Hearty BUCKWHEAT Dish With Green Beans and Beets

This buckwheat dish is seriously tasty and perfectly balanced! Buckwheat, green beans, beets, mushrooms, and – surprise, surprise! – lemon verbena come together in an exciting mix: earthy, fresh, and aromatic.

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This is one of those dishes you probably haven’t had before... but once you do? Oh, you’ll wonder where it’s been all your life. It’s like a hearty, warm grain salad loaded (and I mean loaded) with veggies. We’re talking brown mushrooms, green beans, and red beets—so colorful! So bright! So vivid!

And then there’s buckwheat. That humble, often-overlooked grain that quietly pulls everything together and makes the whole dish feel cozy and satisfying (and gluten-free, too).

Flavor-wise? We’ve got earthy, golden-browned mushrooms, sweet beets bringing that soft and lovely vibe, and green beans... tasting fresh and, well, green (they just do, okay?).

But the real surprise is… lemon verbena. An herb better known as a tea ingredient, that you can also add to sweet or – as in this case – savory dishes. Its fresh, citrusy brightness lifts this entire buckwheat dish right up.

And bonus: The recipe might sound fancy but comes together in, like, 30-ish minutes. Especially if you use pre-cooked beets - either store-bought or you boil fresh beets the night before and let them chill in the fridge until you’re ready.

How Lemon Verbena Joined the Buckwheat Dish

I have to talk about this special herb for a minute. The other ingredients are pretty straightforward, but lemon verbena? Now that’s a fun one.

Here’s the story, short and sweet:

My husband often picks up unusual plants for our balcony. Recently, I’ve been the one watering them, and I noticed one is growing like carrr-aaaaazy! It’s got these long branches with delicate, lime-green leaves. Thankfully, the plant tag was still stuck in the soil—lemon verbena! Ahh, yes! I’ve had the tea before, of course. So, I picked a few leaves and brewed myself a cup. So refreshing and lemony. So good!

Next, I tried it in cooking. Not everything turned out quite as expected, but this buckwheat dish WAS. A. HIT. The combination of nutty buckwheat and that zingy, herby lemony note from the lemon verbena is so, so, so, so good. Balanced, cozy, fresh... all at once.

Right, I get it—not everyone grows lemon verbena in the backyard or on their balcony. But... I’ve got to be honest: the dried variety isn’t a good substitute. The fresh leaves have a more intense, vibrant flavor—they’re citrusy, slightly grassy, and bring a fresh, almost tangy note to the dish. If you don’t have fresh lemon verbena (I feel you!), a bit of lemon zest will get you that zippy citrus vibe, even if you miss out on the herby notes. Close enough, though.

Here we go... Let's make a yummy, hearty buckwheat dish.

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Hearty Buckwheat Dish With Green Beans and Beets

This buckwheat dish is tasty and balanced! Buckwheat, green beans, beets, mushrooms, and lemon verbena as a surprise herb come together in an exciting main.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Western

Keyword: buckwheat, gluten-free, green beans, vegan

Servings: 3

Ingredients

Metric - US Customary

For the buckwheat

• ▢ 250 g of buckwheat
• ▢ 2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil or another neutral oil

Vegetables and spices

• ▢ 500 g of green beans
• ▢ 400 g of cooked beets about 2 medium-sized ones
• ▢ 6 mushrooms
• ▢ 20 fresh lemon verbena leaves (alternatively the zest of one small lemon)
• ▢ 2 medium-sized onions
• ▢ 1 clove of garlic
• ▢ 3 tablespoons of rapeseed oil or another neutral oil
• ▢ 2 teaspoons of dried savory
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste

For garnish

• ▢ A few fresh lemon verbena leaves

Instructions

Cook the buckwheat:

• Rinse the buckwheat thoroughly. Bring it to a boil with 375 milliliters (1.58 cups) of water and a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, but let it sit for another 5 minutes (with the lid on), then fluff with 2 tablespoons of oil.

  While the buckwheat is cooking, prepare and cook the vegetables.

Prepare the vegetables:

• Wash the green beans, trim the ends, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Dice the cooked beets.
• Clean the mushrooms and cut them into pieces.
• Finely chop the lemon verbena leaves.
• Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic.

Sauté onions and garlic:

• Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large pan. Add the onions and sauté until translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant.

Cook the vegetables:

• Add the green beans, mushrooms, and dried savory. Cover and cook over medium to high heat, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and the mushrooms are lightly browned.

Combine and finish:

• Lower the heat, add the cooked buckwheat and diced beets, and let everything warm through for about 5 minutes.
• Turn the heat off, stir in the chopped lemon verbena leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve topped with a few fresh lemon verbena leaves. And enjoy! 😊

Tried lemon verbena in something savory? Tell me how it went! I’m always here for your cooking stories (successes, flops, and everything in between).

Wishing you planty of savory delights,
Ramona

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