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!
Your instructions were spot on. I love the texture and tenderness of the beans cooked this way. Full of flavor. But 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes was way too much for me! If you aren’t one for hot things, try it with just a pinch.
Huge hit with my family. I left out red pepper flakes and added fresh Parm. Bueno!
So delicious! Super easy instructions to follow and beautiful side dish.
I tried it! It’s gone in mere seconds!
I boil/ blanche the beans to less than half done first, then shock in a bowl of water with ice, then drain. I then heat my cast iron pan (oil-less) to medium high, and add the drained green beans. I do this to remove (steam away) the residual water on the beans. Then I add olive oil and toss to brown. I add the garlic “paste” (minced/ smashed with the flat end of my knife using sea salt), and toss continuously until the raw garlic smell is gone. I do not stop tossing. I then add any additional salt to taste. Just a different method is all. I just thought like sharing.
I tried Green Beans with Basil Vinaigrette and Simple Skillet Green Beans, they’re both healthy and completely delicious! I’m grateful for you’ve put all tips and tricks on your blog.
Hey there Aubree. I am thrilled you tried that other recipe too and that you are enjoying my recipes here on Healthy Seasonal. Thanks for taking the time to come back with your feedback. It means a lot. Have a great rest of your week.
This was a great recipe. I always like to try new recipes for dinner and made these last night. Everyone loved them. Thank you.
That’s great! I am glad that they were a hit! Thank you for coming back to review and rate. I am grateful.
These are by far our favorite way to cook greenbeans now. My 12 year-old loves them this way. It is a family favoirte.
Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review! I really appreciate it.
This recipe is super simple and a huge hit with our family. (Which includes a picky 11 year old and a ‘foodie’ 17 year old). It has become a regular thing at our house.
Wow that’s awesome! You can’t go wrong with a recipe that pleases everyone! Yay! Thanks so much for coming back to review and rate Kathy. Have a great rest of your week.
Fantastic and easy green beans. Turned out perfectly. Thanks
I am so glad to hear it!
Best green beans I have ever made! This will be my new go to.
I am so glad you liked them. Thank you for rating and leaving your review here. I appreciate it!
This recipe is a keeper!! Thank you for sharing I usually roast most of my veggies but my oven was busy last night and when I found this stove top recipe I decided to give it a go and am so glad I did! They came out perfect!
I love roasting veggies too! Glad you ended up trying this one and that you liked it. Thank you for letting me know!
What an amazing recipe …and it looks soo good & sound too delicious with more easy to make…i really loved your way of cooking…Thanks for sharing….!
I am happy to hear it! Thank you!
Wonderful recipe! This one is perfect, delicious and easy. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Long. I am happy you liked them.
My family loved these green beans! Delicious!
Hi Richard. I am so glad you like these green beans! Thank you.