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Sautéed green beans tossed in garlic butter on a white plate.
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4.75 / 12 votes

Pan-Fried Green Beans

These easy pan-fried green beans are blanched, then given a quick turn in a skillet with garlic butter, and finished with a sprinkle of salt. Simple and classic.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Sides
Cuisine: French
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 114

Ingredients

  • Sea salt
  • 10 1/2 ounces haricot verts or extra fine (slender) green beans
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Leaves from 1/3 bunch flat-leaf parsley (15 g or 1/2 cup), finely chopped

Instructions

  • Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. While the water is boiling, trim the ends from the green beans and fill a large bowl halfway with ice water.
  • Drop the beans into the boiling water and cook until bright green, anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the ice water to stop the cooking. Drain the green beans and set them aside on a clean kitchen towel.
  • In a medium skillet or larger pot, such as a Dutch oven, set over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the garlic and cook until it starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Toss in the green beans and stir to evenly coat the beans.
  • Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately.

Notes

  1. Trimming the beans--To quickly trim the ends from your beans, line them up in the same direction. Use a knife to chop off the stem end of the beans. You don't need to trim the pointy end.
  2. Dry your beans--Make sure that your beans are fully dry before adding them to the skillet. Water droplets can cause the hot butter to spatter.
  3. Storage--Store leftover beans in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I don't recommend freezing cooked green beans as they can become mushy when thawed.
  4. Reheating--Reheat gently in the microwave or in a warm skillet with a little extra butter.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 6mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g