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.
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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
- 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!
- Add Italian seasoning and bread crumbs. You can experiment by sprinkling Panagrattato or Italian breadcrumbs.
- Add cherry tomatoes for added tart and freshness.
- Sauteed green beans with caramelized onions, and crispy Prosciutto – drool-worthy.
- 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
- Fresh organic tender beans are the best choice. Cooks beautifully with amazing texture.
- Trim both the ends of the beans.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Instead of butter, use oil to make a lighter version.
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📋Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic and Parmesan
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
- 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
- Fresh organic tender beans are the best choice. Cooks beautifully with amazing texture.
- Trim both ends of the beans.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Instead of butter, use oil to make a lighter version.
Nutrition
Created by Jyothi Rajesh
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I’m Jyothi Rajesh (Jo for short) and I’m the founder of the food blog, Curry Trail where I share my culinary Adventures. I live in Bangalore, India. I’m a mom of two beautiful kids. My passion is creating and sharing delicious and easy recipes for the home cook. I have been blogging since 2014 and many of my recipes have appeared in both online and print publications over the years. Learn more about Jyothi Rajesh.
Comments & Reviews
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Yum, these green beans look amazing! I am loving all the flavour combos in this dish! Pinning to make sometime in the next week!
jyothirajesh says
Thank you
Carrie Ditton says
Such a wonderful and flavorful side dish recipe! I love the ease of this recipe! I’ll be making this soon!
jyothirajesh says
Thank you Carrie
David says
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!
jyothirajesh says
Thank you David
Les says
I honestly never get sick of green beans. It’s my go to side for any and every dinner dish!
jyothirajesh says
Thank you
Tammy says
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! ^_^
jyothirajesh says
Thank you Tammy
Natalie says
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.
jyothirajesh says
Thank you Natalie
Amanda Mason says
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!!
jyothirajesh says
Thank you Amanda
Nicolas Hortense says
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 (:
jyothirajesh says
Thank you Nicolas
Anna says
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!
jyothirajesh says
Thank you
Aleta says
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!
jyothirajesh says
i’m glad you like green beans Aleta. Thank you and hope you try it
Elaine Benoit says
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!
jyothirajesh says
Thank you Elaine, i thought green beans were boring too until I tried this
Gloria says
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.
jyothirajesh says
Thank you Gloria, It’s a great side dish for Thanksgiving dinner