These simple skillet green beans are a perfect healthy side dish. All you need is a pile of fresh string beans, one pot, garlic, olive oil and a little spice! That’s it! So if you’ve never tried making sautéed green beans, you’ll fall in love with just how easy they are to make! 

an orange plate with bright green string beans and a serving spoon

I originally shared this technique for cooking green beans and simple recipe on July 10th, 2015. I have updated the text today.

Best Green Beans Recipe

I am so excited for you to try these simple skillet green beans. They’re a fan favorite and one of my most beloved recipes. Not only is this simple garlic green bean recipe the best, but it is arguably the easiest way to cook green beans!

I actually have been making green beans this way since I was a teenager and was learning how to cook. My dad came up with this cooking technique and we both have been making them this way ever since. 

So simple & YUMMY!! Most recipes call for par boiling prior to sautéing them. I don’t know about the rest of you but I want simple, quick, easy, oh & yummy, of course. If I can skip a step & have a good outcome sign me up!! This green bean recipe is my go to now. 

~Luanne

When you’re ready, jump ahead to our ingredient notes for this recipe and all the detailed instructions on how to make the best green beans below. If you are looking for more general info on how to cook fresh green beans you can see my guide to How To Cook Green Beans or for more inspired fresh green bean recipes skip ahead here

Ingredients For This Green Bean Recipe

  • Extra virgin olive oil: To cook the green beans in the skillet, I chose extra-virgin olive oil. You can also use another cooking oil instead such as avocado oil or canola oil.
  • Red pepper flake: We love the bit of heat that red pepper flake or crushed red pepper adds to this dish. Feel free to use less or more to suit your taste. If you do not like spicy food you can omit it altogether. Alternatively, once the beans are cooked you can season them with ground black pepper for a more subtle amount of spice. 
  • Fresh Green beans: You’ll need one and a half pounds of fresh green beans or string beans. To pick out the freshest green beans at the grocery store simply take your time and pick through the pile of green beans. Avoid wrinkled, broken or rotting string beans.
  • Garlic, minced: We adore garlic as a simple seasoning for fresh veggies. You’ll need three cloves for this fresh green bean recipe. We always recommend freshly chopped garlic over buying pre-chopped jarred garlic.
  • Coarse kosher salt: We chose coarse kosher salt instead of table salt here to easily sprinkle over the green beans. You can use regular table salt if you prefer, but note that it is higher in sodium so you will need less. Read more about substituting kosher salt here.
  • Water: A key to getting great texture is adding water to the skillet. This helps to steam the green beans so that they become perfectly tender. 

Tip: Yellow wax beans also work for this recipe, or you can use a blend of green and yellow beans. We have also made this with Haricots verts which are skinnier French green beans. Note that they cook more quickly but will work too, just adjust your cooking time.

How To Make Simple Skillet Green Beans

Cut the stem ends off. An easy way to do that is to line a handful of stem sides together and then cut 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 green beans 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 prevent the sauteed garlic from burning and it creates steam, so you can trap that in with the lid to cook the beans through.

How to Know They’re Done: The cooked string beans will become bright green and cooked to crisp-tender perfection in a minute or two. And that’s it! See our serving suggestions below for what to serve with this easy side dish.

a table with votive candles, flowers and an orange platter piled with cooked green beans

Expert Tips And FAQs

Variations To Try

These sauteed green beans are perfect in their simplicity, but they’re also somewhat of a blank canvas for adding creative flavors!

  • Fresh Herbs: We love the flavor of chopped fresh thyme in this. Add about 1 teaspoon with the garlic. You can also add tender varieties of chopped herbs like 1 tablespoon minced basil or chives or 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon after the beans come off the heat.
  • Lemon or Balsamic: We love what a splash of acid will do to any vegetable recipe, and this green bean recipe is no exception! Add a drizzle of fresh lemon juice or balsamic vinegar just before serving to help preserve the vibrant green color. A little lemon zest is also a nice touch.
  • Nuts: We are nuts about nuts here at Healthy Seasonal Recipe. Almonds, pecans, walnuts and hazelnuts are all great choiced. For added flavor toast them until they’re fragrant in your oven or in a skillet on the stovetop. For the best texture, add the nuts after the sauteed green beans come off the stove.
  • Infused Oil: Drizzle on a little infused oil, roasted garlic oil or other gourmet herb oil.
  • Sesame: For pairing with Asian food, try adding a little minced ginger with the red pepper flakes and drizzling on toasted sesame oil to finish the dish. If you have sesame seeds add them after the cooking process.
  • Cheese: I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how excellent a little shaved or grated Parmesan cheese would be on top. Crumbled chevre or goat cheese is also another yummy option.

Storing Leftovers and Reheating

Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container up to three days. Keep refrigerated.

Reheating: Avoid overheating when you reheat so that the green beans do not get overcooked. We like to reheat them in the microwave for about 90 seconds per serving. Alternatively, you can reheat them in a non-stick skillet with a little splash of water or broth, covered until steaming hot. Stir occasionally to heat evenly.

Meal Prep Tips For This String Bean Recipe

We get this question quite a bit! While sauteeing is the best way to cook green beans when we are in a hurry, sometimes it makes more sense to prep them ahead (like for Thanksgiving or when entertaining guests.) We came up with these Make Ahead Green Beans as a great way to fix them in advance. You can use a similar method here by doing the following:
1. Blanching the green beans for 1 minute in boiling water.
2. Shock in an ice bath to immediately stop them from cooking. Drain well in a colander.
3. Keep refrigerated in a large storage container or ziplock bag for 1 day.
4. Before using in the recipe, make sure they are completely dry (use a clean dish towel or paper towels.)
5. Follow the instructions in this recipe but do not add the water and steam covered. They will be tender enough after searing them. Note that the beans will not brown as well as they sear, but they will still be quite tasty.

What To Serve With Green Beans

close-up of the green beans showing garlic and spice

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. 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

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Simple Vegan Skillet Green Beans- Naturally paleo, gluten-free and low carb. On Healthy Seasonal Recipes by Katie Webster

Simple Skillet Green Beans


Description

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 are vegan, paleo and naturally gluten-free.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake, or to taste
  • 1.5 pounds green beans, trimmed
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons water

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add red pepper flake and stir to coat the pepper in the oil. Add green beans and cook, stirring often until the beans are blistering and browning in areas, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and salt and cook, stirring constantly until the garlic is fragrant and browning, about 30 seconds. Add water and immediately cover. Cook covered until the beans are bright green and crisp tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes

To Trim The Beans: The stem end of the bean is tough and fibrous. This must be removed. To do so easily, line up a handful of the beans with the stems facing the same direction. Cut them off all at once. No need to cut off the pointy tip.

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.)

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 8 minutes
  • Category: side dish
  • Method: stove top
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cup
  • Calories: 70
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Sodium: 230 mg
  • Fat: 5 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 6 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 1 g

Keywords: green beans, string beans, sauteed green beans, how to cook green beans,skillet green beans