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These Sauteed Green Beans are a simple yet absolutely delicious way to get a healthy veggie side on the holiday (or any day!) dinner table with minimal effort!
Green beans are hands down my favorite vegetable ever. In fact, they’re one of the few veggies that I would happily eat straight from the can, and my mom always tells me that when I was little, I’d get home from a birthday party where I (very happily) indulged in ALL of the yummy sweets + birthday snacks and have only one request: green beans…I guess my body knew I needed some veggies (even at such a young age), and green beans were always my veggie of choice!
What’s WAY better (but *almost* just as easy) as canned green beans, though?! THESE simple sauteed green beans! They have a tender-crisp texture, the most incredible flavor, can be jazzed up in so many different ways, and make for the perfect easy side dish!
How to Prepare Green Beans
To prepare your green beans, you’ll need to snip off the tough ends (you can totally buy them already trimmed at the store to save a few minutes if you’d like, but do know that you may pay a little bit extra for the convenience!). If your green beans aren’t already washed, give them a quick rinse while you’re prepping too! Once they’re trimmed and rinsed, you can get started on the super simple cooking process! Before sauteeing your green beans, you’ll need to soften them a tad with a quick steam – this really helps to soften the green beans so that they cook more evenly in the pan.
Sauteed Green Beans Recipe
This green bean recipe is super easy and just calls for a few very basic ingredients! Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
- Fresh Green Beans – to start, you’ll need about 1 pound of green beans. Be sure to trim and rinse your green beans if they aren’t already!
- Butter or EVOO – you’ll also need 1 tablespoon of butter (my personal preference) or extra-virgin olive oil.
- Salt + Pepper – to season, we’ll use a simple combination of a ½ teaspoon of sea salt, a ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper, and…
- Garlic Powder – …a ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Lemon Juice – to finish everything off and add just a hint of acidity (also because lemon juice makes everything better!), you’ll need about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (the juice from about half of a lemon).
How to Make Sauteed Green Beans
Let’s dive into this easy, delicious recipe! Here’s how you’ll bring this simple side together:
- Steam – fill a large skillet that has a matching lid with about a ½-inch of water (about a ¼ cup total), and bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, add the green beans and cook for a couple of minutes (2-3 should do the trick!), until the beans are bright green and most of the water has evaporated. Once steamed, reduce the heat to medium, then remove the lid from the skillet, and drain any excess water.
- Saute – once the water is drained from the skillet, add the butter, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned, then toss with the lemon juice.
- Serve + Enjoy!
Tips for Perfect Sauteed Green Beans
These tips will help you to get perfectly-sauteed green beans every single time, so be sure to keep them in mind as you cook!
- Don’t Overcook – overcooked green beans are mushy and lack the perfect crunch that draws us to this yummy green veggie!
- Don’t Skip the Steaming – make sure that you steam your green beans before sauteeing. Steaming them helps them to cook more evenly and provides a better texture.
More Ways to Flavor Green Beans
Go simple with our basic recipe, or jazz things up with one of these yummy variations!
- Go Bold – add fresh garlic and shallots or onions for a deliciously bold take on sauteed green beans!
- Go Asian-Inspired – one of my favorite green bean variations! Add some Asian-inspired flare with a glug of sesame oil + soy sauce (or coconut aminos!), and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
- Add Some Texture – throw some toasted nuts into your green beans for a little bit of extra crunch – almonds and pecans work wonderfully here!
- Add Bacon – need I say anything more about this one?! Bacon makes EVERYTHING better, so it’s no surprise that it would have the same effect here!
- Add Parmesan Cheese – a sprinkle of shredded parmesan cheese will do wonders for your finished dish!
- Change up the Acid – try using balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar instead of lemon juice for a yummy flavor swap!
We hope you love these Simple Sauteed Green Beans – they make for the perfect side dish for any occasion!
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans
- 1 tablespoon butter or extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Fill a large skillet with matching lid 1/4 cup water and bring the water to boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, add the green beans, then cover and cook for 2-3 minutes until the beans are bright green and most of the water has evaporated.
- Reduce the heat to medium, then remove the lid from the pot, drain any excess water, and add the butter, salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
- Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned, then toss with the lemon juice and serve.
Nutrition Information
Recipe Notes
- For Low-FODMAP: leave out the garlic powder. You can use garlic-infused extra-virgin olive oil in its place if you’d like!
- Don’t Overcook – overcooked green beans are mushy and lack the perfect crunch that draws us to this yummy green veggie!
- Don’t Skip the Steaming – make sure that you steam your green beans before sauteeing. Steaming them helps them to cook more evenly and provides a better texture.
- Go Bold – add fresh garlic and shallots or onions for a deliciously bold take on sauteed green beans!
- Go Asian-Inspired – one of my favorite green bean variations! Add some Asian-inspired flare with a glug of sesame oil + soy sauce (or coconut aminos!), and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
- Add Some Texture – throw some toasted nuts into your green beans for a little bit of extra crunch – almonds and pecans work wonderfully here!
- Add Bacon – need I say anything more about this one?! Bacon makes EVERYTHING better, so it’s no surprise that it would have the same effect here!
- Add Parmesan Cheese – a sprinkle of shredded parmesan cheese will do wonders for your finished dish!
- Change up the Acid – try using balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar instead of lemon juice for a yummy flavor swap!
Lisa says
I followed this recipe with subbing the white wine for chicken broth because I’m all out. It’s like a soup. Chicken with tangy broth vs a creamy sauce. I don’t think the portions are correct.
Lisa says
Wrong recipe! The green beans came out yummy and delicious
Emily says
Trying to navigate the sheer number of ads and the poorly organized tips resulted in a ruined batch of food.
Melissa Guevara says
Hi Emily, we are so sorry this was your experience with the site, as well as the recipe. Given your feedback, we have added the tips and variations to the recipe card to hopefully improve the user experience when reading the instructions without having to do any scrolling up the page. Thank you for taking the time to share with us. -Team FF