Sauteed green beans infused with extra virgin olive oil and minced garlic topped with toasted herby panko crumbs for a delicious and healthy side dish.
Sauteed green beans, a dish that's meant for any occasion. Whether you're choosing to serve alongside tonight's dinner or at your next holiday gathering, this dish deserves to makes it way to your dinner table. It's simple, classic, and pairs well with most protein.
Recipe Ingredients
- Fresh French green beans or regular green beans
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Fresh minced garlic
- Butter (just a little)
- Panko crumbs
- Fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, basil, cilantro) *You do not need all of these herbs 1 or 2 would be perfect
How to saute green beans
You can use regular green beans or French green beans. French green beans are slender compared to regular green beans. I used French green beans for this recipe.
- Wash green beans and pat dry with paper towel.
- Add extra virgin olive oil to a skillet and place over medium high heat.
- Add green beans to the hot skillet and season with kosher salt.
- Saute by moving the green beans around in the pan (tongs are really handy for this process).
- Add minced garlic and continue to saute until green beans become tender, crisp, and slightly charred which should take approximately 7 minutes.
- Remove from heat and sprinkle the top with toasted panko crumbs infused with butter and chopped fresh herbs.
Do you have to blanch green beans before cooking
There are a few things I think are worth noting when it comes to blanching green beans.
First, let's quickly discuss blanching. Blanching is a process in which you place vegetables in boiling water just for a few minutes. This helps to cook and tenderize. Immediately, following is the process of shocking them whereby you place the vegetables in an ice bath to stop the cooking process which results in the vegetables retaining is beautiful and vibrant color.
Freezing or storing
If you're planning on freezing or storing green beans to use later, then yes, you should blanch green beans first. So, you're left with crisp, tender and vibrant green beans.
Saute green beans
When it comes to sauteed green beans, you can either:
- Blanch the green beans prior to sauteeing them, then place them in a prepared skillet with minced garlic or other preferred seasonings.
- You can saute them in a prepared skillet then add a little liquid to the skillet such as water, chicken broth or vegetable broth until the green beans are tender and crisp to your liking.
Green beans vs French green beans
Since green beans are much thicker than French green beans, I would saute them using either method described above; however, when sauteing French green beans I would simply saute them without blanching which I described above in the section labeled 'How to Saute Green Beans'. You can also find these steps in the recipe card below.
What can I add to green beans for flavor
You can add the following to flavor green beans (see the list below):
Add one or a combination for depth of flavor
- Salt and pepper are the obvious ones but get creative
- Mince garlic makes so many things more delicious
- A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- A drizzle of vinaigrette over the top
- Add crunch for texture (i.e panko crumbs, bread crumbs, sliced almonds, or other chopped nuts)
- Chopped herbs for freshness
- You can also give green beans an Asian flare (by combining the following ingredients and simmering until it thickens: soy sauce or coco-aminos, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, red pepper flakes) then top with sesame seed
Should you cut the end of green beans
You should cut the ends of green beans if they have stems or tough ends - these are inedible. You can also peel away the string or fibrous strip that sometimes run lengthwise along the edge of the green beans.
Cutting the ends do not have to be tedious. Here, are 2 ways to quickly cut the ends:
- Arrange the green beans in a line on a cutting board making sure the ends touch your knife and cut off the ends with the knife.
- Grab a handful of green beans in one hand, and in the other hand, use kitchen shears or scissors to cut the ends off.
Recipe Tips
- As the green beans are sauteing, taste test along the way to ensure that they are tender and crisp to your liking. You do not want to end up with overcooked or undercooked green beans.
- If your making French green beans as I did in this recipe, they'll require less cooking time than regular green beans.
- If you can't find French green beans at your local grocery store, try Costco.
- If you need to trim the ends of the green beans, it will add a little more time to your prep time.
Serve with:
- Pan Seared Salmon
- Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs
- Grilled BBQ Pork Spare Ribs
- Baked Beef Short Ribs
- Grilled Flanken Short Ribs
- Easy Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings
- Best Way to Cook London Broil
- Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Breast
- Tri Tip in the Oven
- Spatchcock Chicken Recipe with Cajun Spices
- Oven Baked Chuck Roast
Connect with me on Pinterest and Instagram for more tasty recipe ideas.
For comments or questions, leave them in the comment section below.
Thanks for visiting,
~Cree
Sauteed green beans infused with extra virgin olive oil and minced garlic topped with toasted herby panko crumbs for a delicious and healthy side dish.
- 2 lbs French green beans or regular green beans
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oi
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup panko crumbs
- 3 tsp butter
- 1 tsp rosemary chopped
- 1 tsp sage chopped
- 1 tsp basil chopped
- 1 tsp cilantro chopped
Wash, dry and chop herbs.
Add butter to skillet and place over medium heat. When butter has melted, add panko crumbs and move the panko crumbs around in the skillet with a spoon until they become lightly brown and toasted. Add chopped herbs. This process should take 3 minutes. Set aside.
Add extra virgin olive oil to a skillet and place over medium high heat. Add green beans and saute until the green beans start to get tender. Add salt and minced garlic. Continue to saute until green beans become tender and crisp to your liking. Taste test while the green beans are being sauteed as you do not want to overcook or undercook. They should be tender, crisp, and vibrant in color.
Remove green beans from skillet and top with prepared panko crumbs.
Recipe Tips
- As the green beans are sauteing, taste test along the way to ensure that they are tender and crisp to your liking. You do not want to end up with overcooked or undercooked green beans.
- If your making French green beans as I did in this recipe, they'll require less cooking time than regular green beans.
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