This Easy Green Bean Recipe is great to have on hand for a quick and easy vegetable side dish that tastes amazing! You only need green beans, olive oil, tamari, granulated garlic and salt. You can use fresh or frozen green beans and they can be enjoyed as a dinner side dish or just a healthy snack!
I have been making my green beans like this for a couple of months now and I’m not lying when I say they are addicting! They’re the kind of veggie side dish where you just stand over the pan and can’t stop eating them. This Easy Green Bean Recipe is made with just a few simple ingredients, but it packs tons of flavor!
I’m hoping to grow some green beans in our garden this year, but in the meantime I have been loving these frozen French green beans from Trader Joe’s. They’re thin and don’t have as thick of a skin as regular green beans. Any green bean will do though!
Easy Green Bean Recipe Ingredients
- Green Beans – I have been loving this French green beans from Trader Joe’s lately. They’re very affordable, don’t require any prep time at all (breaking off the stems) and they cook up in under 15 minutes. You can use any kind of green beans you like though. Fresh is always a great option if you can get them.
- Olive Oil – I cooked my green beans in olive oil, but you can use any type of oil you normally cook with. I haven’t made this exact recipe using a little water, instead of oil, but I think that would also work.
- Tamari – I always call tamari, or soy sauce, liquid salt because it not only helps brown the green beans, it also adds a really nice salty flavor. You can use tamari, soy sauce or liquid aminos.
- Garlic – I use granulated garlic in this recipe because it’s easy to just throw in, and I enjoy the flavor. You can also use fresh minced garlic, you just want to make sure it gets cooked completely.
- Salt and Pepper – I love adding lots of freshly cracked black pepper to these green beans. I also add a few pinches of salt. Tamari will add a salty flavor, but I find that sometimes I also like adding some regular salt to the mix.
How To Make The Best Green Bean Recipe
- This recipe works the same for using fresh or frozen green beans. Heat a large pan over medium heat and add your green beans and about 1/3 cup of water. Place the lid on the pan and let green beans steam in the water for about 5 minutes or so, until the green beans are cooked to your desired texture. For this recipe, I like mine to be pretty tender.
- Drain the water out of the pan (I just hold the lid on tightly and pour the water out, you could also strain them and then add them back into the pan). Add in the olive oil, tamari, granulated garlic and freshly cracked black pepper and salt, to taste. Mix everything together and let the green beans cook until tender and browned, about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. I like my green beans to be mostly browned and caramelized, that’s when they have the most flavor!
- Place green beans on a serving platter and sprinkle on another pinch of salt and black pepper, if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 3 days.
Easy Green Bean Side Dish Frequently Asked Questions
- Is this recipe gluten free? Yes, just make sure to use gluten free tamari.
- Should fresh or frozen green beans be used? You can make this recipe with either fresh or frozen green beans. I usually use frozen green beans because they’re really convenient and honestly don’t taste much different than fresh ones.
- How should these green beans be served? They’re great as a vegetable side dish for dinner but I enjoy them so much I like to just snack on them by themselves sometimes.
- How long do leftovers last? If stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, leftovers should last about 4 days. Re-heat in a skillet or in the microwave.
Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comment section below and I will get back to you ASAP!
Looking For More Easy Vegetable Side Dish Recipes?
Vegan Cheezy Roasted Broccoli with Garlic
Roasted Purple Potatoes with Lemon Dijon Thyme Dressing
Crunchy Baked Broccoli with Spicy Soy Sauce
PrintThe Best Easy Green Bean Recipe
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Easy Green Bean Recipe is great to have on hand for a quick and easy vegetable side dish that tastes amazing! You only need green beans, olive oil, tamari, granulated garlic and salt. You can use fresh or frozen green beans and they can be enjoyed as a dinner side dish or just a healthy snack!
Ingredients
- 24 oz green beans, fresh or frozen
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tamari, soy sauce or liquid aminos
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, or about 2 cloves minced fresh garlic*
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- This recipe works the same for using fresh or frozen green beans. If using fresh green beans, wash them well and then snap the stems off, if desired. Heat a large pan over medium heat and add your green beans and about 1/3 cup of water. Place the lid on the pan and let green beans steam in the water for about 5 minutes or so, until the green beans are cooked to your desired texture. For this recipe, I like mine to be pretty tender.
- Drain the water out of the pan (I just hold the lid on tightly and pour the water out, you could also strain them and then add them back into the pan). Add in the olive oil, tamari, granulated garlic and freshly cracked black pepper and salt, to taste. Mix everything together and let the green beans cook until tender and browned, about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. I like my green beans to be mostly browned and caramelized.
- Place green beans on a serving platter and sprinkle on another pinch of salt and black pepper, if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 3 days.
Notes
*If using fresh garlic, add in when you would add in all the other ingredients and cook until garlic is fragrant and cooked through.
I really love the French green beans from Trader Joe’s that come frozen. If you like green beans that are a little thinner and have a more refined taste, you should definitely try using Haricot Verts.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Side, Vegan
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Charlotte McQuown says
Since I stopped taking vitamin D I cook green beans this way and then add mushrooms to them to help with the missing
vitamin D.
She Likes Food says
Nice! That sounds delish!