Baked Green Beans with Creamy Feta
Creamed green beans are a classic on holiday tables like Thanksgiving. Baked green beans with a feta melt add an obviously Greek touch to this dish. I like to use one of the most classic Greek recipes for green beans, called yiahni, which is basically a way to simmer them with tomatoes and onions, and then to transform that into something new that works within the tasty parameters of the Mediterranean diet! By placing them in a casserole dish and using that viral baked feta idea, watching it melt into a creamy sauce, this recipe is not only delicious, it’s pretty healthy, too!
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3 - 5
tablespoons
extra virgin Greek olive oil
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1
large red onion
coarsely chopped
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Greek sea salt to taste
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1 ½
pounds
fresh or frozen green beans
trimmed
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2
teaspoons
Greek garlic puree
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2
cups
cherry or teardrop tomatoes
halved
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2
tablespoons
balsamic vinegar
preferably Greek
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1
tablespoon
petimezi
grape molasses
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1
heaping teaspoon dried Greek oregano
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Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
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1 2 ½-
inch
square of Greek feta
about ¾-inch thick
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Preheat the oven to 350F/170C.
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Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the onions with a little salt until wilted and lightly browned.
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Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the green beans for 1 minutes. Drain and set aside.
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Add the garlic puree to the onions and stir. Next, add the tomatoes and stir them gently into the onion-garlic mixture. Add the balsamic vinegar and petimezi and gently stir to combine.
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Place the drained green beans and tomato-onion-garlic mixture in a baking dish. Toss with additional olive oil. Mix in the oregano and lemon zest. Place the feta in the middle of the casserole and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the feta is very soft.
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Remove, mix all together so that the feta melts and is distributed evenly throughout the beans. Serve.