Meat and two veg. Always a popular meal. And easy to make plant-based.

With such a classic meal you can really do anything thanks to the modern meat substitutes. I use the basics of this dish — potatoes and green beans with onion — when I fancy something simple or when I want to try a new meat substitute.

With this dish you can choose which meat substitute you use. This time I opted for plant-based crispy chicken kievs, but this is of course easy to replace with your own favourite. Or with any new product that you would like to try.

The secret to this dish really is the way you prepare the green beans. It’s how my papie (grandfather) taught me to make them. It’s so delicious that while I say this dish is a way to try a new meat substitute that I haven’t tried yet, the real reason actually is because I am in the mood for some green beans.

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Twist on a Dutch plate

5 minutes preparation + 15 minutes cooking — serves 2

• 2 small onions
• 500 grams frozen green beans*
• 400 grams potatoes
• 1 pack of meat substitute, choose your own favourite
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• Plant-based gravy granules
• Water
• Oil

*I tend to use frozen green beans a lot as they are so cheap and don’t lose any nutritional value. I always have a bag in the freezer as they are my go-to veg for a quick stirfry or a meal like this. However, if you want to make this dish a bit more special, you really should be using fresh green beans. They just take a bit longer to cook (but it’s worth the effort).

1. Boil c. 2.5 liter in a kettle.
2. Wash the potatoes and cut into small pieces. We keep the skin on the potato because it contains extra fiber. But of course you can also peel them first if you prefer.

3. Check the preparation method of the meat substitute. Most likely it can be pan fried or heated in the oven. Heat oil in a pan and fry the meat substitute according to package instructions, or heat the oven / air fryer and cook while the potatoes and green beans cook.
4. Bring the potatoes to a boil with half of the boiled water. Cook in c. 12 minutes until they fall apart when pierced with a fork.
5. Bring the green beans to a boil with the remaining boiled water in a medium-sized pot.
6. Peel and chop the onions.
7. Boil the green beans for c. 3 minutes or until al dente. Drain and put the pot back on the heat.
8. Heat some oil in the pot and fry the onions in c. 8 minutes and until soft and starting to brown.
9. Add the green beans and nutmeg to the onion. Mix and heat for another two minutes.
10. Drain the potatoes. Return the potatoes to the pot and heat for another half a minute to evaporate the remaining moisture.

11. Bring some water to the boil and mix with the gravy granules. Check package instructions for the ratio granules to water.
12. Serve the gravy with the potatoes, green beans, and ’meat’.

Enjoy your meal!

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Leave a comment below if you made this recipe, and let me know what you think. Tips and feedback to improve the recipe are always welcome too!