simple skillet green beans

by Katie | Jul 10, 2015 | Side Dishes | 32 comments

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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!

How to make Simple Skillet Green Beans

Choose fresh greens beans that are free from wrinkles or any spots that are becoming mushy.
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.
They’ll be become bright green and cooked to crisp tender perfection in a minute or two. And that’s it!

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