Green Beans and Potatoes

If you love Green Beans and Potatoes, then you must try this amazing Italian recipe. It’s so simple to prepare in just 30 minutes and packed with Italian flavors. I know you’ll agree that this is one of the best side dishes ever!

For complete ingredient quantities and full instructions, please scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Ingredients

• Green beans – sometimes called string beans or snap beans. Look for fresh green beans that are bright in color and with no bruises. 
• Red potatoes – I love keeping the skin on the potatoes for extra color and flavor. Just make sure you choose red potatoes that are best suited for boiling for this recipe. 
• Olive oil – I recommend using extra virgin olive oil for the dressing of my Green Beans and Potatoes because you really get to taste it. Extra virgin olive oil is the highest quality olive oil and should be bright and peppery. If you only have regular olive oil, don’t worry, it will do just fine.
• Garlic – Fresh garlic is best in this dish. Look for plump gloves that are unblemished and juicy. 
• White wine vinegar – I like using white wine vinegar because it is mild and delicate. 
• Lemon juice – I recommend using lemon juice, in addition to vinegar, because it adds a lovely zesty flavor to my Green Beans and Potatoes Italian style. 
• Parsley – Italian flat-leaf parsley is the best choice here. I find it has the best flavor and is easiest to chop. If you purchased too much parsley, use it to make my Italian Salsa Verde. You won’t regret it!
• Salt – Don’t be afraid of salt, it brings out all the delicious flavors in my Green Beans and Potatoes recipe. 
• Black pepper – I recommend freshly ground black pepper in this dish. 

Instructions 

1. For the dressing, mix together the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper in a jar or small bowl. Set aside.
2. Add the whole potatoes into a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Salt generously and cover with a lid. Bring to boil over medium heat, uncover and cook until tender.
3. In the meantime, top and tail the beans. In another saucepan, bring salted water to a boil. Add the beans and when they come to a boil cook for 3-5 minutes until tender.
4. When the potatoes are tender, cut them into large chunks and add them with the beans to a large bowl. Pour over the dressing and carefully combine. 

Arrange on a serving platter and serve warm or at room temperature.

Hint: always begin boiling potatoes in cold water. Potatoes never cook well when added to already boiling water.

Substitutions 

• You could easily substitute the red potatoes for other boiling potatoes like Yukon gold or new potatoes. 
• If you can’t find fresh parsley, I don’t recommend substituting it with dried parsley as the flavor is so different. Why not try another fresh leafy herb like basil, chives, mint or dill? 
• If you don’t have lemon juice, just add a little more vinegar to the dressing to balance the flavors or vice versa. What’s important is keeping the same amount of acidity in this dressing.

Variations

• For added flavor, you could boil the Green Beans and Potatoes in chicken broth instead of just salted water. 
• I love topping this Green Beans and Potatoes recipe with some bacon that I’ve diced into cubes and fried. 
• If you’ve got a ham hock or leftover ham bone from Christmas, pop it in the boiling water for adding flavor to the boiled vegetables.  

Storage

Leftovers of my Green Beans and Potatoes Italian style will keep in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to enjoy the leftover Green Beans and Potatoes, take them out of the refrigerator a little ahead of time so that they can come down to room temperature.

Tips for Success

To ensure you don’t over boil or under boil your potatoes, check them by poking with a skewer or fork. If there isn’t much resistance and it goes all the way through, the potatoes are ready!

You could add the green beans into the same saucepan as the red potatoes. I would add the green beans in with the potatoes when they have 5 minutes left of boiling. However, I find this challenging because the cooking time for potatoes is so variable and difficult to judge. That’s why this recipe utilizes two separate saucepans.  

When combining the green beans, red potatoes and dressing together, be careful not to stir too roughly and break the potatoes. I find this easiest by avoiding metal stirring utensils and combining the ingredients gently with a rubber spatula. 

FAQ

Made this recipe?
Let me know if you liked it by leaving a ★★★★★ star rating and a review below. Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter – it’s free!

Green Beans and Potatoes Recipe

This Green Beans and Potatoes Italian style is dressed with olive oil, vinegar, lemon, mashed garlic and lots of chopped parsley and is always a winner with guests!

5 from 47 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings:4 people

Author: Marcellina

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound green beans 500 grams
• ▢ 1 pound red potatoes 500 grams
• ▢ 4 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 garlic clove minced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ 1 tablespoon parsley
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Combine the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
• Place the whole potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Salt the water generously and cover with a lid. Bring to boil over medium heat, uncover and cook until tender. This usually take about 15-20 minutes.
• In the meantime, top and tail the beans. Bring a separate saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the beans and when they come to a boil cook for 3-5 minutes until tender.
• When the potatoes are tender (check by poking with a skewer or fork), drain well. Cut into large chunks.
• Gently combine the beans and potatoes in a large bowl with the dressing. Arrange on a serving platter and serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Tips for success

• Begin boiling potatoes in cold water. Never add potatoes to boiling water.
• To ensure you don’t over boil or under boil your potatoes. Check by inserting a fork or skewer into a potato. If it goes in without resistance, they’re ready!
• Be gentle when combining the vegetables with the dressing. I like to use a rubber spatula.

For more tips and information, scroll up and read more.

 

This recipe is a family favorite that I have been making for many years.

Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating and leave a comment below!

Nutritional Estimate Per Serving

Calories: 265kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 122mg | Potassium: 794mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 22660IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. For accurate results, it is recommended that the nutritional information be calculated based on the ingredients and brands you use.