Easy enough for a weeknight, but flavorful enough for the holidays, these Blistered Green Beans are made with clean ingredients and are ready in under 15 minutes!

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Say "goodbye" to boring green beans! These blistered green beans are ready in a snap and are full of fresh and savory flavor. Season them simply or use one of my seasoning blends to take the beans up a notch.

Either way, you're sure to enjoy a delicious and healthy side dish the whole family will love. Add this green bean recipe to your menu today!

These blistered green beans are a recipe I've been making for a while now but am just now getting around to sharing.

Being that they are so simple to make, they show up on our family's menu quite often. Since they come together so quickly, I often throw them together in a pinch. And since they're so versatile and healthy, it's not uncommon for me to round out a meal with them.

But, even with how healthy, easy, and simple they are to make, they're also impressive enough to serve with a holiday meal.

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Whether you dress them up with my additional seasoning options (toasted sliced almonds, anyone?) or just present them as-is, they're a tasty and festive, yet lighter alternative green bean dish.

This recipe is perfect for a smaller holiday gathering or you can double the recipe to suit a larger crowd. They're perfect for a year like this where we need flexibility and options.

So, customize the recipe to fit your family's needs and celebrate all that we have to be grateful for, in any year, but especially this one.

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This sauteed green bean recipe is...

• Quick
• Clean
• Fresh
• Ready in under 15 minutes
• Easy enough for a weeknight dinner
• Fancy enough for a holiday dinner
• Customizable
• Vegetarian & vegan
• Gluten-free
• Savory
• Hard to get enough of

A vegetable that's hard to get enough of? I know, I know. But really-- see me out. A perfectly cooked pan of fresh green beans is one of those good things in life. Do yourself a favor and try this recipe out today!

Recipe ingredients

• Green beans -- the fresher and better quality beans you use, the better. See my notes below on trimming the beans and using frozen!
• Olive oil -- a decent quality extra virgin olive oil is perfect here!
• Salt
• Lemon juice -- or any of your other favorite vinegar. Sharing more on that next!

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Ingredient substitutions

• Oil -- you can also use avocado oil or ghee for this recipe
• Lemon juice -- balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, and white wine vinegar are all delicious on these green beans. So, use whatever you have on hand and prefer!

What does it mean to blister green beans?

Blistering green beans means that you are cooking the beans at a high enough temperature that they start to wrinkle and brown, or "blister." You can blister green beans by sauteing them or broiling them. In this recipe, we will be sauteing them!

How do you make sauteed beans taste good?

You can make sauteed green beans taste good by...

• Seasoning them sufficiently -- seasoning the green beans with an adequate amount of salt is key in bringing out the flavor of the green beans (as well as with most vegetables!). So, unless if you are on a low-salt diet, don't be bashful about salting your beans.
• Finishing them with an acid -- tossing the green beans with an acid (lemon juice, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, etc.) at the end of the cooking time brightens up and ties together the flavors of the green beans.

Are wrinkled green beans bad?

What makes these blistered green beans different?

• The beans are sauteed - some blistered green beans recipes broil their beans to blister them. I prefer sauteing them, as the beans cook through more in the saute pan.
• Seasoning blend options (see below!) -- I make this recipe the most as-is, but they're also delicious stepped up a bit with my favorite seasoning and finishing options.

Do you need to trim your green beans?

You don't have to trim your green beans, but I recommend you do! That way, you and your family don't have to eat around the stems. To save the hassle of trimming your beans, see if you can get pre-trimmed green beans are your grocery store.

How to make these sauteed green beans...

For the complete recipe and specific measurements, please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

1. Heat your non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the oil to the pan until it's hot enough to sputter when flicked with water.
3. Add the green beans to the pan and saute 9-11 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.
4. Season the beans with salt and lemon juice and toss.
5. Season with extra salt, to taste, and serve hot!

Pro-tips to make delicious green beans... every time!

1. Use a hot pan -- you want to wait until your pan is totally preheated to add the oil and beans. We need high heat to shock the green beans as they cook, causing them to blister!
2. Use quality green beans -- quality is key in a recipe where the ingredient is the star of the show. I like to get my green beans at a farmer's market or Whole Foods, if possible.
3. Season adequately -- seasoning the green beans is key. So, unless if you are on a low-salt diet, season the beans with the directed amount of salt and then season to taste with additional salt, if needed.
4. Trim your green beans -- trimming the beans before cooking means less fuss come dinner time. If you don't want to deal with trimming green beans, see if your grocery store has pre-trimmed beans.

Other green beans seasoning combinations:

These green beans are delicious as-is, but if you want to change or dress-up this dish a bit, here are some other delicious ways to serve this dish:

• Almond green beans -- season the green beans with red wine vinegar (instead of lemon juice) and sprinkle 1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds on the beans before serving
• Balsamic Italian green beans -- season the beans with salt and 1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning. Substitute balsamic vinegar for the lemon juice and sprinkle the beans with 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese before serving
• Greek green beans -- season the beans with salt and 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano. Sprinkle the beans with 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar and 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice. Toss the beans with 3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese and 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes before serving

What type of green beans are best for this sauteed green bean recipe?

The freshest and most flavorful green beans are best for this recipe.

Trimmed whole green beans are perfect for this dish, but you can also use cut green beans. If using cut beans, only cook them for 7-9 minutes, or until blistered.

Haricot verts (a slimmer french green bean) also work well in this recipe, but you won't need to cook them as long either. 8-9 minutes in the pan should do the trick!

Can you make these blistered green beans with frozen beans?

Yes, you can make these blistered green beans with frozen beans.

Follow the directions as listed, sauteing the beans for 11-13 minutes (instead of just 9-11), or until the beans are blistered and cooked through.

Can you make these green beans ahead of time?

You can trim the green beans ahead of time, but the beans are best served hot and right off the skillet.

Thankfully, these beans only take 15 minutes to make so they're pretty easy to cook right before serving.

How do you serve this recipe?

These green beans are so versatile! They're great served along with the following dishes for a weeknight dinner:

• Sloppy Joes
• Meatballs
• Hamburgers
• Grilled Chicken
• Roasted Salmon
• Peanut Butter Curry Chicken

These beans are also perfect to serve with roasted turkey for Thanksgiving dinner! Add them to the spread as-is or toss them with red wine vinegar and almonds and you have a festive and delicious side dish. 🙂

How long does this recipe last?

These beans last covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Tools needed to make this recipe:

• 12" Non-Stick Skillet
• Measuring spoons
• Wooden saute paddle
• Lemon juicer
• Cutting board & chef knife (optional)

Other green bean and healthy side dish recipes you might like:

• Air Fryer Green Beans
• Roasted Cumin Carrots
• Healthy Mashed Potatoes (No Butter or Oil!)
• No Yeast Dinner Rolls
• Healthy Sweet Potato Souffle

And, of course, my favorite Turkey Breast Brine, for your main dish!

If you make and like this recipe, please review and rate it 5-stars at the top of the recipe card. This helps other people to find the recipes and helps me out, too!

Thank you so much for your feedback and support of Mae's Menu!

Yield: 4

Blistered Green Beans

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Easy enough for a weeknight, but flavorful enough for the holidays, these Blistered Green Beans are made with clean ingredients and are ready in under 15 minutes!

Print

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb. green beans, trimmed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

1. Heat up a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the oil to the pan and heat until the oil sputters when flicked with water.
3. Add the green beans to the pan and saute 9-11 minutes, turning every 2minutes, or until the green beans are cooked through and blistered throughout.
4. Season the beans with salt and lemon juice. Toss to coat.
5. Season with additional salt to taste and serve the green beans hot!

Notes

1. Leftover green beans last covered in the fridge for 4-5 days.

2. You can also use cut green beans. If using cut beans, only cook them for 7-9 minutes, or until blistered.

3. Haricot verts (a slimmer french green bean) also work well in this recipe, but you won't need to cook them as long either. 8-9 minutes in the pan should do the trick!

4. You can make this recipe with frozen green beans, as well. Just follow the directions as listed, sauteing the beans for 11-13 minutes (instead of just 9-11), or until the beans are blistered and cooked through.

5. You can also change up the seasoning of these green beans:

• Almond green beans -- season the green beans with red wine vinegar (instead of lemon juice) and sprinkle 1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds on the beans before serving
• Balsamic Italian green beans -- season the beans with salt and 1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning. Substitute balsamic vinegar for the lemon juice and sprinkle the beans with 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese before serving
• Greek green beans -- season the beans with salt and 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano. Sprinkle the beans with 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar and 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice. Toss the beans with 3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese and 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes before serving

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 85Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 0mgSodium 134mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 4gSugar 4gProtein 2g

This nutrition breakdown is just an estimate of the nutritional value of this recipe and cannot be taken as facts. The owners of Mae's Menu are not nutritionists or dietitians and therefore cannot be held accountable for this nutrition estimate. Please contact your nutritionist or medical professional for a nutritional breakdown of this food. Furthermore, this food is not intended to prevent, diagnose, cure, or treat any disease.