Food & Cooking Recipes Ingredients Vegetables Sautéed Green Beans Be the first to rate & review! This easy side dish is one of the best. By Martha Stewart Martha Stewart Martha Stewart is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and lifestyle expert who has taught millions of people through generations the joy of entertaining, cooking, gardening, collecting, crafting, and home renovating via her eponymous magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Emmy-winning television shows, and 99 books (and counting). Based in Katonah, N.Y., where she helms her 156-acre Bedford Farm, Martha is America's first self-made female billionaire. Editorial Guidelines Published on January 26, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Rachel Marek Servings: 2 It always helps to have a few quick and simple vegetable side dishes in your repertoire, and knowing a few basic cooking techniques will help you harness the unique flavor of each vegetable. Sautéing is one of the easiest and most effective cooking methods, used in everything from soups to stir-fries—and this easy green bean recipe. Green beans are long and thin, so they cook in a snap. When sautéed, they become slightly tender while maintaining their shape. In this recipe, we take one extra step to make sure the green beans are cooked perfectly. We start by blanching the beans for a few minutes, then finishing them in a sauté pan. This way, they hold onto some of their crunchy texture and green color. All you’ll need is a few tablespoons of butter, salt, and pepper to bring these beans to life. Easy, Healthy Side Dishes for Dinner How to Prep Green Beans Depending on how you buy your green beans, the stem-end may or may not come removed. If you buy green beans bagged or wrapped, they may already be trimmed. If you buy loose green beans, you'll probably need to remove the ends yourself. It's super simple–just use your hands to snap the ends off. If you have a lot of green beans to trim, line them up on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to remove the ends. If the recipe uses whole beans, you don't need to do anything else. If the recipe calls for bite-size pieces of green beans, you can use the same knife to slice the beans into pieces. When Are Green Beans in Season? While you can find green beans in the grocery store's produce aisle year-round, they are at their peak throughout the summer and into the early autumn months. During this time of year, you’ll find them overflowing at farmers' markets, farmstands, and supermarkets. When green beans are in season, they will have a bright, sweet, and vegetal flavor. Shopping for Green Beans When purchasing green beans, look for ones that are bright green, smooth, and firm to the touch. There shouldn't be any blemishes or discoloration on the surface. Ways to Upgrade Sautéed Green Beans While we love a simple recipe, there are easy ways you can add to take this dish up a notch: Spices: Add crushed spices like cumin, coriander, or fennel. They will toast and become very fragrant if added while you are sautéing the green beans. Infused oils: Swap the butter in this recipe for olive oil that has been infused with chile flakes, citrus zest, or fresh herbs. Acid: A squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice or a light splash of white wine or champagne vinegar at the end will brighten up the finished dish. Fresh herbs: Scatter any of your favorite tender herbs over the sautéed green beans jut before serving. We like to use mint, parsley, or basil. This easy cooking technique can be used for other tender vegetables, such as asparagus, snap peas, and snow peas. Ingredients Coarse salt ½ pound green beans, trimmed 2 tablespoons unsalted butter Freshly ground pepper Directions Rachel Marek Set up ice-water bath Prepare an ice-water bath with a large bowl, ice and water. Rachel Marek Boil water and cook beans: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans, and cook until color is set and green beans are tender, about 2 minutes. Rachel Marek Remove beans and shock in ice water: Use a slotted spoon to transfer to ice-water bath to stop cooking; drain well. Rachel Marek Melt butter and toss beans: Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add green beans and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Rachel Marek Rachel Marek Storing and Reheating Store any leftover green beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. Reheating To reheat the green beans, add a little more butter to a skillet and reheat the beans over medium heat just until they are warmed through. Frequently Asked Questions Is it better to blanch green beans before sautéing? While it's not completely necessary, blanching the beans before you sauté does make the beans the best version of themselves. By blanching, you cook the beans most of the way through, so they only need a few more minutes to sauté with the butter. Do you season green beans before or after cooking? For this recipe, we season the beans before and after cooking. We season the blanching water with salt so that the beans absorb the seasoning while they blanch. Once the green beans are sautéed, we recommend tasting one to see if they need any more salt and pepper. Do you add salt when blanching green beans? Yes, always add salt when blanching green beans. When blanching any vegetable, you should season the water you're cooking them in. This allows the vegetables to slowly absorb the seasoning, so you're not left adding too much salt at the last minute. How do you keep green beans bright green? To keep green beans bright green, after blanching them, transfer them to a big bowl of ice water. This will immediately stop the cooking process so the beans will retain their green color. More Green Bean Recipes to Try: Sesame Green Beans French-Cut Green Beans With Dill Butter Quick-Cooked Green Beans With Lemon Harissa-Roasted Green Beans Green Beans With Warm Raisin-Caper Dressing Delhi-Style Green Beans Braised Green Beans With Tomatoes Green Beans with Ginger and Tomatoes Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, January 2003 Rate It PRINT Updated by Riley Wofford Riley Wofford Riley is an associate food editor for Martha Stewart Living.