Sauteed Green Beans

Green beans are vegetables that belong to the family Fabaceae and species P. vulgaris. Commonly referred to as French beans, these beans are deep green in color with an average length of 3 - 4 inches, having pointed ends at both the sides. Green beans are enriched with vitamins and minerals like vitamin A, vitamin C, iron and calcium and are also an excellent source of dietary fiber. Hence, they are known to offer numerous health benefits and are also one of the prime ingredients in many vegetarian recipes. Although green beans can be cooked in a variety of ways like steaming, boiling, etc. the most easiest way to prepare these beans is to fry them. So without delaying, let us check out some of the easy to prepare and yummy sauteed green beans recipes.

Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic and Herbs

Ingredients

• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 pound green beans, stem ends snapped off, beans cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 tsp juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
• Table salt and ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tsp olive oil

Directions

Take a small bowl and combine butter, garlic and thyme together. In a frying pan, heat oil over medium heat and add beans, ¼ tsp salt and ⅛ tsp pepper. Cook while stirring occasionally for 4 - 6 minutes or until the beans turn spotty brown. Now pour water, cover with lid and cook for 2 - 3 minutes, until the beans look bright green and are still crispy. Remove the lid, increase the heat and cook until water evaporates completely. Add butter mixture and continue cooking until the beans are crisp-tender, lightly browned and a bit wrinkled; stir frequently. Transfer the sauteed beans to a serving bowl, toss with lemon juice and parsley, season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Sauteed Green Beans and Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 1 lb green beans, cleaned & trimmed
• ½ lb mushrooms, cleaned & thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp pine nuts or walnuts
• 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
• 1 ½ tbsp butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tsp dried dill
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• Pepper to taste

Directions

Cut the beans in to half and put into a large pot of boiling water. Boil for 6 - 7 minutes, drain and then transfer the boiled beans to a pan of ice water until they cool down. Wrap the beans in paper towels, store in plastic bag and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use. Take a saute pan and heat ½ of the oil and butter, over medium high heat. Put mushrooms and minced garlic and saute for about 3 - 4 minutes or until the mushrooms turn lightly brown. Transfer to a plate and in the same pan, add remaining oil and butter and saute green beans and pine nuts over medium heat. Add salt and pepper and cook for 5 - 7 minutes. Finally add mushrooms, dill and lemon juice to the sauteed beans and serve hot.

Sauteed Green Beans With Bacon

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
• 8 bacon slices, chopped
• 5 green onions (white bottoms and light green parts of tops only), chopped
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup water
• ½ tsp pepper

Directions

In a microwave safe bowl, put beans and ¼ cup water. Cover with a plastic wrap, and pierce the wrap with a fork or knife. Microwave at high for about 4 - 7 minutes or until the beans become crisp-tender. Drop the green beans into ice water, drain and keep it aside. Take a non-stick skillet and cook chopped bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove the cooked bacon and drain on a paper towel. Reserve 2 tbsp drippings in a small bowl and cast away the remaining. Wipe the skillet with a clean paper towel. Using the same skillet, saute green onions in the hot reserved drippings over medium high heat for a minute or so. Toss in the green beans, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Stir in the bacon and your sauteed green beans with bacon dish is ready to serve.

Well, this was all about sauteed green beans and their different methods of preparation. Try making these recipes this weekend at home and enjoy with your family and friends.