Filling and hearty, the lemony flavor and the slender green beans give this bulgur dish a fresh flavor. It's ideal to make when fresh slender green beans are on the market. That's quite a fleeting moment, so feel free to substitute whole organic baby green beans when good fresh ones are unavailable. Serve with a colorful salad and some corn on the cob for a simple meal. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky.
Serves: 6 to 8
- ¾ cup raw bulgur (presteamed cracked wheat)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, quartered and sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup sliced white or baby bella mushrooms
- 15-ounce can navy or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts, or more, as desired
- 2 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh dill
- Juice of 1 lemon, more or less to taste
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, or to taste
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 cups slender green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths and steamed
until bright green and tender-crisp - Lemon slices for garnish, optional
Place the bulgur in a heatproof dish. Pour 1 ½ cups of boiling water over it and cover until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Heat the oil in a large skillet or stir-fry pan. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until the onion is lightly browned.
Add the mushrooms; cover and sweat until they're wilted. Stir in the bulgur and all remaining ingredients except the green beans. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.
Transfer to a serving container and stir in the green beans. Taste to see if you'd like to add more lemon juice, salt and/or pepper, then serve.
Nutrition information
Per serving: Calories: 164; Total fat: 4g; Protein: 6g: Carbs: 26g; Sodium: 292 mg
- Here are more recipes for making the most of green beans.
- Here are more healthy whole grain recipes.
Theresa "Sam" Houghton says
This was amazing! I made it with chickpeas instead because that's what I had on hand. Instead of steaming the green beans beforehand, I tossed them in about 5 minutes before the end of cooking time to get them warm while staying "snappy."
My goodness. I really, really enjoyed this, to the point where I apparently can't come up with good adjectives to describe it. Thanks for sharing!
Jan says
Great recipe. I loved the combination of lemon and bulgur. I also tossed the uncooked green beans in at the end, the green bean remained tender and crisp. I used lentils instead of cannellini beans as I have always like the combination of bulgur and lentils. (By the way, I cooked the lentils in my rice cooker: 1 cup raw lentils to 2-1/4 cups water, perfectly cooked every time.) I tossed the chopped walnuts end of the very end as I wanted them to remain hard and crispy. Totally forgot to add the dill, it was just fine without it. I am planning to bring this dish to a vegan potluck on Sunday. Thanks, Nava, I am overrun with green beans.