Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic Lemon and Parmesan

Sauteed green beans with garlic and Parmesan is the simplest side dish 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.

No more boring green beans. These sauteed green beans are a game changer. It’s packed with flavors and a great side dish for your Thanksgiving dinner.

If you like to add a unique spin to this classic favorite, here are some ideas.

Recipe variations

1. You can add crispy bacon bits, or dried cranberries and chopped candied walnuts. – a little sweet, a little crunch, and the salty bits of bacon make it super delicious!
2. Add Italian seasoning and bread crumbs. You can experiment by sprinkling Panagrattato or Italian breadcrumbs.
3. Add cherry tomatoes for added tart and freshness.
4. Sauteed green beans with caramelized onions, and crispy Prosciutto – drool-worthy.
5. Sprinkle some bleu cheese and walnuts.

Rinse string beans.

Step-by-step Instructions

Step 1: Trim the stem end of the beans leaving the string end as it is, I like it that way.

Step 2: If you are not a fan of it, you can go ahead and trim both ends.

Step 3: Boil a big pot of water. Season generously with salt.

Step 4: Blanch green beans in boiling water until just cooked. It should take about 5 to 7 minutes.

Note: I prefer crunchy beans, so I prefer to cook for 5 minutes or a little less. If fully cooked beans are to your taste, cook them longer.

Step 5: Remove from water and immerse in an ice bath immediately to stop cooking the beans. This will retain the bright green color of the beans. Once cooled a bit drain it off and keep aside.

Step 6: In a skillet melt butter.

Step 7: Saute garlic until browned.

Step 8: Add seasoning, salt about ¼ teaspoon, and pepper about ¼ teaspoon.

Step 9: Throw in the blanched green beans. Toss and cook for 3 minutes.

Step 10: Add lemon juice, and toss well. Turn off the heat. Add grated Parmesan cheese and zest of one lemon. Toss until combined. Serve immediately.

Serving Suggestions

Serves great with baked paprika chicken, Instant pot whole chicken, and chicken piccata.

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

Useful Tips

1. Fresh organic tender beans are the best choice. Cooks beautifully with amazing texture. 
2. Trim both the ends of the beans.
3. While you can skip the blanching step and saute green beans directly in a skillet, blanching ensures the texture of the beans is preserved and their gorgeous bright green color as well.  If using frozen beans, skip the 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, and store it tightly packed in the fridge for about 2 days. Saute in garlic, and butter the day you want to serve.
5. Add more spices if you want to enhance its taste. Add a hint of paprika, or red chili flakes for added heat. Tuck in some fresh herbs like rosemary for more flavor.
6. Instead of butter, use oil to make a lighter version. 

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 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Side Dish, Thanksgiving

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Calories 91

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 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

 

• Trim off the stem edge of the beans. I did not trim both ends, I left a thin string side. It’s edible Feel free to 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 to the boiling water. Blanch it for about 3 to 5 minutes. We do not want to overcook 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 an ice bath and let it cool. 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 to the skillet. Wait until the garlic is golden brown. Browning garlic ensures maximum flavors of the garlic in the dish. Don't rush this step.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Throw in the blanched green beans into a skillet. Toss well to ensure all the beans are coated with butter and seasoning. Cook for 3 minutes.
• Add lemon juice. Turn off the heat.
• 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 the best choice. Cooks beautifully with amazing texture. 
2. Trim both ends of the beans.
3. While you can skip a blanching step and saute green beans directly in a skillet, blanching ensures the texture of the beans is preserved and its gorgeous bright green color as well.  If using frozen beans, skip the 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 a paper towel) can be done in advance. Do the prep, and store it tightly packed in the fridge for about 2 days. Saute in garlic, and butter the day you want to serve.
5. Add more spices if you want to enhance its taste. Add a hint of paprika, or red chili flakes for added heat. Tuck in some fresh herbs like rosemary for more flavor.
6. Instead of butter, use oil to make a lighter version. 

Nutritional Info – Please remember that the nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 91kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 5gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 104mgPotassium: 263mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 899IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 122mgIron: 1mg

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