Balsamic Green Beans
These Balsamic Green Beans with Walnuts are one of my favorite vegetable side dishes of all times! Simple, quick, elegant and delicious and they only take 15 minutes to make!
I originally shared this recipe on August 2, 2012. I have updated the images and some of the text today.
Table of contents
Why We Love This Green Beans and Walnut Recipe
This balsamic-glazed green beans recipe is so simple, but the flavors are complex in the best way. The nutty sweetness of the garlic paired with the meatiness of the walnuts and the bright tangy balsamic vinegar take regular green beans to a whole new level.
With just 6 simple ingredients and 15 minutes, these Green Beans and Walnuts will be your favorite way to prepare green beans. They will become your go-to easy side dish for any weeknight meal or even for a more elegant affair like a holiday meal!
And if you are like me, you cannot get enough green bean recipes, so make sure to check out my Simple Skillet Green Beans too. They are sauteed and so easy to prepare! And don’t miss this guide How To Cook Green Beans.
Ingredients For Green Beans With Walnuts
- Green Beans: Fresh whole green beans contain vitamins A, C and K, as well as folic acid and fiber. Steaming them just until they are crisp-tender maximizes their health benefits and also the crunchy texture is best for this side dish.
- Olive Oil: Extra Virgin Olive Oil has more monounsaturated fat than other oils, so it is a good option for heart-healthy cooking.
- Garlic: Garlic is in the onion family and adds a slight spicy warmth to the fresh green beans.
- Walnuts: Toasting the walnuts brings the oils to the surface and intensifies the nutty flavor. They add an awesome sweet nutty flavor and great meaty texture to this healthy side dish.
- Aged Balsamic Vinegar: Aged balsamic vinegar is much sweeter and thicker than regular balsamic vinegar. It adds the perfect sweet tangy flavor to this dish and the thicker consistency will perfectly coat the green beans.
- Kosher Salt: The coarser grains of kosher salt actually amplify the flavor and texture of the the dish without making it taste salty. And a little bit goes a long way.
How To Make To Make Balsamic Green Beans
Step 1: Sauté the garlic
The key to seasoning steamed green beans is to cook the seasonings separately then toss them with the cooked green beans afterwards. So to begin, you’ll heat your oil in a small skillet and add the garlic to it. Cook the garlic in the oil over medium heat until the garlic is just barely showing signs of turning brown. Immediately pour it into a large mixing bowl to stop cooking.
Step 2: Steam the green beans
Add 1 to 2 inches of water to a large pot fitted with a steamer attachment, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add green beans to the steamer, and cook, covered until the beans are crisp-tender.
Step 3: Transfer the green beans to the bowl
Place the green beans in the bowl with the garlic.
Step 4: Add the remaining ingredients
Add walnuts, balsamic and salt and toss to coat.
FAQ’s and Expert Tips
Steaming green beans is better than boiling because it helps to preserve their nutrients. Boiling quickly and blanching in ice water is a great way to prepare green beans in advance. But it is easy to overcook them so shocking in the ice bath is necessary.
When green beans are picked past their prime they can often be fibrous and stringy, so try to find the freshest greens beans you can. Also, undercooked green beans can be still crispy or a little tough, so cook them until they are crisp-tender.
Store leftover balsamic green beans in the refrigerator in an air-tight container up to 3 days. Reheat them in the microwave, covered with parchment, until steaming hot (about 40 seconds on high per serving.) Alternatively to reheat them on the stovetop, place the leftover green beans and walnuts in a small non-stick skillet with a little olive oil or broth and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until they are heated through, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Additional Green Bean Recipes To Try
- This recipe for roasted green beans with almonds and thyme is like a cross between Green Bean Almondine and roasted green beans.
- Make it one of your New Year’s resolutions to try these amazing Asian-inspired Green beans with fermented black beans.
- In the summer, serve this green bean recipe chilled: Green beans and corn
- Another chilled green bean dish option for summertime: green beans with basil vinaigrette
- This absolutely delicious and easy Green Bean Casserole with Cheese is the perfect make-ahead green bean recipe for thanksgiving dinner.
- This luscious Tomato and Green Bean Salad is just a riot of color and juicy summertime produce side-dish mayhem!
- Check out these 25 healthy and inspired green bean recipes for all of your special occasions!
At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie
PrintBalsamic Green Beans With Walnuts
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
Description
These Balsamic Green Beans with Walnuts are one of my favorite vegetable side dishes of all times! Simple, quick, elegant and delicious.
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
- 2 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound green beans, trimmed (about 8 cups)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring until the garlic is just barely showing signs of turning brown, 30 to 90 seconds. Immediately pour into a large mixing bowl to stop cooking.
- Meanwhile, add 1 to 2 inches of water to a large pot fitted with a steamer attachment, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add green beans to steamer, and cook, covered until the beans are crisp tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Transfer the green beans to the bowl. Add walnuts, balsamic and salt and toss to coat.
Notes
These green beans are best prepared and served immediately, though they can be reheated. For best results, reheat in the microwave, covered with parchment only until steaming hot. They may discolor due to the balsamic vinegar.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Steamed
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 125
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 94 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 3 g
Great tasting and healthy. Its unusual to find a vegetable recipe that is so easy, yet creates such complex, delicious flavors. I also appreciate the brief explanation of what each ingredient adds to the whole.
Thanks so much Bob!
I don’t often comment, despite being a big comment reader, but I had to chime in to say these are so very, very good. Easy and really tasty. Just finished dinner and already thinking of serving them at family holiday gatherings coming up. Extra delighted to have a new tasty side that is not the usual but also vegan!
Thank you so much Diane! I am so happy that you like them! Thank you for coming back to leave your review and star rating
Made this to impress my in laws when they came for dinner to pair with my salmon. It was a hit! Thank you so much. Will definitely make again
I am so glad to hear it Kelsey. Thank you!
This was so good! It was easy to make and the flavor was awesome.
I am so happy to hear you liked this recipe. Thanks Beth!
Delicious and easy green beans. I didn’t have balsamic so I used a little Worcestershire sauce and they were wonderful.
Would love to try more great recipes like this
This was delicious. Brought it to a Thanksgiving dinner and everyone raved. So simple to prepare…it will become a frequent side dish at my house. Thanks.
This was really delicious and different for my family. It was a HUGE hit! Thank you for sharing!
Hi Amy, I am so pumped to hear you tried this one. It is my family’s favorite too. So thanks! (And also thanks for rating! That’s super helpful!)
Absolutely delicious! I couldn’t stop eating them!
That’s so great! Especially since they’re green beans and not something unhealthy like potato chips. Lol! So psyched you love them too! Cheers!
Hello – I have a question about the Nutrition Facts for this recipe – I am sure the calories, etc., is not about the whole 8 cups, right? What is the serving size, 1 cup per person? I am assuming , and it’s not my favorite thing to do 🙂 Please let me know as I would love to make these, they look delicious!
Thanks
The nutrition stats are based on a 1 cup serving. Thanks for asking. I updated the recipe card for you too. Hope you enjoy!
Such an easy to make yet flavorful dish that is perfect when green beans are in season. Balsamic and walnuts truly take this to the next level. SO GOOD!
I love it! So easy and taste really good! Such a great side dish!
A perfect side dish for any holiday! Delicious and healthy are right up my alley!
I would have never thought to pair green beans with walnuts but wow! So good.
A family favorite! Just wanted to pop over and say thanks for this easy and delish recipe!