What’s tasty, healthy, all natural, and ready within ten minutes? This buttery sauteed green beans with garlic, of course!

Green Beans
With a strong dose of garlic, a fresh touch of lemon juice, and all the snap and satisfaction of green beans, this is an awesome side dish that is as easy to prepare as it is to eat. These make the perfect accompaniment to any steak, fish, chicken, roast, or vegetarian main.
Green beans are by far one of the most versatile of all the green vegetables. Did you know that green veggies are great for you? They can help reduce inflammation, and may even help with heart issues and digestive problems. Even better, because beans are a legume, they’re packed with protein, particularly when compared to other greens. Green beans are also a great source of antioxidants, which can help improve your quality of life as you get older.
Green Bean Recipe
Side dishes are an absolute must when it comes to making amazing dinners. Sure, your lamb chops or pork roast might be the star of the show, but every lead singer needs a backing band. Imagine if Van Halen was just David Lee Roth jumping around with no music! That’s where mashed potatoes, roast veggies, and these sauteed green beans can truly shine. The trick with side dishes is they should be easy and delicious. You don’t want to spend so long on your sides that you neglect the main course.
These beans have a balanced, garlicky, butter flavor. You can cook them to your preference, but our recipe aims to produce iridescent green beans with a crisp yet tender texture. You can also ignore the butter if you’re trying to shave a few calories off your meal. These beans taste awesome if you cook them just in extra virgin olive oil.
Ingredients for Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic
You will need green beans, unsalted butter, garlic, honey, lemon juice, salt and pepper. We love to garnish sautéed green beans with toasted almonds and Parmesan cheese.
Cooking Green Beans Without Blanching
Throwing your beans into the pan while fresh is totally fine! However, for this recipe, we prefer blanching the beans in boiling water beforehand. The texture and color are a little nicer, and you can use the same pan for both cooking and blanching to avoid having to wash too many dishes.
Pre Boiling
If you boil your green beans for about three minutes before you sautee them, you’ll love the results! Immediately after boiling, throw them into a bowl of ice. This will rapidly cool your beans down and stop the cooking process, ensuring that you don’t end up with floppy, overcooked beans. After this, pat your beans dry with a paper towel.
You can store your beans in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 48 hours after this, or saute straight away. If you’ve refrigerated your beans, take them out of the fridge about fifteen minutes before cooking. This will take the chill off your beans and help them to cook evenly in the pan.
Tips
- You can saute other veggies in the butter before adding your green beans. Onions, bell pepper, and mushrooms are great options, but why stop there? You could try any vegetable you like, but make sure to use appropriately small pieces. A massive chunk of broccoli or cauliflower won’t be as nice.
- If you’re feeling adventurous and want to add a Mediterranean kick to your sauteed green beans, try adding some herbs to the sauteeing process. Fresh basil or oregano are awesome for beans, or you could get some oily, aromatic sweetness from rosemary. Parsley, too, is a popular addition to this recipe as it brings a bright, fresh flavor to the sauteed green beans.
- If you don’t like the green, fibrous string at the end of your green beans, be sure to trim the ends before cooking.
Frozen Beans
If you’re pressed for time or refrigerator space, you might want to try using frozen beans for this recipe. Frozen green beans are great for sauteing because you don’t need to blanch them first. They’re already a little cooked before freezing, so they can go straight into the pan after thawing.
More Delicious Side Dishes
Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini
Instant Pot Mashed Cauliflower
If you make this sauteed green beans with garlic recipe be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! I will be happy to hear from you!
PrintButtery Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic
- Total Time: 13 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
What’s tasty, healthy, all natural, and ready within ten minutes? This buttery sauteed green beans recipe, of course!
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 pound (500 grams) French green beans (haricots verts), ends trimmed
- 1 teaspoon salt for salting water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons liquid honey
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt and black pepper, as needed
- 3 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated or shaved Parmesan cheese ( or Grana Padano)
Instructions
- Fill a large saute pan with 1 cup of water. Salt the water and bring to a boil.
- Add the green beans and cook for 3 minutes. Drain. Set aside.
- In the same pan melt butter. When it is melted, saute the green beans, about 1 minute. Move them around to coat in butter.
- Add the garlic, honey, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Remove from the heat and top with almonds and Parmesan.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Equipment
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 8 min
- Category: Side dishes
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: sauteed green beans, green beans
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