Bavarian Green Beans

These Bavarian green beans are so good even your pickiest eater will love them!

Don’t Like Veggies?

Well, you’ll absolutely love these!

Green beans are my favorite veggie anyway, but I was dying to try these when I saw them posted on Facebook by “Oma” Gerhild from Quick German Recipes. You’ll find some good rib-sticking recipes there. Be sure to check out her soup recipes–my late husband was of German extraction (first-generation) and he kept telling me he wanted potato soup but one that did not have cream or milk in it. The only potato soups I knew had cream or milk. I only wish I’d known of “Oma” back then, because she has this recipe on the site!!

Anyway, I made a few adaptations to her wonderful recipe which tailored it more to my taste–and what I had available.

This recipe can be adapted to vegetarian and vegan by using vegetable stock for the chicken and vegan butter for the regular kind.

Praise Bohnenkraut

Literally means “bean herb.” I was turned on to this marvelous herb years ago by my chef friend Klaus. Klaus actually used this to season roast beef and it’s delicious! It’s a variety of summer savory actually.

The kicker here is I live in a part of New York where there are many retirees that are either German by nationality or heritage. So it’s unbelievable that my local supermarket did not carry this either fresh or in the spice aisle;  I ended up ordering summer savory from Amazon.

Because I had none left and had to wait for my order, I searched Google for a good substitute.  The suggestion was thyme and I have that growing fresh–and it’s one of my favorite herbs. I ended up using it and it tasted great! Just remember that you use HALF the amount of dried herb when substituting for fresh.

Fresh Or Frozen

You have a choice here of using frozen or fresh. I opted for frozen  for convenience and I had them in the freezer. Whole beans can be used as well, but I like the idea of the cut variety–either fresh or frozen–because they’re just easier to manage in the cooking process.

Gerhild also said canned could be substituted, but I’d only do that as a last resort.  Actually canned green beans are the only canned veggie I sort of like, but for this? Flat out no since the beans lose so much in the canning process.

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The Recipe

Bavarian Green Beans

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Author: Judith Hannemann

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 20 oz frozen cut green beans (see NOTES)
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tsp fresh minced thyme -OR- fresh minced summer savory (see NOTES)
• 2 tbs butter
• 2 tbs flour
• 1 chicken stock cube (like Herb-Ox)
• 1 cup reserved cooking water from the beans

Instructions

1. Place frozen beans in a large saucepan. Cover the beans with water and add the salt.
2. Bring beans to a boil then cook for 4-8 minutes, depending on desired doneness.
3. Drain beans and reserve the water. Wipe saucepan dry with a paper towel. Measure out 1 cup of the reserved water and add the stock cube. Stir so the cube dissolves and set aside.
4. Melt butter in the same saucepan then add the onion and the thyme-or-summer savory. Saute until the onions are translucent.
5. Sprinkle the flour on top of the onion mixture and stir till smooth. Let it bubble and cook for 1 minute. Slowly add the cup of reserved water mixture, stirring so there are no lumps. Stir constantly until the liquid thickens; cook for 1 minute.
6. Add the beans back to the saucepan and simmer for about 2-3 minutes to heat the beans.

Notes

NOTES: Dried thyme or summer savory may be substituted but use HALF the amount.
You can substitute fresh green beans for the frozen.

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