American
Garlic Green Beans
Green beans blistered in a hot skillet with garlic and finished with lemon. A 15-minute side that stays bright instead of olive-drab.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 15 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- High heat keeps the beans green and a little blistered.
- Garlic goes in at the end so it does not burn.
- Lemon is the finish, not a sauce.
- They take about as long as a piece of fish or a steak rest.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Dry the beans.
- 2
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high until it shimmers.
- 3
Add the beans and salt. Cook, stirring every minute or so, until they are bright and spotted brown, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- 4
Add the garlic and stir 30 seconds.
- 5
Take the pan off the heat. Add lemon juice and pepper.
- 6
Taste. Add a pinch more salt if they taste flat.
Pro tips
- A crowded pan steams the beans. Use a wide skillet.
- They should still have a bite. Gray beans have gone too far.
- Slice the garlic, do not mince it to a paste, so it browns evenly in that short time.
Easy substitutions
- Lemon juice
- A teaspoon of red wine vinegar.
- Green beans
- Broccolini, same method, a minute or two longer.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 3 days.
Reheating
Rewarm in a hot skillet just until hot. They will be softer.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 70
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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