Green beans really are the perfect side dish for so many occasions. Thanksgiving, chicken, steak, fish, ham, and you name it. They can be added to a salad, or made into a salad as a main ingredient, like myGreen Bean + Bacon and Walnut Salad.
The reason I'm calling these "Perfect Green Beans" is because everyone always asks "how they are cooked so perfectly and taste so great?" The trick is to cook the green beans twice. Since they are cooked twice, most of the work can be done ahead of time so all you are really doing is re-heating them before you sit down to the table.
Of course, it starts with high-quality produce. If you are in San Diego, the farmer's markets can be great, but I usually buy my green beans from Specialty Produce. My preference is to get french green beans, which are also called Haricot Verts. If they aren't available, or regular green beans look fresher, then go with those.
You want to buy green beans that have an even green color with no brown discolorations. They should easily snap to show their freshness and the leaves attached to the stems (if any) should not be wilted or brown.
This dish is pretty much as simple as it gets. I learned this technique from chefs in a French restaurant.
All of the vegetables are prep'd ahead of time for service. While you can cook the green beans in a pan, it can take a little while and by the time the inside is cooked, the outside might have lost its bright green color and end up looking like green beans that came from a can. That's definitely not what we're going for.
The solution is to first blanch the green beans in salted boiling water, then shock them in an ice bath once they are just perfectly cooked. This immediately stops them from cooking any further and preserves their color.
When it's almost time to serve them, they really only need to be heated up through and seasoned. We do that by placing them in a skillet with a little butter, chopped shallots and seasoned with kosher salt & freshly ground pepper.
That goes over medium heat until the green beans are nicely warmed through and they are ready to serve.
A few Add-on ideas to the Perfect Green Beans
This recipe is a starting point and how I usually serve them, but there are lots of options for changing things up if you want.
- Herbs
- Toasted Almonds or Pecans
- Roasted garlic
- Lemon juice
- Bacon
Perfect Green Beans
The key to cooking perfect green beans is to actually cook them twice. French green beans, also called Haricot Verts are blanched then sautéed with butter and shallots.
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Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: French
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Author: Justin McChesney-Wachs
Ingredients
- 1 lb french green beans (haricot verts)
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 Small Shallot , chopped
- ¼ cup Warm Stock or water
- kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Clean the green beans by trimming off the stem end (not the other end).
Blanch the green beans in a large pot of salted boiling water until they are just tender, but still crunchy, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste them frequently. you can watch the color turn from lighter to darker, but the best way is to taste them frequently.
Once cooked, quickly transfer the green beans to a bowl of ice water using a spider or tongs. This will quickly stop the cooking and preserve the bright green color.
To finish cooking the green beans right before serving; place the butter and chopped shallot in a skillet over medium heat, cooking until the butter is melted and the shallot starts to turn translucent, about 1 minute
Add the green beans, stock, and season with salt & pepper.
Heat through and serve.
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Brined and Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
Sausage and Sourdough Stuffing
The Creamiest Mashed Potatoes
Pumpkin-Pecan Bread Pudding
Apple-Rhubarb Crumble
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FAQs
A little butter, minced garlic, and lemon-pepper seasoning are all you need to bring the best out of fresh green beans.
What seasoning is best for green beans? ›
Spices and Herbs that Pair Perfectly with String Beans (These are Organic Too):
- Garlic (minced, powder or granules)
- Onion (minced, powder or granules)
- Parsley as a finisher with some lemons squeezed on top.
- Toasted sesame seeds.
- Classic black malabar pepper and salt.
- Basil.
- Oregano.
- Thyme.
Bring the water to a gentle boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, discarding any foam that rises to the surface. Add seasonings & continue cooking. When the beans have simmered for 30 minutes, season them with salt. Continue cooking until the beans are tender, adding more water if they begin to look dry.
How to fancy up green beans? ›
Combine zest, juice, garlic, Dijon, and olive oil. Whisk thoroughly to make a vinaigrette. Roast green beans @ 450 for 8-10 min, then coat immediately with vinaigrette, season with salt/pepper to taste, serve. Super quick, tastes amazing, easy to make a batch.
What makes green beans so good? ›
The vegetable helps fight inflammation and is a good source of folate and potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure. Green beans also are a good source of protein and fiber, which helps lower cholesterol, Vadiveloo said. "Fiber is underconsumed by U.S. adults and children, and it's good for gut health," she said.
Why do you put baking soda in green beans? ›
Some people (especially food service establishments relying upon your satisfaction) add an alkaline ingredient, such as baking soda, to the cooking water to help retain the color of green vegetables.
What spice can you put in beans? ›
A few items I reach for when making beans are: cumin, onions, garlic, bay leaves, chipotle peppers in adobo, bell peppers, poblano peppers, spicy chili peppers of any kind, cilantro, coriander, paprika, liquid smoke, celery, vegetable stock, black pepper, salt and lime juice.
How can I spice up my beans? ›
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. ...
- Add the garlic, oregano, chili powder, and cumin and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. ...
- Using an immersion blender or a potato masher, mash the beans, but leave some beans whole for texture. ...
- Season the beans with salt and pepper to taste.
13 Common Mistakes Everyone Makes With Beans
- Only eating canned beans. Ilia Nesolenyi/Shutterstock. ...
- Sticking to one type of bean. ...
- Not rinsing canned beans. ...
- Not rinsing and soaking dried beans. ...
- Cooking with hard water. ...
- Using acidic ingredients when cooking beans. ...
- Not adding aromatics. ...
- Overcooking your beans.
Place soaked beans in a large pot; cover with fresh water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently until beans are tender but firm. Most beans will cook in 45 minutes to 2 hours depending on the variety. Periodically, try a taste test or mash a bean against the side of the pot with a fork or spoon.
If you're wondering what is the secret ingredient for restaurant-quality refried beans, the answer is fat. Restaurant-made refried beans honor traditional Mexican culinary practices by adding a hearty helping of lard or bacon fat drippings to their recipe.
What is the best way to cook green vegetables so they stay firm and bright? ›
The best way to achieve this (and keep your veggies green) is by blanching, roasting or sautéing them. (Long cook times result in limp, soggy vegetables, void of both nutrition and colour.)
Why are my sauteed green beans tough? ›
When green beans taste more like freshly-mown grass than food, and their texture is more squeaky-snap than chewable, we're not cooking them any more. We're undercooking them. Even worse, these undercooked vegetables have such a "green" flavor, we need to drown them in sauce to make them taste decent.
What happens when you cook green beans with baking soda? ›
Your Beans Will Cook Faster
Well, creating an alkaline (or basic) environment by adding a small amount (about 1 teaspoon per cup of dry beans) of baking soda to your soaking/cooking water can actually help your beans cook faster.
How to season beans without meat? ›
There are several options to add flavor to pinto beans without meat. You can use vegetable broth, spices such as cumin, paprika, and chili powder, or even add sautéed onions, garlic, and bell peppers for an extra kick.
How to spruce up canned green beans reddit? ›
Spruce up your canned/frozen green beans!
- Melt ~2 Tbsp butter in a pan.
- Toss in your frozen/canned green beans with some water (half the liquid from the can, if using canned green beans)
- Add A LOT of onion powder and A LOT of salt (okay, maybe not that healthy lol)
- Add a little bit of ground pepper and garlic powder.
Instead, make this canned green bean recipe. There are only a few ingredients: butter and onion powder with salt and pepper. Simple but magical! The trick to this recipe is to let the liquid simmer completely out.
Why do my beans taste bland? ›
Undercooking your beans
Overcooking can detract from the eating experience, leaving your beans bland and lifeless. Undercooking beans, on the other hand, can put yourself at risk of food-borne illness. This is especially true for red beans like kidney beans.
