When I made them again to take notes and get some photos, I literally ate half of the platter. And I’m all about removing unecessary steps. This is good insurance to keep their pretty bright green color, but honestly, it’s a little fussy for me.Īs long as you don’t overcook them in the skillet, they should be fine. Ew.Ī lot of recipe suggest boiling them first and then plunging them into ice water to stop the cooking (and draining on paper towels) BEFORE sauteeing them. You don’t want them totally floppy and borderline mushy. This method would work well with string beans, too.Īlso, just cook them until they’re tender crisp. I’m not sure I can eat green beans any other way after this. It’s a perfect blend of earthy and salty with a touch of heat and some brightness from a squeeze of lemon juice. (Like, who comments on the green beans when there’s pulled pork baked potatoes on the table?!) So I grabbed something salty (the anchovy paste) and something spicy (the chile paste) and hoped for the best.Įveryone who tried these commented on how delicious they were. I don’t have a lot of green bean recipes (for obvious reasons) and I didn’t have time to cook package of bacon to make my other favorite green bean recipe that I know if. The first time I made these, I needed a quick side dish for company who was coming for dinner and started cooking from the hip. I’m not joking when I say these sauteed green beans are magical. You could definitely use avocado or coconut oil, though.įresh garlic goes well with green beans, too, but this time I held back. But it brightens things up really well, so don’t leave it out! If you try it, drop me a comment and let me know how it turned out. Asian or Latin chile pasts might be good as well, but they’ll introduce another family of flavors here. (Seriously, Amazon is the best.) You could also use harissa paste or another kind of spicy chile paste. I didn’t see any in a few places I checked locally, but found it in about 30 seconds on Amazon. I recently discovered it when I reviewed Giada de Laurentiis’s new book. Calabrian chile paste is like the Italian version of sriracha.You can find anchovy paste at any grocery store or you can order it on Amazon. If you’ve ever used fish sauce, it’s similar, but with a more subtle flavor. When used in small amounts, it adds a rich, deep, salty flavor to recipes. If you’re turned off at the thought of using anchovy paste, hear me out. Anchovy paste is something I keep on hand all the time because I use it when I make Whole30 Caesar Dressing or Spicy Shredded Zucchini with Anchovies.And they’ll stay good for a LONG time in the fridge. I REALLY try to use common ingredients, but these are maybe not so commonly used - anchovy paste and Calabrian chile paste. What makes these green beans so magical are two ingredients. And then I went back to slicing them into salads. I don’t mind a few sliced into a salad, but it was more than I knew what to do with. Back when we were getting CSA boxes regularly, we were “blessed” with bag after bag of radishes. I think radishes are the only type of vegetable that I’ve roasted and didn’t care for. Once I started roasting vegetables, I never looked back. It’s like all of that bubbling water sucks the life out of them, leaving them sad and flavorless afterward. One thing I learned since leaving the nest was that I rarely enjoy any kind of vegetable that is canned or has been boiled. But they have a lot more potential - let me tell you. Promise.) Even sauteed with a little salt and pepper makes them turn out well. (And bro, if you’re reading - these are WAY, WAY better than the canned ones we ate as kids. It turns out fresh green beans aren’t as horrible as I thought. Like the Bacon Green Beans I posted last fall which are sauteed in bacon drippings. Roasted green beans are so-so, and I feel like they need a little richness to be palatable to me. If you’ve been around here for a little while you’ll know that I have a healthy obsession with roasted vegetables. Then, I made a complete 180 and became a lover of that long-hated vegetable. Well, until I was an adult and tried fresh green beans that had been sauteed. And green beans were completely off my list. Or (insert cooked vegetable) covered with Cheez Whiz. I wasn’t a fan of vegetables as a kid unless it was in the form of baby carrots dipped in ranch dressing.

Sauteed green beans