Looking for an easy veggie side dish? These green beans are sautéed to perfection with garlic and lemon and ready in 8 minutes.
I often forget that green beans exist. They're a vegetable I tend to think about around the holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas for us) but they're a tasty side dish to have with so many meals. It's also a side dish that's fuss-free, which you know is my favorite. These sautéed green beans are tossed with plenty of garlic and lemon zest to add just enough flavor without much effort. These bad boys can be made in 10 minutes, too!
With Thanksgiving around the corner, these green beans will definitely be on our table. And the kids are learning to like green beans, too. That's a recent development -- and I ain't mad about it.
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The Trick to Sautéed Green Beans
- Get your pan nice and hot before adding your green beans. You want the green beans to begin to blister (get black spots)
- Cook green beans just long enough to blister but not long enough to get them soggy. The high heat will definitely help with this, but that's only about 5 minutes total (3-4 minutes initially then 1 more minute with the garlic and lemon zest).
- Lower the heat before adding garlic and lemon zest. Garlic burns really easily and nobody likes burned garlic in their green beans, so lower the heat and when you're confident the heat has lessened. Then add garlic and lemon zest and toss for another minute.
- Finally, the piece de resistance: butter. This is totally optional -- you don't need to add butter at the end -- but it's highly recommended. It makes the green beans buttery smooth and adds a little bit more flavor with the addition of some fat. In lieu of cooking green beans in animal fat...I'd say this is a much healthier alternative. Sea salt is also a great addition to sprinkle on just before serving.
Ways to Jazz Up Your Green Beans
- Add almonds or walnuts for a little more crunch
- Spicy them up with red pepper flakes
- Give them an Asian-inspired twist with soy sauce, a dab of hoisin, and top with sesame seeds
Easy Side Dish to Serve With Just About Anything
There's so much to love about these green beans, but one of my favorites is that you can put these green beans with just about anything. Try some of these favorites:
- Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs
- Easy Chicken and Gravy
- Zero Effs Chicken
- Dutch Oven Pulled Pork
- Oven-Roasted BBQ Baby Back Ribs
- Maryland Baked Crab Cakes
- Pecan Crusted Halibut
A very happy, healthy Thanksgiving to you all!
xox,
kathryn
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Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic and Lemon
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans, washed and trimmed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lemon, zest and juiced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add green beans, stirring often until green beans start to blister, about 3-4 minutes. Lower heat to medium, then add in garlic, lemon juice from half the lemon, and zest from whole lemon. Cook for one more minute.
- Remove from the heat, add butter (if using) and stir until melted and the green beans are coated. Top with sea salt before serving warm.
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