I learned how to make this while visiting my husband's family in Syria.  It can be a healthy, fast, easy vegetarian/vegan main dish for lunch or dinner that is surprisingly filling when eaten with pita bread, or it can be a flavorful side dish.

Fasoliyyeh Bi Z-Zayt (Syrian Green Beans with Olive Oil)

(16 ounce) package frozen cut green beans

extra virgin olive oil

salt

garlic,

cilantro

Place the green beans into a large pot, and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt to taste, and put the lid on the pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beans are cooked to your desired doneness. Syrians like it cooked until the green beans are turning brownish in color. The idea is not to saute them, but to let them steam in the moisture released by the ice crystals.


Add cilantro and garlic to the beans, and continue to cook just until the cilantro has started to wilt. Eat as a main course by scooping up with warm pita bread or serve as a side dish.


These were the most delicious green beans I've ever had!  Took them to our family Thanksgiving potluck in which I was in charge of vegetable side dishes. Made these, and others from Allrecipes: the feta-bacon green beans (not so good) and the roasted brussel sprouts (awesome)
The only change I made was to use fresh green beans, about 1 lb, which I partially cooked in the microwave for about 5 mins first w/a bit of water, then I drained and proceeded w/the recipe, just sort of stir frying them w/the oil, garlic and adding the cilantro at the end, after the beans had gotten nice and dark. Not a pretty recipe, but so delicious. Never would have thought of cilantro and green beans together, but was absolutely delicious --I couldn't get enough of them, and they were excellent reheated the next day in the microwave! Will DEFINITELY add these to my veg. side dish favorites. Such simple ingredients and preparation, but a wonderfully complex flavor!

I tried this recipe with fresh green beans. I cut them up and soaked them for 5 minutes in salt water, then followed the recipe as advised. It was great! I served it as a side dish to pork chops and pasta! Would definitely do again.

This has become my favorite way to prepare green beans.  I was amazed at how big an impact the cilantro had on the end result I think I even use close to half cup of cilantro.  I try to be careful with the oil, because I don't like me beans very oily.  I also like to turn the heat up a little the last few minutes and brown the beans slightly.  Make sure to keep stirring if you turn the heat up.

Excellent, light, tasty and easy recipe! i Don't usually like green beans, but Loved these! Served with filet mignon-- great combination. Cilantro gives perfect accent! Thank you Tasneem! :)

This met both of my criteria for a 5 star recipe...simple and delicious! My husband is Lebanese and we make something similar with fresh green beans but there are onions and tomato paste in it too. I think that I could add those to this recipe if I wanted and it would be just as delicious! This is a keeper for sure!

Very good!  I like this method of making green beans.  I would suggest a lower "medium high" for the heat, though.  **EDIT** I love this way of making green beans so much now that I hardly ever make them any other way.  WOW!

What a delicious recipe! Something about the oil does a wonderful thing to the beans. Don't mistake this for any ol' green bean recipe. This is the best!

I've been making these for about five years now, and have never written a review.  This is a great recipe.  Delicious just as is, but I usually add a touch more garlic to my personal taste.  Yum!  Try it- you won't be disappointed!

Great recipe!  The only thing I did differently from the recipe is that I cut way back on the olive oil and drizzled just a little over the beans before cooking.

So simple yet delicious and flavorful.  I served this with chicken and rice.  I was surprised by how many compliments I got on this dish.  I even turned my cilantro-hating friend into a believer!  Not only would I make this again but it's definitely going in my heavy rotation list of side dishes.  Thanks!

I suppose it was the interesting method that intrigued me. I'm not a green bean lover and have never prepared them from frozen but some family members are, so I thought I would give it a go. Few ingredients are required and really clear instructions are given in this recipe. The slight browning of the beans gives this dish the most interesting flavour and texture. If you are in the mood for something "outside the box" this will dazzle your taste buds. UPDATE - I have found the French cut style of frozen beans are the best to use.    

So simple to make, every one loved it. I used the left over for lunch, in a sandwich wrap with a little bit of hummus spread.

I made it exactly as described in the recipe and it was fantastic. i used green beans from my garden that I had blanched and frozen. Aside from how crazy delicious this recipe is, it is the best recipe I've found to use up summer green beans when you're buried in them! It is healthy, filling and delicious without being heavy. We put it in pita bread with roasted chicken and topped with homemade raita sauce. You won't regret making this recipe!

I thought the beans and cilantro was an unusual combination, but having them both in abundance right now I thought I would give this a try. It was awsome!! Works great with fresh beans; cook until bright green. I also doubled the garlic because we love the stuff. Will deffinately be making this again and again and again. Thanks to Tasneem for posting this one!

I was looking for a change and this recipe provided it!  I love cilantro, my husband doesn't, but we both liked this recipe.  My only suggestion is use medium heat or lower.

I just ate a lot of green beans! I used only half of the olive oil and still felt I could have used less. Will certainly make this again. Thanks.

I made this as a side dish to go with a chicken satay and curry as well as some coconut rice.  It was very good!  I did find that I kept adding more salt, but the recipe says to taste.  I couldn't decide if this was my favorite part of the meal, or the satay!  I am staring at the clock waiting until an acceptable time to pull them out for lunch!  I did feel like they could have used something else, maybe a little sugar and some heat.  But as is, the recipe is great!

I take this to parties and pot lucks all the time and EVERYONE loves them!

These are fantastic! Everyone ate way more than I expected.  I made again the next night and stuffed them in a pita with hummus.  Delish!  I think this is my new favorite way to eat green beans!

Where do I start!!!?? If I could rate these 10000 I would. These have got to be the best green beans on the planet.  If you love garlic and love cilantro, you HAVE GOT to make these.  They are superfast and super easy.  I have probably made them at least 10 times.  My family and friends love them so much I can never have leftovers.  In fact, we love these so much that they could be our entire meal with meat on the side.  I used the long organic green beans but I am sure any frozen green bean will do.  LOVE LOVE LOVE-I think this is my favorite saved recipe, NO KIDDING!!

couldn't be easier and it tasted good.  I did add an extra clove of garlic bc we love it but besides that followed recipe exactly.  will have to play with heat and cooking time bc I cooked the gr beans until they just started to brown and while the flavor was really good I would have preferred that the beans be just a bit more crisp tender.  EDIT:  I made these again but used 1/8 c of chili pepper infused EVOO and 1/8 C regular and WOW they are good.  spicy and just Yummy!  My husband and I eat a whole bag of these in one sitting now.  YUM.  favorite green been recipe EVER

Fantastic! The combination didn't sound very good, but it was delicious. It was a bit greasy so I may cut back next time.

OMG.  Seriously delicious, and insanely easy.  EVERYONE at my dinner party raved about the beans.  And the recipe's so quick, easy and CHEAP that it's insane.  This is so becoming a staple for me.  Delicious.  The mixture of the fresh garlic and cilantro was incredible.  The house smelt delicious.  Oh, I also used less oil than called for.  Just whatever amount I felt comfortable with.  I ended up making more beans as I ate a lot of them before the dinner party--they were that good.  :)

This is a nice way to prepare green beans. Next time I will increase the amount of cilantro.

These beans were absolutely delicious. I used fresh and added a tablespoon of water to make up for the frozen ice crystals.  I cooked until many of the beans were starting to brown.  So good, I can't imagine I won't make this all the time.

My husband is Syrian also, and I have made this hundreds of times, both with fresh and frozen beans. I do it a little differently, though. (I don't like to cook with olive oil but use it at room temp only.) I sauté several cloves of garlic that I COARSELY chop or slice in a small amount of vegetable oil (like canola or coconut) then add the green beans, and about 1/3 - 1/2 cup of water, salt to taste and cover, cooking over medium until they're tender but not mushy. Then uncover for the last few minutes, (most or all the water should be evaporated), and serve with a generous drizzle of olive oil. By gently sautéing the garlic first, it intensifies the flavor and takes away the bite of raw garlic. Plus the flavor of olive oil on warm beans also makes the flavor of the oil shine through. We typically serve these slightly warm or room temp, but not typically hot. ENJOY!

These were great.  I typically hate frozen veges, but these were wonderful.  I think I used only 2 tbl. of olive oil though.  Thanks for the recipe.

I am not a frozen green bean fan but these were awesome!!  I about ate the whole pan by myself.  Even my 6 year old who thinks green beans are his worst enemy and having to eat them is a fate worse than death said that they "were pretty good".  I made the recipe as is and will definitely make them again.  Probably tonight :)  I think it is very important to use extra virgin olive oil.  I think the other olive oils would be too heavy.

I make this weekly and figured I should write a review. This is the only way my meat and potatoes husband will eat green beans. It is so simple and delicious! I've made it without cilantro because I didn't have any and it was still good. The cilantro adds another wonderful dimension of flavor, but it's the cooking technique that really makes this dish.

I used frozen skinny green beans but next time I will use regular cut--I think they will brown better without burning.  STILL, this was awesome.  Next time I am going to cut back on the oil a little and see what happens.  Yum!

excellent, we had this with mediterrian lemon chicken from this site a great combnation, I love these green beans. a keeper thankyou

I made this a side dish and it was a big hit! My husband does NOT generally like green beans but devoured these! Next time I'll double it so everyone can have seconds. Thanks for the great recipe!!

Wow!!! Just made this for me and my husband. We gobbled down every bit and could have eaten twice as much. I used 2 tbsp olive oil and put the garlic in at the beginning rather than at the end with the cilantro. wonderful!!!!!

This is such a great recipe - I get rave reviews whenever I make it. I make it exactly as written.  Thank you for an easy,  wonderful, healthy green bean recipe.

This is my favorite way to make green beans now!I cooked mine about 15 minutes, they got a bit browned by the high heat but were delicious! This is the first time I've made green beans that didn't taste rubbery!

I never knew much about cooking vegetables and this was easy and very delicious. Will use over and over !

These are AMAZING!! By far the most delicious green beans I've ever had! My fiance was a bit skeptical about them while he was watching me cook them, but one bite turned him into a believer! He's not a huge fan of green beans, but he loved these and said they were the best he'd ever had! Thanks Tasneem! :D

Loved these! Cooking time is about 15 mins.. I cut back a little on olive oil and added extra garlic and a splash of red wine vinegar. My husband wanted thirds and asked why I had not made enough (I made 4 servings and it was just the 2 of us!) I plan to make these for Thanksgiving and will add diced cooked bacon.

This was a nice change from the usual green beans, very well received in our house. I added more garlic and they were great!

This recipe is a different, delicious way to prepare green beans.  I make these two or three times a month, and make them often for holiday meals.  I do not use cilantro in the recipe, as my family does not care for it. I do add in about 1/4 tsp. of black pepper.  YUM!

These are excellent. This is the only way I cook green beans now....So tasty and easy to prepare. YUM!!!

very yummy, my veggie-phobic husband ate them and declared them "very good"!
I used a little less than a 1/4 cup of oil and used fresh green beans, since I'm not a big fan of frozen veggies. We ate them "warm", as many people suggested that they were better after sitting for a bit. This is a keeper.

this was good and definitely a nice change to steaming or boiling.  i used fresh green beans - maybe that altered the results...or it may have been the fresh spinach i threw in just cos i had some left over.  anyway, it turned out well - but without the WOW that others wrote about.

Delicious! I followed the recipe as written. Couldn't taste the cilantro but loved the final product.

I followed this recipe exactly and it was very good. I'm not a big fan of green beans but I like this recipe. Next time though, I'll use less olive oil.

These were without a doubt the best green beans I have ever eaten. I make them just to have the leftovers for lunch the next day.

delicious! i would never have thought to add cilantro to green beens.  cooking them untill their brown and carmelized is great too! i used frozen cubed cilantro instead of fresh and it was delicious!

I LOVE this recipe!!  I thought I hated green beans, but I now know I just didn't like the way they were being prepared.  We made this for a holiday meal and everyone flipped over how good they were.  A staple in our house forever!

Made these for dinner the other night &amp; the reviews were split. Half of us loved it and the other half would have to pass. Since I'm reviewing, I get to pick the stars--but I will say that it could have used a bit more seasoning--the softness of the green beans (and I let it go quite a bit per the description of "authentic") and I liked that. The olive oil flavored the beans nicely, but I think there needed to be some sort of counter point--maybe the garlic going in sooner or some other herb to complement the cilantro. I'll definitely make this again--even as it is written, though.

Like others were saying, I never thought of cooking my green beans this way.  I used whole green and wax beans, frozen.  I also put on a little garlic powder with the salt (kosher).  I will make this again soon.

This was simple and fairly quick. I used a blend of green beans, wax beans, and carrots, sea salt, and dried cilantro. I really liked this dish a lot. My husband did not.

We loved it.  Made it as stated in recipe (except for one ingredient).  I thought I still had fresh cilantro, but it had already died off.  I would love to try it with cilantro next time.  Great way to cook green beans.  No extra water to boil off the vitamins.

These are really good.  Normally, I make green beans "southern style", but this is a great and most likely healthier alternative.  The olive oil does do something magical to the beans.  Will certainly make again.

This is now the way I will be making my green beans. These were to die for. I actually cooked these in a foil roasting pan on the grill while I was cooking up the chops.(Grilled Lemon Herb from this site) and Lemony Quinoa. This dinner idea came together perfectly and with 444 cal., 26g fat, and 35mg of cholesterol, you can't go wrong.

I'm not much of a grean bean eater, but I needed a vegetable to serve during Thanksgiving and found this one.  This was delicious and easy to make.

I just made this tonight with two tblspns of dried cilantro instead of the fresh and is was WONDERFUL! Make sure to brown the green beans. Good luck.

These are delicious.  I was able to make these ahead and heat them up for a dinner party.  It's been several months since I've made these and now I'm craving it again.

Amazing! These are a keeper. The cooking method creates a richness that is very similar to caramelizing onions. The deep flavor is a great compliment to the freshness of the cilantro. I will definitely make these again.

These beans are absolutely wonderful.  I used to go to Boston Market for their grean beans now I don't have to.  These taste sooo good I could eat them all the time.  I didn't have cilantro last time I made them so I used a little dried Basil. They still tasted wonderful.  My husband also loves them.  Thank-you so much Tasneem.

The best green beans ever.Our family favorite.Thanks .

I really liked this! It's a no-fuss, quick dish with great flavor. I was skeptical about the flavor of cilantro combined with green beans, but it was really tasty.

This has been the only way I have been able to get my husband to eat fresh green beans. He usually will only eat canned. (He's wierd!)This has become a favorite in our house and appears regularly on the dinner table. Thank you for this wonderful way to dress up this wonderful  bean!

This is our favorite green bean recipe.  So simple and delicious. I prefer the green beans a little crunchy, so I usually don't cook them very long, but the flavor is still outstanding. 

This was actually better reheated the next day. I will it make again when I can do it ahead.

wow! this recipe is fantastic!! usually im not a big fan of green beans, but my fam. likes them &amp; because i like exotic food i decided to try it. It was by far the best green beans i've eaten ever!!! The flavor was sooo good, i wished i had made more! Very easy to make, i used an olive oil spray instead of the tblsp. so I didnt have to use as much, because i dont like very oily foods; i will def. make it again! :)

Excellent! I made these twice in two days! Easy and very tasty.

I really like this recipe.  I will make this one again. The flavor is nice.  The amount of olive oil is a bit too much so I didn't put as much in.   Taste delicious!

this is the only way I make green beans now!  but medium high is way too high for the heat.  keep it on medium low.

I made this tonight, only due to dietary issues, omitted the cilantro. I added a little black pepper, extra garlic and less olive oil. I let my beans get mildly browned. I loved them, they were so good and I will NEVER boil (as I learned from grandma) my green beans again.

I love this dish! I grew up eating this and a similar dish that also has tomatoes. I highly recommend this recipe. It is so good, it is hard to believe it is a veggie. Great with Kefta (or kufta; there is a good recipe on this site) and rice-a-roni! Maybe add some sliced tomatoes on the side. 

Yum! These are the best green beans I've ever had. Thanks!

The flavors are delicious together. I used frozen green beans even though I usually try to avoid frozen vegetables, not enough flavor. Next time I'll try it with fresh as I didn't enjoy the texture of the once frozen beans. 

deilicous and easy to make! my boyfriend usually doesn't like vegetables, but he LOVED this dish! definitely would prepare again!

This was very easy to make.  The taste was good, but I didn't like the texture--I like my green beans crisper.

I never thought frozen green beans could taste good, but I really liked this recipe. I happen to be a garlic and cilantro fanatic, so that likely makes a difference. This is an easy, flavorful dish to make. It went over well at a potluck dinner party.

Will make again!! i only used half of the amount of olive oil and tasted great!

This recipe was average.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't wonderful.  It was, however, very easy to make. I used about half of the cilantro and it still dominated the flavor of this dish.  I like cilantro alot, but as a subtle flavor.

This was a nice new way to serve an old favorite veggie. I was afraid that (in spite of all of the reviews to the contrary) it would be kind of boring and greasy, but it really wasn't. I halved the recipe and used it as a side dish to a beef tenderloin. Thanks tasneem!

Great flavor - used fresh green beans, turned out awesome, otherwise followed recipe exactly

I can hardly wait to make this recipe again and I for sure will be doubling it. This is green bean heaven!

A great, subtle change to make green beans more interesting and complimentary to a more flavorful main dish.

My husband and I really enjoyed this recipe. The only thing I would do differently is use less oil.

great recipe, but for a little change, try putting in a can of chopped tomatoes. It really sets off the great flavour.

So goooood. I loved these. I didn't use fresh cilantro since I couldn't find any in the grocery stores around here so I used 1 T dried. My husband thought these were a little oily but he thinks that about everything. I added some garlic powder. I will be making these again &amp; again. I'd love to try cooking more Syrian food. Thanks so much.

Sooooo good. Mine did get a little burnt on the bottom on med-high so I removed most of the burnt ones. Overall, the darker they are the better. Don't be scared to let them get brown, the flavor soaks in more! BH wants these every night.

Delish. Definitinely get 'em nice and brown.

So oily!  I added plain greek yogurt on top to make it more edible.

I have made these for work potluck twice. Everyone LOVES them! I do too!

Holy Cow! This was an INCREDIBLE surprise! I was looking for recipies to use up my cilantro.... this was AMAZING!

GREAT FLAVOR AND HEALTHY. JUST WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR. EASY TO MAKE. MAKES FOR A NICE SUBTLE SIDE AS WELL.

These were a good change from plain ole veggies. I had to substitute garlic powder because I did not have fresh. The other thing that may have affected flavor was that after they were done, I let them rest covered while I got a few more things ready for dinner. This way, they were served more warm than hot, and the cilantro had more time to wilt. I have been told that some people have taste buds that make cilantro taste awful to them. Thankfully, that's not us, but just something to think about if you don't like cilantro dishes.

My four men (hubby and three teenage sons) love this recipe.   Easy shouldn't taste this good....but it does.  I'm ditching the fat loaded casserole stuff for this heart healthy recipe.

I found out that I don't like cilantro that much, so I used half the cilantro.  I also used fresh green beans instead of frozen, but it still turned out well.  I will make it again.  Thanks!

Fabulous just the way it is.  Even my teenager can't get enought!

Very tasty!  This dish had a nice fresh taste.  However, the beans seemed overly greasy, next time I would maybe decrease the amount of olive oil by about half.

See how to make a quick-and-easy green bean side.

fasoliyyeh bi z-zayt (syrian green beans with olive oil)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Author : Tasneem

Ingredients

Instructions

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