Quick Summary: Wide, flat, meaty Romano beans (also called Italian flat beans) slow-cooked with smashed cherry tomatoes, caramelized onions, and a splash of fruit vinegar. The long cooking creates deep sweetness and silky texture. A perfect summer side dish or vegetarian main. Prep: 15 min | Cook: 25 min | Serves: 4
Jump to: RECIPE | What are Romano Beans | Dragon Tongue Beans | Cooking with Vinegars | Step by Step Directions | FAQ
Romano beans need a long cooking time; otherwise they will be tough. This long slow cooking gives them a deep sweetness and silky texture and when they are paired with tomatoes and herbs you get a dish that is tender and full of robust Italian flavor.
I grow Romano beans at HeathGlen Organic Farm out of frustration. They’re hard to find in grocery stores and only occasionally appear at farmers’ markets in late summer. If you have garden space, they’re worth growing yourself.
This recipe pairs the beans with smashed cherry tomatoes, which happen to peak at the same time. The technique came from Lynn Rossetto Kasper, the Italian cookbook author who buys tomatoes from my booth at the St. Paul Farmers’ Market.
She told me cherry tomatoes are excellent just mashed up and quickly made into a sauce. She was right.
This post may contain affiliate links, and you can read our disclosure information here–
What are Italian Romano beans?
Romano beans are wide flat beans that are also referred to as Italian flat beans. They are NOT Italian broad beans….those are called fava beans.
Romano beans are meaty, with a crispy crunch to them. I much prefer them over green string beans. Alas, they are not that easy to find.
Sometimes you will find them at farmers’ markets in the late summer, but they are not a common sight in the local grocery stores. I ended up growing them myself out of frustration over lack of availability.
If you can find them (or grow them) however they are well worth the trouble. They can take a boring bean dish over the top and become a main dish all alone if you are a vegetarian.
If you have any room in your garden, try growing Italian flat beans at home!
Romano beans (or flat beans) are often braised with other vegetables. In the recipe below I have slow-cooked them with smashed cherry tomatoes which are at their peak at the same time as the beans.
I’ve added a bit of fruit vinegar to the pan to brighten up the meaty beans.
Flat beans fit into a slow-carb or keto diet, where vegetables are important to ensure you get the right micronutrients.
Dragon’s Tongue Heirloom Beans
A specialty type of flat bean is a Dutch heirloom bean called “Dragon’s Tongue”. Similar in taste to the Romano but a beautiful purple-speckled color.
Just know that the beautiful color disappears when cooked and they turn pale yellow. If you want to preserve the color, blanch them quickly and use them in salads.
Here is what they look like fresh:
Pairing Flat Beans with Cherry Tomatoes:
I have the good fortune to live in the same area as Lynn Rosetta Casper, the well-known Italian cookbook author and radio personality.
She honors me every year by purchasing tomatoes from my farm booth at the St. Paul Farmers Market and chatting with me about how she uses them.
I’m always amazed at the varieties she selects and one day when the big slicers were gone she picked up a bunch of cherry tomatoes. She told me they’re actually quite good just mashed up and quickly made into a sauce.
Inspired by Lynn’s smashed cherry tomatoes, I mixed them with Italian flat beans and cooked them down to a tender, sauced vegetable side dish.
For more on choosing between tomato varieties for cooking, this guide to heirloom tomato flavor profiles covers over 40 varieties.
Cooking Romano Beans with Vinegar
Many chefs will tell you that the secret ingredient to take a dish over the top is a splash of acid. This can take the form of lemon juice, lime juice or any number of vinegars.
I tested this flat bean recipe first with a “tomato vinegar” to enhance the cherry tomatoes already in the dish. The second test was with cranberry vinegar which gave it a whole new flavor.
Fruit vinegars may be difficult to find so you can just use the type of vinegar you have on hand. I do have a detailed process including ratios of fruit to vinegar however, If you want to make your own homemade fruit vinegar
Using lemon juice for the acid tends to add a brighter taste, whereas the vinegars add a more subtle acidity. I often opt for vinegar as I think it allows the flavor of the ingredients to shine more.
Lemon juice can sometimes be overpowering to me.
Fruit vinegars pair nicely with all kinds of vegetables and proteins. This sheet pan of roasted veggies sprinkled with fruit vinegars is a recipe we make frequently in the Summer and Fall.
Ingredient List:
The following photo shows you all the ingredients you will need for this recipe. For details on measurements, see the recipe below.
How to Make Romano Beans & Smashed Tomatoes (Step by Step)
Detailed directions are in the recipe card, but for those who appreciate visual directions, here is a summarized step-by-step:
Fun Tip: Design an Italian Kitchen Garden of your own with this garden design plan
FAQ
Regular green beans work but have less meaty texture. Haricots verts (French green beans) are too delicate for this long cooking method. If using regular green beans, reduce the cooking time.
Yes. Use about 14 ounces of canned diced tomatoes, drained. Fresh cherry tomatoes have brighter flavor, but canned work in a pinch.
Any vinegar works. Fruit vinegars (tomato, cranberry, raspberry) add complexity. Red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar are good standard options. Even apple cider vinegar works.
Refrigerated, up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan. The dish is also good served at room temperature.
Yes. Romano beans and tomatoes are both low in carbs. This makes a good vegetable side for slow-carb eating.
Cod, pork chops, roasted chicken, or grilled sausages. The tomato-bean combination is Italian in character, so it pairs well with Mediterranean proteins. The smothered cod dinner shown in the video below was actually the original pairing for this dish, and they complement each other beautifully.
Romano beans need longer cooking than regular green beans. Simmer them covered for at least 10-20 minutes until completely tender. Undercooking leaves them stringy and tough. The long, slow cooking is what gives them their signature silky texture and deep sweetness.
Romano beans (also called Italian flat beans) are wider, flatter, and meatier than regular green beans. They have more flavor and a heartier texture, but they need longer cooking time. Regular green beans can be substituted in a pinch, but reduce the cooking time.
Check out this collection of popular tomato recipes for a range of tomato recipes, from fresh salsas to slow cooked stews, to tomato martinis.
Italian flat beans with smashed cherry tomatoes
Equipment
- Potato masher
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1-2 lbs flat beans blossom end trimmed off
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp oregano
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup fruit vinegar optional, can use any vinegar
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes about 14 ounces
Instructions
- Rinse the beans and remove the blossom end. You can remove the pointy end also if desired. For a visually pleasing dish, cut the beans into 1/3's and cut on a diagonal. Otherwise leave whole.1-2 lbs flat beans
- Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a skillet over med-high heat and add chopped onions. Saute until golden brown and caramelized (about 5 minutes)2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 large onion
- Add minced garlic and saute 30 seconds. Add beans and mix all together in the skillet.2 cloves garlic
- Add salt, oregano, and vinegar. Add some water (or chicken broth) to allow the beans to simmer in a bit of liquid. I added 1/2 cup, but use your discretion. Cover and simmer everything for 10 to 20 minutes, or until the beans are quite tender (test by taking a bite).1 tsp salt, 2 tsp oregano, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup fruit vinegar
- Uncover and increase the heat to medium. Add cherry tomatoes to the skillet and mash lightly with a potato masher or a fork. Stir together and cover. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until beans are texture that you prefer.1 pint cherry tomatoes
- Taste and adjust with more vinegar or salt and pepper. Serve the beans slightly warm or at room temperature.They will keep in the fridge for 3 days. Just reheat in a saucepan and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Step-by-step cooking tutorial for sauteed beans with smothered cod dinner
Delicious. I grow Romano beans and this year have a good crop. Last year cucumber beetles ate all the flowers and then the plants, also the cucumbers. Lunardi’s an Italian grocery chain in the San Francisco South Bay, is around the corner and carries them as well.
Lucky you Michele (on the SF grocery store, not the cucumber beetles). I’m glad a grower of these great beans liked the recipe.
Excellent recipe. I’ve never cooked Romano beans before but bought some at a whim at the Farmers Market today, along with some cherry tomatoes, and fresh lettuces. I served these beans with a grilled pork chop, a fresh salad, and sliced peaches from the local fruit stand. Summer eating at its finest!
Hi Diane, so glad you were able to find the Romano beans. I can never seem to find them, and I don’t know why. They’re fairly easy to grow and they are so delicious and meaty. I end up having to grow them myself every year! Thank you for the comment…I’m glad it turned out good for you. Sound like a true summer dinner (love that you also had fresh peaches).
These were delicious made with fresh beans from the garden. Like other commenters, I thought the amount of vinegar was suspect, but it really did make the dish (I used red wine vinegar). Wife and I both absolutely loved them.
Thank you for letting me know Paul. So glad that the vinegar was a pro instead of a con!
These were delicious. I was not sure when I read the vinegar part but my husband and I both loved it.
For the tomato part I just chopped up a fresh tomato and put that in because I didn’t have cheery tomatoes.
Yes, that hit of vinegar makes a difference doesn’t it? Good option on chopping up slicer tomatoes….there’s nothing special about cherry tomatoes except the size.
I was skeptical about the vinegar but it MAKES the dish. I halved the recipe because we just had a handful of beans. I used apple cider vinegar, two ripe red better boy tomatoes from the garden and everything else exactly as the recipe describes. The flavor was unbelievably good. We picked up two pounds of Roma beans at the farmers market and I’ll make a big pot this time. Enough to share!
So glad you liked it Chris. I am having such a hard time finding Romano beans this year. I usually grow them, but some varmit ate them all down and I can’t find any at the farmers market. Are you in Minnesota? If so, which farmers market did you find them at?