Follow this simple recipe for how to cook fresh green beans to make these Garlic Green Beans! Sauté green beans with garlic and cook in one skillet in less than 15 minutes. They are a delicious side dish packed with fresh flavor.
Green beans are my favorite side dish! I eat them so much I often wonder when I will get sick of them. Thankfully, there are a thousand different ways to cook and eat green beans. Garlic green beans are one of the easiest and most delicious recipes for cooking fresh green beans. I love serving these alongside a roasted chicken (or one of my favorite skillet chicken recipes) or with a roast for Sunday dinner. The options are endless!
How to cook fresh green beans
Cook green beans by boiling, sautéing or roasting. Cook them on their own for a side dish or add them to other dishes for a complete meal. They are great for meal prep and taste good cold or reheated too. You can cook seasoned green beans by adding different spices or ingredients.
How to sauté green beans
To make sautéed green beans with garlic, heat butter or olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add some sliced garlic, if desired and cook for 60 seconds. Once the garlic is heated, remove using a slotted spoon and set aside. Add green beans to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in broth or water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer. uncovered, 6 to 8 minutes or until the beans are tender and the liquid is almost evaporated, stirring occasionally. Return the garlic to the pan, stir and serve.
How to boil green beans
You can cook green beans in boiling water. When boiling green beans, make sure not to overcook them so they don’t get too mushy. You can also blanch the green beans (cook them in boiling water for one or two minutes) before sautéing them on the stove. This helps lock in flavor and that crisp texture.
How to roast green beans
Roasted green beans create a slightly different texture. Use the same ingredients and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle the green beans with melted butter or olive oil. Add minced garlic and roast for 20 minutes. You’ll still have garlicky green beans, but with a slightly different texture. We love roasting alongside some of our favorite proteins, like chicken or fish.
Types of green beans
There are a few different types of green beans that you’ll generally find in your supermarket or grocery store. The most common type and the one this recipe calls for is a regular string bean. You’ll sometimes find a “fancier” type of green bean called a haricots verts, or French green beans. They are thinner and a bit more delicate. If you are lucky, you’ll even find purple green beans at specialty stores, which are the same as string beans, but just purple in color. They lose their color when cooked, so I suggest blanching those to keep some of the deep purple color. Sometimes you can even find a wax bean, which is the same as a green bean, but a lighter, yellow color.
Use any of the above green beans in this garlic green beans recipe. You may need to adjust cook time slightly depending on the size of the beans. Long skinnier beans make cook quicker than short thick green beans.
Seasoned green beans
You can make a variety of seasoned green bean recipes. We love using basics like garlic, salt and pepper. You can also use garlic powder, chili powder or onion power. You can cook green beans with whole garlic cloves or sliced almonds. Add bacon for additional fat and flavor. The options are endless. Create your own green beans recipe by combining your favorite seasonings.
What goes with green beans?
Green beans are the perfect side dish for almost any meal. Below are a few of our favorite main dishes to eat with this garlic green beans recipe.
- Creamy Chicken Skillet with Red Peppers
- Slow Cooker Chipotle BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
- Lemon Butter Garlic Chicken Thighs
- Grilled Salmon with Salsa
- Thanksgiving Turkey
How do you cook fresh green beans? What is your favorite way to cook them? Try our classic sautéed green beans with garlic recipe and let us know what you think in the comments below!
Other green bean recipes
- Try this Green Bean, Radish and Bacon Salad for a fresh, crisp salad recipe!
- Switch out one of the vegetables with green beans in this One Pan Chicken Sausage with Roasted Vegetables and Apples!
- Do you love green bean casserole? Try this Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Shallot Pecan Topping for a healthier twist on a classic favorite.
- Roasted Green Beans and Mushrooms are a side dish we can’t resist.
Garlic Green Beans
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 pounds green beans
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup water or vegetable broth
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat butter or olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sliced garlic, cooking 45 to 60 seconds until golden brown. Remove using a slotted spoon and reserve on a separate plate.
- Add green beans to pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, stir occasionally until crisp-tender.
- Stir in the water or broth and allow to come to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 6 to 8 minutes until beans are tender and broth is almost evaporated, stirring occasionally. Return reserved garlic to the pan, stir, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
IF YOU TRY THIS RECIPE, DON’T FORGET TO SHARE A PHOTO AND TAG @SPOONFULFLAVOR ON INSTAGRAM.
This post contains affiliate links.
These beans were fantastic! Yum!
This is a great side dish! Thank you for the idea
These green beans were DELICIOUS!
delicious! also one of my favorite side dish. Great post 🙂