, Elena.