Blistered Green Beans

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!

This recipe was originally published October 28, 2020. It was updated on September 10, 2021.

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Article Summary:

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. Read on to learn how to make this recipe, make recipe adjustments, and to learn recipe pro-tips.

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, these fried green beans are also impressive enough to serve with a holiday meal.

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

This pan fried green beans recipe is perfect for a smaller holiday gathering or you can double the recipe to suit a larger crowd. They're perfect for times that you need flexibility and options.

So, customize the recipe to fit your family's needs and celebrate the holidays in a way you can feel great about and enjoy.

These sautéed green beans are...

• Crisp
• Fresh
• Tender
• Naturally sweet

As extreme as this may sound, fresh and perfectly cooked green bean taste like nature's candy. And when this treat is ready in 15 minutes, it's one you can enjoy any day of the week!

Ingredients

• Whole green beans -- the fresher and better quality beans you use, the better.
• Olive oil -- a decent quality extra virgin olive oil is perfect here!
• Salt
• Lemon juice -- fresh is best but bottled also works

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.
• Beans - 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. Similarly, 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!

More green bean seasoning combinations:

Replace the lemon juice with any of the following seasoning blends:

• Almond green beans - season the green beans with red wine vinegar and sprinkle ¼ cup slivered or sliced almonds on the beans before serving
• Balsamic Italian green beans - season the beans with salt and ¼ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning. Toss the beans with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle the beans with 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese before serving
• Greek green beans - season the beans with salt and ¼ teaspoon dried oregano. Sprinkle the beans with 1 ½ teaspoons red wine vinegar and 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice. Toss the beans with 3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese and ½ cup halved cherry tomatoes before serving

How to make these sauteed green beans...

1. Heat the 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 sauté 9-11 minutes, stirring every 1-2 minutes.
4. Season the beans with salt and lemon juice and toss.
5. Season with extra salt, to taste, and serve hot!

Recipe pro-tips:

• 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.
• Use quality green beans. Quality is key in a recipe where the ingredient is the star of the show. Look for green beans that have a great expiration date or come from a local farm, if possible. I like to get my green beans at a farmer's market or Whole Foods, whenever I can.
• 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.
• Don't skimp on the lemon juice (or the vinegar, if using). Acid makes the flavor of the green beans that much brighter. It takes the recipe from "OK" to "wow!" Use as much lemon juice (or vinegar) as directed and add more if you want an even greater flavor pop in the recipe!
• Prepare the beans to cook ahead of time by trimming the green beans up to 1-2 hours before cooking. This is helpful to do when making these beans as side for a large family dinner or holiday meal when the last 30 minutes of cooking are always the most frantic.

Recipe FAQs

Serving suggestions:

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

• Sloppy Joes
• Grilled chicken
• Turkey burgers
• Grilled chicken
• Roasted salmon
• Peanut Butter Curry Chicken

These beans are also perfect to serve with roasted turkey, ham, or a beef roast for Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas, or any other holiday 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. 🙂

Storage directions:

These beans last covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. They do not freeze well.

Tools needed to make this recipe:

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

More healthy side dish recipes:

• Air Fryer Green Beans
• Honey Roasted Rainbow Carrots
• Air Fryer Zucchini
• Air Fryer Vegetables
• Roasted Cumin Carrots
• Mashed Butternut Squash
• Corn Soufflé
• Healthy Mashed Potatoes (No Butter or Oil!)
• Cranberry and Edamame Brown Rice Salad
• No Yeast Dinner Rolls
• Healthy Sweet Potato Soufflé

If you made and liked this recipe, don't forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it went for you in the comments! It always makes my day to hear from you!