The Easiest Mexican Green Beans | Ejotes a la Mexicana
Mexican green beans, or Ejotes a la Mexicana, you’re going to love this easiest of recipes. It makes a delicious healthy, low-carb side dish to any meal. Mexican-style green beans are made with green beans, onion, tomatoes, jalapeños and a few spices. So quick and easy to make!
Mexican Green Beans or Ejotes a la Mexicana
If you’re tired of eating plain green beans, then say goodbye to those boring green beans and say hola to ejotes a la mexicana!
Mexican-style green beans are a quick and easy side dish what uses simple healthy ingredients and can be made in no time.
The use of “a la mexicana” in Mexican cooking means the dish uses ingredients with the tree colors of the Mexican flag: green, white and red.
Green is traditionally represented in green chiles. Here it can also be so by the green beans. White typically is represented by onion. Red is, of course, represented with our native tomatoes — did you know Mexico gave tomatoes to the World?
Amigos, this easy Mexican green beans recipe is so delicious and packed full of delicious flavor. You can serve it as a side dish to just about any weeknight meal. But it’s also a fantastic vegetable to serve for your holiday meals.
More A la Mexican Recipes
- Papas a la Mexicana | Easy Mexican Potatoes Recipe
- Huevos a la Mexicana (Mexican Style Tofu Scramble Breakfast)
- Easy Bistec a la Mexicana: Mexican Style Steak Made Vegan
- Mexican Broccoli Recipe (Brocoli A La Mexicana)
- Mexican Style Okra (Okra a la Mexicana)
- Calabacitas con Maiz or Mexican Zucchini with Corn
- Pico de Gallo Salsa | Salsa Fresca
Ingredients Needed for Mexican Green Beans
The ingredients needed for this recipe are just a few and you should be able to find them no matter where you live in the World. Make sure to read below for additional variations.
- Green Beans or Ejotes: You want to use fresh if possible. Check my tips below for using frozen or canned. I like to leave them longer but you can also chop into smaller bites.
- White Onion
- Tomatoes: I use roma tomatoes but you can use the round variety too. I wouldn’t use cherry, it would be a different taste.
- Jalapeño: Fresh is best.
- Garlic: Fresh is best, but in a pinch you can use granulated garlic. Use anywhere from 1 to 1.5 teaspoons. (Garlic powder is different!)
- Ground Cumin: I’ve always loved the smoky touch this spice adds to green beans.
- Salt
- Oil: I use olive oil but you can also use avocado oil or a neutral vegetable oil of choice.
Can You Use Frozen or Canned Green Beans
Can you use frozen or canned instead of fresh green beans? Yes you can, it will just taste a bit different and of course the texture too will differ.
For frozen green beans use the same amount as the fresh called for in the recipe below. I would suggest you thaw them out before using, if possible.
For canned green beans you can use a couple of cans, drain them first. Don’t add all the salt called for in the recipe until you’ve taste tested.
Other Variations
My recipe is pretty typical around Mexico, but of course every one has a variation to it. Below are some of them.
Herbs like oregano or cilantro can also be added. The oregano is usually dried and tossed into the pan when cooking. The cilantro is chopped then mixed in right before serving, or just sprinkled over the green beans.
Instead of jalapeño you can add serrano for a spicier version, or some crushed red pepper flakes for a milder touch.
Crumbled cotija (either vegan or vegetarian) are a great addition.
One thing I love to do for a smoky touch is add vegan bacon bits. My novio loves to add regular crumbled bacon when I make these ejotes.
Chorizo is another delicious vegan meat you can add to these Mexican green beans. Just make sure it’s Mexican chorizo and not Spanish, they’re quite different from each other.
Is This Recipe Vegan
Yes, ejotes a la mexican is a traditional vegan Mexican dish and recipe.
How to Make Mexican Green Beans or Ejotes a la Mexicana
This is one of the easiest recipes for green beans, any one can make it. Plus the way I make it uses less dishes, so that’s a big bonus.
- Sauté the onion with olive oil until soft and a little browned. Then add the garlic and sauté for a minute.
- Add green beans to the frying pan. Then add the jalapeno, salt and ground cumin. Mix until well incorporated.
- Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes to the pan, mix well and cook until they begin to break down and the green beans are to your desired texture. I like mine with a crisp still to them. If needed you can add a splash of water to help cook them faster.
Can You Blanch or Steam the Green Beans First?
Other variations to making these Mexican green beans is to pre-cook the green beans beforehand. This is to soften them up a bit and expediated the sautéing time.
I, honestly, don’t do this so that I have less dishes to clean…plus I like my veggies to still have a slight crisp to them.
One way to soften the green beans is to quickly blanch them. You do so by bringing a pot with water to a boil, once boiling drop them into the hot water for a few minutes. Then drain and set aside until ready to use.
Another method is to steam them. Just set up your steamer like you normally would and steam to your desired tenderness.
Something very important to mention, if you’re going to either blanch or steam the green beans and follow my recipe, then you’ll want to cook down the tomatoes first before adding the softened green beans. Otherwise the green beans will soften even further.
How to Serve Mexican Green Beans
Before going meatless, I would serve ejotes a la mexicana with grilled meats or fish or shrimp. But there are so many options for serving them with meatless meals too.
They are traditionally served as a side dish. I’ve also eaten leftovers on warm flour tortillas to make tacos with them. First I’ll smear some refried beans on the tortilla then add the green beans.
To serve them as part of a vegan Mexican meal you could pair with some authentic vegan refried beans, Mexican red rice, the green beans, and a homemade salsa.
- chiles rellenos
- enchiladas
- fajitas
- tacos — all kinds, like my Potato Tacos with Spinach, Tacos de Papa Dorados (Potato Tacos Recipe), Vegan Birria Tacos and even my Mexican Hot Dog Tacos | Flautas de Winnie.
How to Store Leftovers
Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for about 4 days.
You can freeze them if you’ve started with fresh green beans — wouldn’t suggest freezing with canned or frozen and thawed out green beans.
How to Reheat Leftover Mexican Green Beans
You can reheat leftovers on the stove. Add a splash of water to the pan, then the cold green beans and cook until heated through.
In the microwave they can be reheated for a minute or so, in a microwave safe container.
Easy Mexican Green Beans Recipe
As you can see this recipe is truly a very easy one to make. It’ll go perfect as a side dish to just about any main dish. Or you can make it into a full vegan meal with some refried beans and rice.
I hope you make them and do let me know how you like them!
The Easiest Mexican Green Beans Recipe | Ejotes a la Mexicana
Ingredients
- 1 lb green beans fresh
- 1 cup white onion chopped
- 4 whole garlic cloves minced
- 1 whole jalapeno chopped (use 1 or 2)
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 medium roma tomatoes chopped
- 1.5 Tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Sauté the onion with olive oil until soft and a little browned. Then add the garlic and sauté for a minute.
- Add green beans to the frying pan. Then add the jalapeno, salt and ground cumin. Mix until well incorporated.
- Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes to the pan, mix well and cook until they begin to break down and the green beans are to your desired texture. I like mine with a crisp still to them.
- Ready to serve as a side dish or part of a Mexican vegan meal.
Notes
- Instead of jalapeño you can add serrano for a spicier version, or some crushed red pepper flakes for a milder touch.
- You can mix in dried oregano or cilantro if desired.
- You can top with cotija cheese, either vegan or regular.
Nutrition
Nancy Lopez is a food blogger and author of the cookbook Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Born in Mexico, raised in the US, and currently living in Southern Mexico, she has followed a meatless diet for almost 10 years. It is her passion and mission to share all she has learned about vegan Mexican cooking and vegetarian Mexican recipes. Mexican Made Meatless is a blog dedicated to preserving the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine just without the meat. It’s a place to celebrate Mexican culture and all it’s delightfully delicious traditional foods. Read more…
