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Home > Side Dish > Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic Lemon and Parmesan
25 minutes

Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic Lemon and Parmesan

Last updated November 26, 2020. Originally posted September 5, 2019 By Jyothi Rajesh 25 Comments

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sauteed green beans with lemon garlic Parmesan on white plate with text
lemon garlic Parmesan sauteed green beans on white plate with text
green beans sauteed with lemon garlic Parmesan on white plate with text
green beans sauteed with lemon garlic Parmesan on white plate with text
sauteed green beans with lemon garlic and Parmesan cheese on white plate with text overlay
sauteed green beans with garlic and Parmesan with text overlay

Sauteed green beans with garlic and Parmesan is the simplest side dish you can make for Thanksgiving dinner. Sauteing green beans brings out all its flavors and with garlic, lemon and Parmesan cheese, it makes it a great compliment to any meal.

garlic sauteed green beans sprinkled with Parmesan and lemon zest cooked in skillet

No more boring green beans. These sauteed green beans is going to change everything you thought green beans were. Bland, boring beans is taken to a whole new level with these sauteed green beans. It’s flavorful and great side dish for your Thanksgiving dinner.

One of the simplest and most delicious side dish that you can make for Thanksgiving is this sauteed green beans. It’s also the most delicious way to eat beans, especially someone like me who thinks green beans is boring!

When there is luscious butter, garlic, lemon and Parmesan cheese, you can’t go wrong! And the vibrant sauteed green beans looks absolutely gorgeous on your dinner table.

We are not just doing saute, but blanching them first. Blanching gives green beans a perfect texture and fresh flavors. Blanch the beans day before, saute it in butter along with garlic, lemon and Parmesan cheese grated on top the day you want to serve.

fresh green beans on white plate

So this may be the classic way to serve green beans for Thanksgiving or your day-to-day meals. You can easily add your unique spin to this classic favorite by adding some more flavors to it.

How to make sauteed green beans tastier

For me, this sauteed green beans recipe was just perfect enough. I didn’t find it necessary to add anything more. The flavors, the texture of the green beans is perfect.

But if you are looking at adding that unique spin to this classic favorite, then below are few options you can choose from-

  1. To our sauteed green beans recipe you can add bacon pieces, some dried cranberries and chopped walnuts. – it’s little sweet, there’s little crunch, and the salty bits of bacon makes it super delicious!
  2. Add Italian seasoning and some bread crumbs to sauteed green beans recipe mentioned below.
  3. To the sauteed green beans recipe, add cherry tomatoes for added tart and freshness.
  4. Sauteed green beans with caramelized onions, and crispy Prosciutto – drool worthy.
  5. Sauteed green beans with bleu cheese and walnuts.

garlic sauteed green beans sprinkled with Parmesan and lemon zest served on ceramic plate

Ways to cook green beans

4 simple and most obvious ways to cook green beans are

Blanch

Saute

Roast

Steam

And for this sauteed green beans recipe we are using the 2 most favorite methods of cooking – blanch and saute. Only because we want to get the goodness from both the methods.

garlic sauteed green beans sprinkled with Parmesan and lemon zest

Helpful Kitchen Tools:

         

Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic Lemon and Parmesan Step by Step Pictorial

Rinse string beans.

Trim the stem end of the beans leaving the string end as it is. But if you are not a fan of it, you can go ahead and trim both ends.

prepping fresh green beans prepping fresh green beans

Boil a big pot of water. Season generously with salt.

boiling water to blanch green beans salting boiled water to blanch green beans

Blanch green beans in boiling water until just cooked. About 3 to 5 minutes.

Note : I prefer crunchy beans, so I always cook for 5 minutes or little less. If fully cooked beans is your taste, do cook for additional 2 minutes.

blanching green beans in boiling water blanching green beans

Remove from water and immerse in ice bath immediately to stop cooking the beans. This will retain bright green color of the beans.

blanched green beans in ice water

Once cooled drain it off and keep aside.

Melt butter in a skillet.

Saute green beans in butter in skillet

Saute garlic until browned.

garlic sauteed in butter

Add salt and pepper to taste.

seasoning salt and pepper

Throw in the blanched green beans.

blanched green beans in skillet

Toss and cook for 3 mintues.

sauteed green beans in skillet

Add lemon juice, toss well.

adding lemon juice to sauteed green beans in skillet

Turn off the stove. Toss to coat well.

Transfer to a plate. Grate Parmesan cheese and zest of one lemon. Serve immediately.

sauteed green beans garnished with lemon zest and Parmesan sauce

Ways to serve sauteed green beans

Serve these vibrant gorgeous green beans with

Baked chicken

Thanksgiving whole turkey roast along with our popular Instant Pot garlic herb roast potato

With meat loaf

garlic sauteed green beans sprinkled with Parmesan and lemon zest served in skillet

Looking for more Thanksgiving recipes? I got some more amazing Thanksgiving main and Thanksgiving sides recipes for you guys, go check them out too.

Homemade Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce

Garlicky Sauteed Mushrooms

Hasselback Butternut Squash

Stuffed Butternut Squash

Melting Potatoes

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Baked Potato Wedges

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garlic sauteed green beans sprinkled with Parmesan and lemon zest Thanksgiving side dish cooked in skillet
5 from 10 votes

Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic and Parmesan

Jyothi Rajesh
Sautéed green beans with garlic and Parmesan is the simplest side dish you can make for Thanksgiving dinner. Sautéing green beans brings out all its flavors and with garlic, lemon and Parmesan cheese, it makes it a great compliment to any meal.
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Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 25 mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people
Calories 91

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pounds fresh green beans we are using string beans
  • 8-10 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 10 grams unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 lemon zest

Instructions
 

  • Rinse green beans in water. Remove it onto a plate.
  • Trim off the stem edge of the beans. I did not trim both the ends, I left thin string side. It’s edible to eat and leaving it on the beans makes it look beautiful. With tender and crispy beans, the string ends wont really bother you. But if you are not a fan, go ahead and trim both ends.
  • Bring about 5 qt water to boil. When water starts boiling, add kosher salt (to taste) into boiling water.
  • Add all the green beans into the boiling water. Blanch it for about 3 to 5 minutes. We do not want to over cook beans. It needs to be just cooked/blanched but still have that crunch.
    Note : I like crunchy beans so always cook to the point it has that crunch but cooked (not fully cooked). Cook longer if you prefer fully cooked beans. Start with cooking for 7 to 9 minutes. Check if it's cooked. Cook longer if needed.
  • Remove blanched beans immediately into ice bath and let it cool completely. Drain if off and keep aside.
  • Melt butter in a skillet.
  • Add minced garlic and cook stirring until golden brown. This step is important. Do not rush to add the blanched green beans into skillet. Wait until garlic is golden brown. Browning garlic ensures maximum flavors of the garlic in the dish. Don't rush this step.
  • Next add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Throw in the blanched green beans into skillet. Toss well to ensure all the beans are coated with butter and seasoning. Toss and cook for 3 minutes. We want to have green beans cooked and still have that crunch.
  • Add lemon juice. Turn off stove. Toss the skillet to coat sautéed green beans.
  • Transfer beans onto serving plate.
  • Grate Parmesan cheese and zest of 1 lemon over sautéed green beans.
  • Serve immediately as sides for Thanksgiving dinner.

Video

Notes

  1. Fresh organic tender beans are best choice. Cooks beautifully with amazing texture. 
  2. Trim both the ends of the beans.
  3. While you can skip blanching step and saute green beans directly in a skillet, blanching ensure the texture of the beans is preserved and it's gorgeous bright green color as well.  If using frozen beans, skip blanching step.
  4. All the prep work - trimming ends of the beans, blanching (blanch, remove from hot water immerse in ice cold water, dry it on paper towel) can be done in advance. Do the prep, store in tightly packed in fridge for about 2 days. Saute in garlic, butter the day you want to serve.
  5. Add more spices if you want to enhance it's taste. Add a hint of paprika, or red chili flakes for added heat. Tuck in some fresh herbs like rosemary for more flavors.
  6. Instead of butter, use oil to make a lighter version. 
 
Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 91kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 5gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 104mgPotassium: 263mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 899IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 122mgIron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Follow @CurryTrail and tag #CurryTrail to share your creation!

sauteed green beans with garlic and Parmesan with text overlay
sauteed green beans with garlic and Parmesan with text overlay
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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Sam | Ahead of Thyme says

    November 26, 2018 at 8:34 am

    Yum, these green beans look amazing! I am loving all the flavour combos in this dish! Pinning to make sometime in the next week!

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      November 26, 2018 at 9:05 am

      Thank you

      Reply
  2. Carrie Ditton says

    November 26, 2018 at 7:05 am

    5 stars
    Such a wonderful and flavorful side dish recipe! I love the ease of this recipe! I’ll be making this soon!

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      November 26, 2018 at 7:31 am

      Thank you Carrie

      Reply
  3. David says

    November 26, 2018 at 2:05 am

    5 stars
    You get such a nice bright green color with your method! I usually just steam green beans, I need to try this…not to mention the garlic + parm!

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      November 26, 2018 at 7:32 am

      Thank you David

      Reply
  4. Les says

    November 26, 2018 at 2:02 am

    I honestly never get sick of green beans. It’s my go to side for any and every dinner dish!

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      November 26, 2018 at 7:32 am

      Thank you

      Reply
  5. Tammy says

    November 26, 2018 at 1:59 am

    5 stars
    Blanching is a step I don’t always remember but I need to! It just brings out the bright beautiful color of the green beans. This is such a wonderful side! ^_^

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      November 26, 2018 at 7:32 am

      Thank you Tammy

      Reply
  6. Natalie says

    November 26, 2018 at 12:29 am

    5 stars
    Oh yes, this looks so good. i love green beans. I never tried this version with garlic and parmesan, but I definitely will give this a try. I love that flavor combo.

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      November 26, 2018 at 7:32 am

      Thank you Natalie

      Reply
  7. Amanda Mason says

    November 25, 2018 at 9:50 pm

    5 stars
    I love a simple recipe! And I love the step-by-step instructions! What a great way to add flavor to a basic green bean recipe!!

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      November 26, 2018 at 7:33 am

      Thank you Amanda

      Reply
  8. Nicolas Hortense says

    November 25, 2018 at 8:37 am

    Just goes to show that they don’t need much to make them taste good! That combo of garlic, lemon and parmesan sound absolutely amazing! Really nicely done (:

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      November 26, 2018 at 7:33 am

      Thank you Nicolas

      Reply
  9. Anna says

    November 24, 2018 at 8:33 pm

    5 stars
    Green beans are my favourite vegetable, and your version looks totally delicious! Such a perfect side to go with any meal, and so healthy too!

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      November 26, 2018 at 7:33 am

      Thank you

      Reply
  10. Aleta says

    November 21, 2018 at 10:34 am

    5 stars
    Yes, yes, yes! yes to all the green beans! I am a huge fan, and your recipe looks absolutely delicious. I never thought of adding lemon.. what a great idea! I also love how vibrant your green beans are, not over cooked at all. I can’t wait to give this recipe a try!

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      November 21, 2018 at 12:54 pm

      i’m glad you like green beans Aleta. Thank you and hope you try it

      Reply
  11. Elaine Benoit says

    November 20, 2018 at 6:48 pm

    5 stars
    Jo, these green beans look amazing. I always thought green beans were boring as a child and never really liked eating them. I love that you added lemon and parm!

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      November 20, 2018 at 7:27 pm

      Thank you Elaine, i thought green beans were boring too until I tried this

      Reply
  12. Gloria says

    November 20, 2018 at 2:40 am

    5 stars
    Such an easy to make and delicious side. Perfect for all the holiday dinners. Easy to take along when you have to bring a dish to add to the dinner potluck.

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      November 20, 2018 at 8:08 am

      Thank you Gloria, It’s a great side dish for Thanksgiving dinner

      Reply

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My food philosophy is simple, fresh and full of flavors! I love ‘spicy’ food. In fact so much so that I can skip dessert for extra spicy savory food!

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