Dad’s Green Beans in Marinara Sauce

One of my favorite questions was always “what do Italians eat on Thanksgiving?” Since this is the week of Thanksgiving I thought I’d share a few memories of how we celebrated as Italians in America.

This was a new thing to me but it quickly became a holiday I looked forward to. Having everyone together always made for a fun time! We’d not only eat a delicious dinner but we talked, laughed, danced (we never passed up an opportunity to dance and sing) and just enjoyed being together.

Dad made the turkey with his special stuffing, and green beans in mar. Mama made potatoes Italian style, no mashed potatoes here! Mom’s yummy bread always graced our table and there was always plenty of food to enjoy. Dad always gathered the little ones and would walk around in a circles dancing with them. The younger kids sat at the coffee table in the living room, just their size, we could hear them talking and giggling. I remember my niece used to love butter on her bread, but she would lick it off and ask for more! So many fond memories

Now as I’ve grown and have kids and grandkids of my own, I’ve taken over the torch of
making the turkey and stuffing. As they’ve grown we’ve added new food traditions. One of my girls makes shrimp cocktail as one of our appetizers. Another specializes in making our favorite drink, wassail, and we go through massive amounts of black olives before we even sit down to eat!! Having a family of my own we’ve done a kids table just like my family did growing up.

Over the years that table has been filled with kids and now grand kids, each one waiting for the day that they get to “graduate” to the adult tables.
I’m so grateful for so many wonderful years to be surrounded by my loved ones for this special holiday
to carry on traditions and to most of all…. MANGIA!

Dad’s Green Beans in Marinara Sauce

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Course: Appetizers, Sides

Ingredients

• Olive oil

• 1 small onion, diced

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1 lg can crushed tomatoes

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 lb green beans, trimmed

• Fresh basil leaves, torn in pieces

Directions

• Coat a frying pan with olive oil and place on the stove over medium heat.
• When warm, add onion and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add garlic and continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Simmer for 5 minutes then add beans.
• Cover and cook until beans are tender/ al dente, do not over cook.
• Add fresh torn basil and stir.
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Notes