Simple Skillet Green Beans
This green beans recipe is a perfect healthy side dish in 15 minutes. All you need is a pile of fresh string beans, one pot, garlic, olive oil and a little spice. That’s it! Sautéed green beans are easy to make and go great with any meal!
I originally shared this technique for cooking green beans and simple recipe on July 10th, 2015. I have updated the text today.
Table of contents
Best Green Beans Recipe
As a professional recipe developer for 20 years, my #1 goal is to help you get a healthy dinner on the table fast! These green beans are ready in 15 minutes and are my family’s favorite green beans recipe!
I have been making string beans this way since I first learned to cook. My dad stumbled upon this cooking technique, and we loved them so much we have been making them this way ever since. I can always count on this simple method to make everyone happy at any occasion, from weeknight dinners to a holiday meal.
Ingredients For This Green Bean Recipe
- Extra virgin olive oil: I chose extra-virgin olive oil for this recipe but another cooking oil like avocado oil or canola oil works too.
- Red pepper flake: Added for a little heat (do so to taste.) Note, if you are sensitive to spicy food, it is okay to omit this and instead season them with ground black pepper.
- Fresh Green beans: You’ll need one and a half pounds of fresh green beans or string beans.
- Minced Garlic: Fresh chopped garlic is the star of the simple seasonings in this easy green bean recipe. You’ll need three cloves.
- Coarse kosher salt: We chose coarse kosher salt instead of table salt because it is easier to sprinkle. 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: To keep this fresh green bean recipe as simple as possible we save a step and dishes by adding water to the skillet to steam them. They’ll be perfectly tender and keep great texture.
Tip For Buying Green Beans: At the grocery store pick through the pile of green beans and avoid wrinkled, broken or rotting string beans. You can use yellow wax beans or Haricots verts which are French green beans. Note that they cook more quickly but will work too, just adjust your cooking time. If buying pre-trimmed green beans, check the expiration date and avoid wet or slimy-looking green beans that are past their prime!
How To Cook Green Beans
Not only is this simple garlic green bean recipe so much better than canned or frozen green beans, but it is arguably the easiest way to cook green beans!
Cut the stem ends off. An easy way to do that is to line a handful of stem sides together and cut them off with a sharp knife. I think this method is faster than breaking them off by hand.
Next, choose a large skillet with a well fitting lid. You can use a cast-iron skillet or stainless, but do not use a non-stick as the temp will get too high. (Note: if you don’t have a large lid, a sheet of aluminum foil will work too.)
Add your oil to the skillet and let it get hot. Bloom the crushed red pepper flake in the oil for a few seconds then add the beans to let them blister and brown. Turn them with tongs.
After that step, you can add the garlic. Cook the garlic until fragrant, but doesn’t burn.
Then add the water. Adding water at this point in the cooking process 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.
I have made it several times and my family absolutely enjoys eating it every time. This is a go to recipe for green beans.
~Jessica
Chef Katie’s 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: Add 1 tsp chopped woody herbs like thyme, rosemary or oregano with the garlic. Add tender herbs, like basil or tarragon, when they come off the heat.
- Lemon or Balsamic: Add fresh lemon juice, a little lemon zest or balsamic vinegar before serving.
- Nuts and/or Bacon: After the beans are cooked add almonds, pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts. Another yummy choice is a couple strips of crispy bacon, crumbled.
- Sesame or ginger: To pair with Asian food, add a little minced ginger with the red pepper flakes and drizzle on toasted sesame oil to finish the dish. Finish with sesame seeds.
- Cheese: Add a little shaved or grated Parmesan cheese, Crumbled chevre or goat cheese on top.
Storing Leftovers and Reheating
Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container up to three days. Keep refrigerated.
Reheating: 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 chicken broth, over medium heat, covered until steaming hot. Stir occasionally to heat evenly and do not overcook.
What To Serve With Green Beans
- For a traditional holiday meal or Sunday Supper pair these skillet green beans with Roasted Turkey, Rack of Lamb or our Herb Roasted Chicken.
- My family loves these simple green beans as a side dish with Roasted Chicken Thighs with crispy skin in the winter and Grilled Greek Chicken Thighs or Cedar Plank Salmon during grilling season.
- For a vegetarian meal, these delicious green beans go great with Vegetable Lasagna or Veggie Quiche.
Want More? Check out More Green Bean Recipes below the recipe card or invent your own recipe after reading our chef’s tips in my guide to How To Cook Green Beans!
Simple Veggie Side Dishes To Try
Here are a few easy recipes for vegetable side dishes you may want to try!
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
PrintSimple Skillet Green Beans
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
Description
This delicious green bean recipe is a perfect healthy side dish. They are cooked in one pot with garlic, olive oil and a little spice. It is one of the best green bean recipes because it is both quick and delicious!
Ingredients
- 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
- 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 with a well-fitting lid or sheet of aluminum foil. Steam the green beans, covered, until they are bright green and crisp tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
Make Ahead Instructions
1. Blanch green beans for 1 minute in boiling salted 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.
To Trim Haricot Verts or Green 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.
- 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
More Favorite Green Bean Recipes
Try more fresh green bean recipes from our collection. Make sure to leave a star rating and review if you try any of these recipes!
Delicious and very simple!
Thank you Andrea! I am so glad you found this green beans recipe and you like it too! Please report back when you make some of the other recipes here on Healthy Seasonal Recipes. I would love to hear back.
Made a twist on these tonight along with our lambchops and they were so good! Great recipe!
This was delicious… I did cut the red pepper flakes in half and it was still plenty spicy for my palate wonderful way to cook beans
Renee- I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and found a way to work with your preferences!
These green beans were excellent! First time there were no leftover green beans. Thank you for a great recipe.
Hi there! Thanks for letting me know that they came out well and were a hit with everyone! No leftovers is always a big compliment! (Though I do love leftovers because it makes lunches so much easier, lol!) Have a great day!
These simple skillet green beans are great on their own, but they can also form the base of a savory Mediterranean-style salad.
That sounds amazing! I am inspired to try something similar. Please report back if you make any other recipes here at Healthy Seasonal Recipes. I would love to get more feedback.
Great recipe for simple quick, easy and non-soggy grean beans! I will definitely make this again!
Woohoo! Thanks Jocelyn!
I hope found you, and your what look to be delicious recipes, The pictures are sooo inviting, and the instructions seem simple and easy to fool, so here goes! Like you I love, love vegetables. One question though, you never say whether frozen can be used? I always seem to have a large supply since I am a compulsive buyer when it comes to vegetables! I hope you’ll answer this, please. My mouth is watering already, 🙂
Thanks for asking! Frozen green beans are not great in this recipe because they tend to get overcooked too easily. When they freeze the water in their cells expands and the cell walls burst, which makes them not as crispy to start with. It also makes it so they weep in the saute step (which means they won’t brown and the garlic will simmer in the liquid as opposed to brown in the oil.) I like to use frozen green beans in soups, adding them in at the last minute or two of cooking time. If you still want to try it anyway, you could saute the garlic first, then add the beans in with the water and cover. {Essentially skipping the first part of the step.}
I use this recipe over and over. It’s great.
Thanks so much Kathy! I love that!
Hello,
I’m Jackson, I’m a chef who loves food, I’m always interested in new foods. These simple skillet green beans is great! I just finished them tonight, taste is great and i had a great dinner with my little family. Thanks for your sharing.
Sincerely grateful!
Thanks Jackson! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for the comment!
I’m new to this website and Katie, I love that you are posting these simple recipes for vegetables that are healthy, fairly low calorie, but very flavorful. I made these Skillet Green Beans today and they were delicious and full of flavor. Thank you. I am now a subscriber and I have 2 more of your vegetable recipes that I’ve printed out that I’m looking forward to making next.
JoAnn, I’m so glad you found my page, and that you are enjoying it! Let me know what you think of the next recipes you try, and thank you for your kind words and rating!
Just made this’d have to say …. AMAZING.
That’s music to my ears. I am glad you liked them well enough to come back to rate and review. I really appreciate your doing that! Have a great day!
These were good! Easier than our “mid-century” green beans.
I am happy to hear you liked them Carol!
What an amazingly simple, healthy and (best of all!) delicious recipe. I have never prepared green beans before, but saw your recipe, and ran to the farmers market and bought fresh, and what a spectacular veggie! Thank you for your terrific recipe!
Thank you so much Sue!
Delicious and easy
Hi Cleo! Thank you!
Love this green beans recipe. I think the red pepper flakes just put it in a whole new category of deliciousness.
Thank you so much! I am happy to hear you like this one!