29 Green Bean Recipes That Go Beyond the Simple Sauté
You can never have too many great green bean recipes. Though you’ll often see them blanched (flashed in boiling water until snappy yet tender, almost like al dente pasta), this long, lean legume is versatile beyond belief. Sear them in a hot pan for the ultimate garlic green beans, fire up the grill for a summery vegetarian salad, or smash the raw beans to make a Thai-inspired side dish.
Green beans are in season for half the year (May to October), though they can be found at grocery stores year-round. In the summer add the blanched green beans to a grain salad for a quick lunch. In the fall serve them warm in a roasted niçoise sheet-pan dinner with hearty potatoes and jarred artichoke hearts. And once the winter holidays roll around, we’ve got two ways to make the highly nostalgic green bean casserole: entirely from scratch, or with a little help from the prepared food aisle at the grocery store. Whichever method you choose, don’t forget the crispy onions.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich1/29Three Green Bean and Bulgur Salad
Of all the below green bean recipes, this is one of the most adaptable. Green beans team up with a medley of spring legumes and herbs—if you spot some local fresh pods at the farmers market, feel free to change it up. We recommend nutty bulgur to complement the toasted hazelnuts, but swap in quinoa or wild rice if it’s what you have on hand.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell2/29Green Beans Amandine
Whether you spell it green beans almondine or amandine, this classic French dish is best served alongside a light, bright fish fillet. Try it with sole meunière.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi4/29Green Bean Casserole With Crispy Fried Onions
Photo by Linda Xiao5/29One-Pot Crispy Chicken Thighs With Puttanesca Green Beans
Streamline your weeknight dinners with this one-pot meal, made entirely in the ever-versatile Dutch oven. Sear chicken thighs and sauté green beans before tossing the whole pot in the oven to finish cooking.
Photo by Andrea Bemis7/29Green Bean Casserole With Walnut Bacon Crumble
Though green bean casserole is most often associated with the winter holidays, this casserole recipe is great year-round. For a pop of texture, top roasted green beans with a gremolata-like topping of crispy bacon and fatty walnuts.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce8/29Citrus-Oil-Marinated Spring Vegetables
Once you’ve prepped a batch of these citrus-marinated veggies, we can think of a million ways to use them: Spoon over toast spread with ricotta for a quick desk lunch, or toss with orecchiette (or whatever pasta shape suits you) and feta for impromptu pasta salad. For the best flavor, use high-quality extra-virgin olive oil in the citrusy marinade.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Mariana Velasquez9/29Easy General Tso's Chicken
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell10/29Green Bean and Tuna Salad With Basil Dressing
This easy, herby green bean dish has everything you want in a summertime dinner: minimal cooking, fresh vegetables, and enough protein to feel filling.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson11/293-Ingredient Charred Green Beans With Ricotta and Lemon
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell12/29Citrusy Haricots Verts
It doesn’t take much to make slender, tender green beans memorable. Lemon and orange zest, warmed in olive oil, bring a bit of sparkle to this “lost” Gourmet Christmas recipe.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Monica Pierini13/29Smashed Green Bean Salad With Crispy Shallots
Cookbook author Anna Stockwell is making a case for smashing raw green beans. The Thai technique, most often used with cucumbers, opens up the pods, allowing them to soak in more flavor from the citrusy fish sauce dressing.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Monica Pierini15/2910-Minute Shrimp With Green Beans and Creamy Lemon-Dill Dip
This picnic meal is easy to pack up and take to the park—everything can be eaten with your hands. Feel free to sub in any fresh vegetables for dipping: radishes, red peppers, cucumber spears, and so on.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Megan Hedgpeth, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich16/29Green Beans in Pork Stock
This classic Gourmet recipe for braised green beans comes from legendary Southern chef and cookbook author Edna Lewis. Save any leftover pork stock to use in soups or risotto.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell17/29Roasted Niçoise Salad With Halibut
Here’s your formula for turning a classic niçoise salad into a simple sheet-pan dinner. Roast jarred marinated artichoke hearts and cubed potatoes until crispy, then add a thick halibut fillet and a handful of green beans to the pan and finish in the oven.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi18/29Haricots Verts (Thin French Green Beans) With Herb Butter
You can make the lemon, tarragon, and parsley butter up to three days in advance; toss it with bright blanched green beans just before serving for an easy summer side dish.
Photo by Tara Donne, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Cyd McDowell19/29Green Bean Salad With Fennel and Toasted Pecan Dukkah
Dunk blanched green beans in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. This technique, known as “shocking”, keeps the beans crisp and bright green.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell20/29Basil-Cashew-Lime Vermicelli Bowls With Pork and Green Beans
Photo by Andrew Purcell, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Carrie Purcell21/29Green Bean Niçoise Salad
This vegetarian version of the classic French salad doesn’t have any meat or fish, but it’s got tons of flavor from briny olives, crispy fried capers, and lemony Dijon dressing.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Hampton22/293-Ingredient Lemony Green Beans With Frizzled Leeks
Photo by Emma Fishman24/29Grilled Green Bean Salad With Thai Dressing
This refreshing Thai-inspired salad pairs a summery mix of charred green and yellow wax beans with chiles, fresh lime juice, soy sauce, and loads of cilantro. Zesty grilled tofu and creamy avocado round out the meal for a delicious vegetarian weeknight dinner.
Charles Masters, food styling by Chelsea Zimmer25/29Green Beans With Shallots, Hazelnuts, and Tarragon
Photo by Chris Court and William Meppem26/29Green Vegetable Salad
Toss thinly sliced brussels sprouts, asparagus, green beans, and fennel with creamy, herby, lemony green goddess dressing for a vibrant salad with lots of fresh crunch.
Photo by Danny Kim, food and prop styling by Ali Nardi27/29Penne With Almond Pesto and Green Beans
Consider this Italian-inspired pesto pasta dish a very good reason to eat lots of Parmesan cheese. Save time and resources by cooking the green beans in the same boiling water used for the penne (to make it gluten-free—and sneak in extra protein—use chickpea pasta). No need to reheat the leftovers: they’re just as good cold.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kate Buckens28/29Cashew Chicken
Cashew chicken is a simple, delicious weeknight meal that tastes like it took longer to make than 35 minutes, thanks to the oyster sauce: a rich, thick condiment with layers of flavor.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova29/29French's Green Bean Casserole
No list of the best green bean recipes would be complete without this classic version of a Thanksgiving staple. While it’s possible to make this dish with all homemade components, we cherish this back-of-the-box recipe for its ultra-nostalgic flavor.
