This quick-cook preparation results in a delicious side dish of easy green beans that the whole family will devour!
I feel like a broken record, but May, y’all. It’s no joke. Packed full of end-of-year fun as the season stretches more towards summer. It’s evident in the heat starting to creep into midday and the swim team practices beginning to fill the calendar.
My weekly dinners are known to reflect the amount of chaos in our schedule, and this week we’ve had some odd combos: marinated chicken, roasted potatoes, and cucumber Greek salad, shrimp fried rice, and oh yeah, the night I forgot to cook the salmon so we literally just had green beans and potatoes.
Speaking of green beans, I’ve never been a fan of the droopy, overcooked variety. I called my preference “crunchy” green beans as a kid and my mom, bless her kind heart, would make me crunchy green beans while (over)cooking (in my opinion) the rest of them for the rest of the family.
The girls both have inherited my love for this kind of green bean preparation and it’s a favorite in the house for two reasons: 1) we all devour them within minutes and 2) they are ridiculously quick and easy to make.
In fact, I hesitate to call this a recipe and I certainly never thought I’d post it as such, but every time I share a picture with green beans on here or instagram, without fail I will get more than one person asking how I prepare them. So, this is it!
I love to use fresh green beans and have the girls snap or cut off the ends, but since this post is all about how quick and easy this “recipe” is, I’m also not afraid to say convenience trumps all this month.
First put on a big pot of water to boil and gather your ingredients.
The trick is to semi-blanch the beans by dropping them in the boiling water for 4 minutes, or until they just get tender, then to immediately drain them.
With real blanching, you’d then submerge them in ice water to stop the cooking process, but no need for that step here. Just throw them back into the same hot pot and add the butter and garlic powder.
Then beans will be warm enough to melt the butter while you toss the beans, then sprinkle in the salt and squeeze the juice from half a small lemon onto them, turn them around once more and that’s it!
I know, I know, you are underwhelmed. But these are a true favorite around here. You can certainly fancy them up with a squeeze of lemon and a little of the zest. Or you can shave on some fresh Parmesan. But really, nothing else is needed. You’ll believe me once you see them disappear of the dinner table. Enjoy!
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Easy Green Beans the Whole Family Will Devour
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 4 mins
- Total Time: 14 mins
- Yield: serves 4
Description
This quick-cook preparation results in a super simple side of delicious green beans that the whole family will devour!
Ingredients
- 24 oz Green Beans
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Butter
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- juice from 1/2 small lemon
Instructions
- Put on a large pot of water onto boil over high heat.
- If using fresh green beans, trim and rinse them.
- Once water is boiling, add green beans and let return to a boil. Let cook for approximately 4 minutes, or until you can pierce the beans with a fork.
- Drain immediately and return to pot. Add butter and garlic powder and stir gently to combine.
- Sprinkle on salt, squeeze them lemon juice, then mix gently once more and serve.
montessoriishmom says
Green Beans are one of my favorites…partially because they’re one of the only vegetables I can get to taste good from frozen, so I love keeping them on hand as a back up. These look great! Love your green bean and potato dinner 🙂
JOHN J STATHAS says
Beg to differ. Glad your Mom, my wife, continues to “overcook” those delicious Southern green beans. 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
Mom has never made a bad meal in her life, but I stand firmly on team crunchy green beans 😉
See you manana!!
julie @ peanut butter fingers says
I feel the same way about posting certain recipes like this on my blog (SO EASY!) but then again THESE are the recipes I genuinely use OVER and OVER again… way more than complicated recipes with tons of steps/ingredients. I love this simple preparation method for green beans and will absolutely try it out! Thanks for sharing. 🙂 Can’t wait to see ya on Saturday!
Brittany Dixon says
That is exactly how I felt seeing your veggie marinade today (which I totally saved to my recipe folder). I feel silly posting it but if we make it over and over again, it’s got to be worth sharing right?! Can’t wait to see y’all! Hoping the rain stays away (fingers crossed!)
Jennifer says
This is a great recipe! We don’t eat green beans much, but when I see them at the farmers Market I am always tempted to buy a bunch. I usually just boil them and that’s it, so hopefully next time they will be a hit! – we also do roasted potatoes for dinner on those nights we have nothing else – top them with some cheese and call it a day! Thanks again!
carol says
I do the same, only I sauté garlic in olive oil.
Toss that in the cooked green beans with black pepper.
I sprinkle in slivered almonds.
Always a hit!
Brittany Dixon says
Love the slivered almond idea! I’ll have to try that next time! I sauteed garlic before too… then got lazy, haha 😉
Taryn says
Team crunchy green beans over here too! I honestly never liked green beans until I had them served crunchy. Now that’s the only way we cook them in our house. I cook mine on the stovetop with butter or bacon grease, and use a medium-high heat setting so they don’t get overcooked and to get that char on them. A little sprinkle of salt and we are good to go. My kids love them this way as well! I am definitely trying your recipe next time though – and the garlic salt idea intrigues me 🙂
Kathy says
Feel no shame with this post!! I am glad you posted on how to make your beans. I am guilty for over cooking fresh green beans too—I hear it from the family. 🙂 So now I am excited to try your method very soon. I love green beans–even out of the can. 😉 Thanks for sharing!!!
Julia @ Drops of Jules says
I am not the most adventurous when it comes to vegetables, but I love my green beans. I usually just steam them, but this will elevate the taste so easily!
Lisa says
Have you ever roasted green beans? They are sooo good and even easier than this. You just put them on a foil lined baking sheet (no clean up!) and toss with oil and spices, bake for like 15 minutes and done. And so amazingly delish! Still have a little crunch and the flavor from roasting them is so good. Yum!
Brittany Dixon says
I have and you are right- so good!! The girls like this blanch method more but I could go either way. So delicious! I’m team roast all the veggies 🙂
Heather says
Um I for one did not know a simple way to cook crunchy green beans, so thank you so much! Will make next week!
Nicole says
My green bean recipe is similar. I melt butter, add a clove or two of minced garlic saute that for a minute or two. Add green beans toss to coat, add salt and pepper then squeeze in the juice of half a lemon- or more to taste. Delicious! 🙂 My girls think it’s too sour and shy away from them, but your recipe might work better for them. Thanks
Sarah says
This sounds so easy. Thanks for sharing! I am wondering if there are other veggies that would work well with this semi-blanching method?? I have never tried it but am looking forward to it!
melissa says
Made the green beans this morning. Bonus – breaking off the stems kept my toddler occupied long enough for me to empty the dishwasher. Thank you for sharing this simple but go-to recipe!
Kristen says
This was so good!!! I had previously been roasting my green beans, which my husband and I like, but neither girl would eat. Tonight I made them your way and my 18 month old DOWNED them! She couldn’t get enough. My 4-year old claimed she didn’t like them, but she rarely says she likes anything new ha. Thanks for the simple suggestion!!
Sheila says
I agree that this the best ever green beans. I also like the crunchy ones though it really took me multiple attempts to get it. Your recipe is so delicious. Everyone enjoyed it.