500 g green beans, 500 g vegetable stock, 18 minutes in the Varoma® of the Thermomix®. The beans are cooked in steam, not boiled in water. The result: a firm bite, a bright green colour and full flavour.
Steamed Green Beans in the Thermomix® Varoma®
Ingredients 0 / 2 ✓
- 500 g green beans
- 500 g vegetable stock
Instructions 0 / 3
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1
Prepare the beans.
Wash and trim the green beans.
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2
Add the stock.
Pour the vegetable stock into the mixing bowl.
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3
Steam the beans.
Spread the green beans across the Varoma tray and the Varoma dish. Place the Varoma® on top and cook for 18 min / Varoma / speed 1.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Steaming instead of boiling: why it works better
When boiled in water, green beans lose colour, texture and vitamins into the water. In the Varoma® of the Thermomix®, they are cooked above the steam from 500 g of vegetable stock. The nutrients stay in the bean, the colour stays bright green, and the flavour is more intense than with water-boiled beans.
The vegetable stock in the mixing bowl adds extra flavour to the beans through the steam from below. If you like, you can use the stock afterwards as a base for a soup.
18 minutes at Varoma: firm or soft
Wash the 500 g of beans, trim the ends and spread them across the Varoma tray and the Varoma dish. Place the Varoma® on top: 18 minutes at Varoma temperature, speed 1. After 18 minutes the beans will have a firm bite. If you prefer them softer, cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer.
Important: spread the beans evenly in the Varoma, do not pile them on top of each other. If too many beans are stacked up, the steam cannot reach all of them evenly. The ones at the bottom go soft while the ones on top stay undercooked. With larger quantities, it is better to do two batches.
After cooking: season straight away
Season the finished beans immediately after cooking with salt, pepper and a splash of olive oil or butter. Hot beans absorb seasoning far better than cold ones. Plunging them into ice water is not necessary when steaming, because the beans keep their colour anyway.
Bacon, garlic or chilli: three quick variations
With bacon: fry 100 g of diced bacon until crispy in a pan and scatter over the finished beans. A classic combination.
With garlic: finely chop 2 garlic cloves, fry briefly in olive oil and toss with the beans.
Spicy: stir 1 tsp of chilli flakes or sambal oelek through the finished beans.
Storing and freezing
The cooked beans keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, toss briefly in a pan or warm for 2 minutes in the microwave. Freezing also works well: portion into freezer bags and they will keep for up to 3 months. This makes them a great option for meal prep as a side dish for the whole week.
Do I need to plunge the beans into cold water after cooking?
No. When steaming in the Varoma®, the beans keep their green colour without any need for an ice bath. Plunging into ice water is only necessary when boiling in water, to stop the cooking process.
Can I use frozen beans?
Goes well with: Schnitzel and bacon dishes.
Yes, 500 g of frozen beans can go straight into the Varoma. The cooking time stays the same (18 minutes), because the steam quickly thaws and cooks the frozen beans through. Frozen beans are already trimmed, so you can skip the preparation step.
