Easy Green Bean Potato Curry

This easy Green Bean Potato Curry is the perfect "Help! My bank account has barely any money left in it and I don't get paid for 3 days-type meal".

It's easy, budget-friendly, quick, and tasty. The perfect weeknight dinner.

Although I have a whole arsenal of spices in my kitchen, sometimes, (ok...a lot of the time), I need dinner to be super quick and don't want to be crushing cardamon pods, or toasting fenugreek, cumin, or mustard seeds.

Those spices and the delicious curries have their place and I make them when I have more time, but sometimes simplicity is key (and needed). That's where this Super Simple Green Bean & Potato Curry with no fancy-schmancy spices or herbs comes in!

This simple curry only has 8 ingredients (plus water and seasoning):

• Onion & garlic - Our aromatics. They add lots of flavor and the onion adds texture too.
• Potatoes - I like to use baby potatoes but any will do. Cut bigger potatoes into bite-sized chunks.
• Green beans - Fresh or frozen. No green beans? Frozen peas work great too!
• Curry powder - The only spice you need for this recipe. Any brand is fine. Curry powder is a blend of spices and an efficient and budget-friendly way to add a lot of spice and flavor.
• Coconut milk - From a can. Full-fat coconut milk will give you the best creamy texture and flavor but you can use light if you prefer.
• Cornstarch or arrowroot - Either will do. It's to thicken the sauce and make it creamier.
• Salt & pepper - Our seasonings. Be very generous. This is a very basic recipe and the correct seasoning can make the difference between a good curry and a just ok curry. Potatoes suck up and absorb a lot of salt so you need a little more than you usually would.
• Sugar - Just a touch. It's used as a seasoning and makes a HUGE difference to the flavor balance.

Make It Your Own

This recipe is really versatile in terms of what you can put in it. Here are some ideas:

• Add-ins – Tofu or a can of chickpeas are great additions for a hefty dose of plant protein and most veggies will work too. I love cauliflower in curries! I recommend reducing the amount of potatoes a little when adding any extras so you don't end up with too many solids for the amount of sauce.
• Make it spicy - This is not a spicy curry. To add heat you can either use hot curry powder, a small fresh chili when sauteing the onions and garlic, a few pinches of dried red chili pepper flakes, or some hot cayenne pepper.
• Make it nutty or tomatoey – Add a few tablespoons of natural peanut butter or tomato paste to the sauce to make it richer.
• Add more spices -  Add your favorite curry spices like cumin, turmeric, garam masala, fenugreek, etc, in addition, or instead of the curry powder. Be sure to add them when sauteing the onions and garlic so they can bloom.

This curry is hearty enough to serve as it is with a naan or cheap as chips no yeast flatbread for mopping up that delicious sauce.

I love it with rice, quinoa, or couscous to stretch it further and my coconut basmati rice or coconut lime rice are great accompaniments if you want to fancy the meal up. I really like some mango chutney on the side too.

Store leftover curry in the fridge for up to 5 days. I don't recommend freezing it because potatoes can become grainy and mealy once defrosted.

Reheat gently in a pan on the stovetop or in a microwave. Add a little water or coconut milk to thin the sauce as needed.

Recipe FAQs

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