Tomatoes are another summer staple that explodes with a variety of luscious choices by season’s end. In fact, every year in our raised bed herb garden we are fortunate to get several “bonus plants” compliments of seed from our compost.
Fresh, snappy late-summer beans are a fleeting pleasure on their own, but jazz them up with the sweet acidity of grape tomatoes and crackly breadcrumbs, you’ve got a winning combination. The layers of colors (especially if you include yellow wax beans) and crisp and juicy textures effortlessly upgrade any main, such as our herb-marinated grilled bone-in pork chops.
As soon as I eyeballed this recipe in our latest Martha Stewart Living magazine, I knew it was going to make an appearance on our dining table within days. Unfortunately I could not access any yellow wax beans, so instead I used a combination of red and yellow grape tomatoes for that tri-color effect.
A few weeks earlier we made bead crumbs from some leftover crusty bread and put it in the freeze until such time we would need them again. Well this seemed like the perfect occasion, although the crumb was much finer than asked for here, still we went ahead with the recipe and it was great! They were a side dish to those grilled pork chops, but hardly played second fiddle.
Boil green beans in salted water for 4-6 minutes 
Place drained beans on platter, drizzle with olive oil 
Brown the bread crumbs in olive oil 
Sauté the tomatoes halves in olive oil 
Mix bread crumbs with cooked tomatoes
Green Beans with Tomatoes and Crispy Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 12 oz. green beans and/or yellow wax beans, trimmed
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 4 slices rustic bread (5 ounces), crusts removed, torn into large pieces
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 10 oz. cocktail tomatoes or large cherry tomatoes, or a combination, halved
- 1 oz. Manchego cheese, finely grated (1/4 cup)
and top with grated Manchego cheese.
Directions
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add beans and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain and transfer to a serving platter; lightly drizzle with oil.
- Pulse bread in a food processor until coarse crumbs form (you should have 2 cups). In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil and butter over medium. Add breadcrumbs and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring, until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in skillet over medium-high. Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in breadcrumbs. Top beans with warm tomato mixture. Sprinkle with cheese; serve.
Adapted by a recipe from Sarah Copeland
Accounting for Taste 