Sauteed Green Beans With Garlic
Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic are the PERFECT side dish, made with fresh green beans tossed with garlic, olive oil, and butter, ready in less than 20 minutes!
This Sauteed Green Beans recipe is one of the easiest side dishes you can make, made with a few simple pantry ingredients and ready in less than 20 minutes. It’s perfect for holiday meals or a regular weeknight dinner.
If you loved this recipe, you may also love my other green bean recipes! Try my Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans, Instant Pot Green Beans, or this Slow Cooker Green Beans!
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Simple and Easy – This recipe is made with only a few simple ingredients, and comes together in a flash!
Pairs with Everything – This is the perfect side dish because it goes with almost any protein, and always taste great!
Perfect for Meal Prep – I love to make this to meal prep for the week. They keep their texture and flavor when reheated, making this perfect for weekly lunches.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Green Beans. I use regular fresh green beans that have been washed and trimmed. You know they’re fresh when they’re firm and give a nice snap when broken in half.
If you have haricots verts (aka French green beans), they’re going to cook a lot faster and will turn out softer, so adjust accordingly.
You can also make this with canned green beans or frozen green beans, but they’ll turn out softer in the end. It’s best to defrost and drain any excess water beforehand.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Just a little bit of olive oil helps keep everything from sticking to the pan and adds flavor. You can also use canola oil or avocado oil.
Butter. I’m using unsalted butter to add flavor and also to cook the minced garlic before tossing everything together.
If you don’t want to use butter, you can just use more olive oil.
Garlic. This recipe will taste the best with fresh garlic cloves minced with a knife. Avoid using a garlic press, because it’ll burn much faster in this recipe.
If you don’t have garlic cloves, you can also use 1 teaspoon of garlic powder instead.
Spices. This is a really simple recipe, so all you need is some kosher salt and black pepper.
Kitchen Tools
For this recipe, you’ll need a medium sauté pan.
How to Make Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green beans, salt, and pepper, and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until they’re crisp-tender and bright green.
Push everything to one side of the pan and add the butter. Once the butter is mostly melted, add the minced garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds, or until the garlic starts to turn a golden color.
Toss the green beans with the roasted garlic. Cook everything for an additional 2-3 minutes, until well combined, adding any additional salt and pepper to taste. Top with fresh lemon juice and serve.
Recipe Variations
- If you want the most vibrant green color, blanch the beans in water first. Just boil a pot of salted water and add them for 4-5 minutes. Then immediately transfer the beans to a bowl of ice water. If you do this, you can pick up the recipe from when you add the butter and garlic.
- Try adding some parmesan cheese right before serving for a garlic parmesan version!
- If you want a spicy flavor, add a dash of cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or hot sauce.
- Try adding sliced shallots, mushrooms, snap peas, or Vidalia onion for even more veggies.
- For a nice crunch, top with sliced almonds, pecans, or crispy bacon pieces before serving.
- Try adding a splash of gluten free soy sauce or tamari, sesame oil, and top with toasted sesame seeds.
Recipe Tip! We’re adding the garlic towards the end to make sure it doesn’t burn, but still adds a ton of flavor! Don’t add it right at the beginning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Blanching green beans before sautéing them is a great way to add color and get a nice texture, but you don’t have to. I find that they cook well in the pan alone if you use the right technique!
Recipe Tip! Give the olive oil a chance to warm up before adding the green beans. This helps give the beans an incredible flavor as they caramelize in the pan!
More Side Dish Recipes
Storage
Refrigerate leftover garlic green beans for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Freeze leftovers for 2-3 months in a freezer-safe container.
Cooking Tips
- Make sure you use a skillet that’s large enough to cook the beans without having them in a pile. If they’re not spaced out enough, they’ll steam instead of saute.
- If you want a softer texture, add a few tablespoons of water and place the lid on the pan for a few minutes before adding the butter and garlic.
- Trim the stems off before cooking. Try to keep them all around the same size after trimming, so they finish cooking at the same time.
- If your heat is too high and everything starts sticking, turn the heat down and add a small splash of chicken broth or white wine for more flavor.
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Sauteed Green Beans With Garlic
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans, trimmed
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Equipment
- 1 medium saute pan
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green beans and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until they're crisp-tender and bright green.
- Push everything to one side of the pan and add the butter. Once the butter is mostly melted, add the minced garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds, or until the garlic starts to turn a golden color.
- Toss the green beans with the roasted garlic, adding in the salt and pepper. Cook everything for an additional 2-3 minutes, until well combined, adding any additional salt and pepper to taste. Top with fresh lemon juice and serve.
Notes
- Make sure you use a skillet that’s large enough to cook the beans without having them in a pile. If they’re not spaced out enough, they’ll steam instead of saute.
- If you want a softer texture, add a few tablespoons of water and place the lid on the pan for a few minutes before adding the butter and garlic.
- Trim the stems off before cooking. Try to keep them all around the same size after trimming, so they finish cooking at the same time.
- If your heat is too high and everything starts sticking, turn the heat down and add a small splash of chicken broth or white wine for more flavor.
- We’re adding the garlic towards the end to make sure it doesn’t burn, but still adds a ton of flavor! Don’t add it right at the beginning.
Nutrition
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