simple skillet green beans

Jump To Recipe July 10, 2015 // 75 Comments »

These simple skillet green beans are a perfect healthy side dish. They are made in one pot with garlic, olive oil and a little spice. They’re vegan, paleo and naturally gluten-free.

Friends, I’ve been on vacation for the last 23 days. And it has been absolute bliss. Before we get to this super-easy green bean recipe, I want to share with you a little auditory peek into the the sounds of summer here on the shore of Lake Champlain.

The sound of the girls calling Judy T. in for the night, while the little yellow dog seems transfixed by a lightning bug that is so deep in the grass that it must be lost and only lights up often enough to keep her mesmerized and unable to listen to the girls willful calls.

The sound of the south wind whipping off the lake and under the door to my daughters room making a faintly spooky whistling sound, as she’s snuggled under her white matelassé coverlet with her latest Geronimo Stilton book.

The sound of my husband starting the engine of the motorboat, while my brother in law unties them from the dock for a quick–I promise we’ll be back in like 40 minutes–fishing sesh.

The cheerful “Helooos!” from the walking traffic that steadily graces our front lawn as other people who have cottages on the lakefront make their way on the toe path from one cottage to the next.

The bark of my sister’s terrier as our neighbors drop in unexpectedly, with Ricky Bobbies in hand, to ask if we want to walk over to the tennis courts for a game of bocce.

The whack! of the screen door as my sister Jessie arrives home with a bag of grass fed steaks, sweet corn and fresh tender green beans from the farmers market.

These are the sounds of summer on Thompson’s Point. These are the sounds that lull me into the state of complete relaxation and they are the reason that when asked or told to “go to your happy place” that place is here. More specifically, that happy place is about one foot from the foot of the stairs to our porch on the lawn overlooking the bay. These are the sounds that make me speak of myself in the third person, forget to take my laptop home and back it up for 23 days, and those that make me want to sit on my butt reading Sweet Paul or fishing for perch instead of coming up with chocolate raspberry tarts and multi-stepped recipes.

I hope you don’t mind the short little summer interlude. Now let’s get to these easy peasy green beans!

What Are Green Beans

Are Green Beans and String Beans the Same Thing?

Phaseolus vulgaris: Yes, string beans and green beans are the same thing. Green beans are a type of snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) which can actually be yellow or purple too. You can read more about varieties and buy green bean seeds here.
Other Names For Green Beans: Haricot Vert, snap beans, wax beans and filet beans, are the same thing as green bean. Haricot Vert are more slender and tender and meant to be picked when they are smaller. In the market, wax beans are usually yellow.
What are Green Beans: Green beans are tender annuals in the Leguminosae family, which also includes garbanzos, peas, lentils, and peanuts. They’re eaten fresh (as opposed to dry beans which are grown for their mature bean seeds.)
Pole vs Bush Beans: Green beans can be bush beans or pole beans, they just have different growing habits. You can read more about growing green beans here.

Purchasing Green Beans

I’d encourage you to take a moment at the grocery store to pick out the best looking green beans. If the beans aren’t all looking stellar, I’ll literally stand there and pick and choose which beans go into my bag.
You’ll want to choose fresh greens beans that are free from wrinkles or any spots that are becoming mushy.

How To Make Simple Skillet Green Beans

Cut the stem ends off. An easy way to do that, is to line a handful up stem sides together and then cutting them off with a knife. I think this method is faster than breaking them off by hand.
Next choose a large skillet. We have a nice big cast-iron skillet that I like to use for this recipe. You’ll need a lid- so make sure the skillet you choose has a lid that’ll work with it. (Note: a sheet of aluminum foil will work too if need be.)
Add your oil to the skillet and let it get hot. After blooming the red pepper flake in the oil, add green beans to let them blister and brown. This step takes a bit of time, simply because the skillet is so full, and it takes a while to turn the mass of green beans to touch the skillet.
After that step, you can add the garlic. Doing so earlier will allow it to burn. Cook it until it becomes fragrant, but doesn’t burn.
Then add the water. Adding water will stop the browning, but it creates steam, so you can trap that in with the lid to cook the beans through.
How to Know They’re Done: They’ll be become bright green and cooked to crisp tender perfection in a minute or two. And that’s it!

More Simple Veggie Side Dishes To Try

My Simple Steamed Cauliflower is an easy family friendly way to prepare cauliflower on the stove-top.
If you haven’t tried Roasted Parsnips, you’re missing out! They are so sweet!
My kiddos adore broccoli, so I like to make this Roasted Broccoli with Asiago on the regular.
Quick Pickled Beets are pretty much synonymous with summer for me!
Roasting veggies is a fantastic hands-free way of getting veggies on the table. These Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic and Thyme are a great entry level Brussels sprouts recipe to try.

Thank you for reading! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! And if you’re new here, you may want to sign up for my email list or follow me on facebook to keep up with the latest posts.

Happy Cooking!

~Katie