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Home Veg and Salad Sides Green Bean recipes

Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic

By:Nagi
Published:6 Oct '21Updated:18 Dec '22
77 Comments
Recipe v Dozer v

Sautéed Green Beans with crispy bits of garlic is an easy, classic preparation for a green beans side dish. Though not the most explosively exciting recipe on my website, it’s a life essential recipe that will serve you well for the rest of your days!

I serve this as a side with all cuisines. Yes, even Asian food – read on!

Garlic Sautéed Green Beans on a plate ready to be served

Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic

I have a surprising number of recipes starring green beans on this website. From sides to mains (Sichuan Green Beans with Pork, anyone??), it turns out that green beans may just be my favourite vegetable. Second perhaps only to potato which, as my mother would quickly point out, doesn’t have great nutritional value and thus qualify as a vegetable whose vast intake you ought to boast about.

Saying I love green beans on the other hand does make me feel somewhat virtuous.

Having said that, to date all the green bean-centric recipes have been things I classify as interesting or just plain fabulous (pretty sure there’s been an excessive use of both these words in all these recipes). Like Ottolenghi’s herb loaded Green Bean Salad. Or a luxe Green Bean Casserole. And this Green Bean Salad with a Creamy Avocado Dressing.

All worthy dishes, but they’re either a wee bit on the rich side and/or are a little more involved. In other words, not the simple green bean side that I make “all the time”. Rather that place is often filled with today’s recipe: Sautéed Green Beans with crispy little golden garlic bits!

Fork picking up Garlic Sautéed Green Beans
Everybody loves the golden garlic bits on the green beans!

Handy tip: Prepare ahead!

To get ahead, boil the beans then let it cool, dry, and store the beans in the fridge. Then when you’re ready to serve, you just need to toss with the garlic which takes a mere 2 minutes. An instant side dish, ready on demand!

What you need to make Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic

Here’s what you need to make Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic:

Garlic Sautéed Green Beans ingredients
  • Green beans – Look for fresh perky ones, not sad and floppy ones speckled with black dots.

  • Garlic – Two smallish cloves or one large one. Finely mince the garlic using a knife. Do not use a garlic press/crusher. This makes the garlic go wet and pasty so you won’t get nice golden bits, like pictured. In fact, the garlic will just spit when it hits the skillet.

    As for jarred garlic paste? Not on my watch! This stuff doesn’t really taste like garlic and it’s oddly sour due to the preserving agents. Plus it’s wet so it too will spit like crazy.

  • Olive oil or butter, if you’d like a buttery flavour on your beans. If you want to dial up the butter factor, use clarified butter / ghee instead!


How to cook Sautéed Green Beans

Boil the beans for 4 minutes until they become bright green and are barely tender. Drain and then toss the beans in a skillet with the garlic.

Well … you could toss … or be a normal person and just STIR!!! I promise it works just as well. 😂

  • Cooking Garlic Sautéed Green Beans
  • Cooking Garlic Sautéed Green Beans
  • Cooking Garlic Sautéed Green Beans

Garlic Sautéed Green Beans in a skillet

What to serve with Sautéed Green Beans

The beauty of this dish is that it’s so simple and neutrally pitched that it goes with almost anything. It would be great with an elegant piece of fish with white wine sauce or a big juicy steak, or from a giant pan of paella to a big cosy lasagne.

And although you wouldn’t think of it, this dish works alongside Asian foods too! Either serve it as-is, or give it an Asian-inspired touch by adding a bit of minced ginger, and finishing with a drizzle of sesame oil or a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

No recipe video is included today because it’s a quick and easy side! However if there’s a process in this recipe you’d like to specifically see, I’d be happy to do a quick little video for you. Just leave your request in the comments section below! – Nagi x


Overloaded with green beans? More ideas!

Close up of Yotam Ottolenghi's Green Bean Salad
Ottolenghi’s Green Bean Salad
Close up of Green Bean Casserole in a casserole dish, fresh out of the oven
Green Bean Casserole perfection!
Close up of Green Bean Avocado Salad with Avocado Dressing
Chargrill Charlie’s Green Bean Avocado Salad (copycat!)
Close up of Pork Stir Fry with Green Beans in a black skillet, fresh off the stove
Pork Stir Fry with Green Beans
Pouring lemon dressing over green bean salad
Green Bean Salad
Close up of Green Bean Avocado Salad with Avocado Dressing
Chargrill Charlie’s Green Bean Avocado Salad (copycat!)
Close up overhead photo of Green beans in creamy parmesan sauce with bacon, fresh off the stove ready to be served
Green Beans in Creamy Parmesan Sauce – with bacon!
Fork picking up Garlic Sautéed Green Beans
Green Bean recipes

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Garlic Sautéed Green Beans on a plate ready to be served

Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic

Author: Nagi
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 8 mins
Side Dish
Western
5 from 12 votes
Servings2 – 4
Tap or hover to scale
Print
This is a wonderful,classic preparation for a green beans side dish – simmer beans until bright green then toss with garlic until golden and crispy. Serve as a side with everything, any cuisine, from Western to Italian, Middle Eastern to French!
If serving with Asian food, I like to add the tiniest drizzle of sesame oil at the end and sometimes a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Just gives it that little Asian-esque finishing touch!
Love green beans? So do I! See all my Green Bean Sides.

Ingredients

Blanched Green Beans:

  • 250g/ 8oz green beans , trimmed (Note 1)
  • 1 tsp salt

For Sautéing:

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or… butter!)
  • 2 garlic cloves , finely minced (~ 2 tsp), do not use jar or garlic crusher (Note 2)
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 pinch black pepper

Instructions

  • Blanch beans: Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil with 1 teaspoon of salt. Add beans, cook for 4 minutes (they will turn bright green), drain, then rinse under cold tap water to cool. (There's really no need to shock in ice water). Shake off excess water.
  • Sauté: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add green beans and garlic. Toss (or stir!) for 2 minutes until the garlic is golden and crispy. Add salt and pepper, then toss.
  • Serve: Transfer beans to serving dish. Serve warm!
  • Prepare ahead: Blanch beans per step 1, cool and dry, store in fridge until required. When ready to serve, just toss with garlic. It's an instant on-demand side!

Recipe Notes:

Serves – 4 as a small side, or 2 as a large side if it’s the only veg side on the plate.
1. Trimming green beans – Only the stem tip of the beans needs to be trimmed before eating. ie the part that was attached to the rest of the plan. However, if the other pointy end is a bit scraggly looking, I will trim them too.
To trim, line up a handful of beans so all the tips are facing the same way. Then cut the tips off. If you are trimming the fine pointy end, repeat.
Cutting size – I like to keep the green beans whole because it looks a little more elegant than cutting the beans into smaller pieces. It’s how most fine dining restaurants will serve green beans. But feel free to cut the beans to your preferred size.
2. Garlic – Use a knife! Do not use a garlic crusher/press as this makes the garlic wet and pasty. It will stick to the pan, spit, and burn in little clumps.
Jar garlic paste simply doesn’t have the same flavour as fresh, plus it’s sour. It’s also wet and pasty which means you won’t get nice little golden garlic bits, as pictured. It will just smear and burn.
3. Nutrition per serving, assuming this serves 2.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 102cal (5%)Carbohydrates: 9g (3%)Protein: 2g (4%)Fat: 7g (11%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 153mg (7%)Potassium: 252mg (7%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 783IU (16%)Vitamin C: 15mg (18%)Calcium: 48mg (5%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Keywords: green beans recipe, sauteed green beans
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Cookbook prospective recipe. He doesn’t realise it’s meat free….😂 Well, possibly he doesn’t care.

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Ottolenghi’s Green Bean Salad

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Green Beans in Creamy Parmesan Sauce – with bacon!

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77 Comments

  1. Katie says

    September 5, 2022 at 8:10 am

    5 stars
    These are delicious green beans!! I like to add Ajika Georgian seasoning blend to this too

    Reply
  2. Grammy says

    September 4, 2022 at 7:11 am

    5 stars
    On a soft diet, had to cook the life from beans. The beans were the last picking from my garden and these were over done, so tough and stringy and normally would have been headed to the compost pile. Used mostly butter to sauté them in and a little extra garlic (also home grown). First time at your site, so anxious to look around. My grandson has a stuffed golden retriever also named Dozer (came from the sleep number bed, Dozer was their mascot.) Loved the recipe!!!

    Reply
  3. TM says

    January 23, 2022 at 8:56 pm

    We’ve been using this recipe for years but you are missing an essential ingredient: Lemon. Squeeze one or two lemons before serving. You should try it sometime.

    Reply
  4. Amanda says

    January 22, 2022 at 11:25 am

    5 stars
    Delicious and easy recipe. Thanks for the tip about garlic. I always wondered why mine burned.

    Reply
  5. Gaye says

    December 12, 2021 at 2:40 pm

    Can you freeze left over beans. I live alone, so like to cook more than one meal at a time. Thank you

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      December 13, 2021 at 9:02 am

      Hi Gaye – these don’t freeze well, sorry. they go mushy. N x

      Reply
  6. Mark says

    October 26, 2021 at 2:24 pm

    I am lovin’ your posts etc, I have cooked quite a few of your wonderful recipes I read them then watch the video which helps me tremendously, so thank you. Keep up the great work. Cheers Marko

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 27, 2021 at 4:53 pm

      So glad you enjoyed them Marko! N x

      Reply
  7. Ann says

    October 23, 2021 at 6:59 pm

    I make a similar side dish in which I add sliced or diced shallots along w/ my garlic. I don’t parboil my beans so I think I will include this step next time! I usually just slap a lid on during cooking which steams the beans

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 25, 2021 at 12:08 pm

      Sounds delicious Ann! N x

      Reply
  8. Diane says

    October 9, 2021 at 4:34 pm

    5 stars
    These beans are the bomb, so much flavour. Blanched ahead, and chopped garlic in the same bowl. 2 mins in a pan and we were having dinner, roast pork, roast veg, sprouts, beans and gravy! Thanks xx

    Reply
    • Matilyn says

      March 17, 2022 at 12:51 am

      Can you use frozen green beans

      Reply
      • Justin says

        March 27, 2022 at 8:22 pm

        I think frozen green beans would give out too much water.

        Reply
  9. Priya says

    October 9, 2021 at 10:37 am

    Beans never tasted so good. Even the kids have requested this again. Simple and so easy.

    Reply
  10. Donna says

    October 9, 2021 at 1:39 am

    5 stars
    Besides the fact I am over 60 but still like to learn every day, I always thought I was a pretty good cook. I have cooked garlic green beans for years yet never knew why they did not taste as good as others I have had. Well I also have been using a garlic crusher for just as many years. Thank You for teaching me my something new today and it’s a winner!

    Reply
    • Linda Meeks says

      September 6, 2022 at 8:57 am

      Same here Donna I’m 65 & wondered that same thing. Glad I saw this tip – makes perfect sense! Duh! Going now to try.

      Reply
  11. Macy says

    October 8, 2021 at 2:55 pm

    Dozer has great taste!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 8, 2021 at 5:01 pm

      He does! N x

      Reply
  12. Isabel says

    October 8, 2021 at 2:06 pm

    That’s the veggie we will be having with Thansgiving dinner on Monday. Looks easy and delicious. Thank you. Must admit, whilst I love your recipes, I always check out Dozer before I check out your recipes.lol

    Reply
  13. Bridget says

    October 8, 2021 at 11:44 am

    5 stars
    Dear Nagi and Dozer,

    in South Tyrol, that’s where I was born, we sautee onions in butter, add the green beans, garlic and spice them with 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard. Give it a try, you will love it.

    Reply
  14. Nagi says

    October 8, 2021 at 10:33 am

    Sounds delicious! Nx❤️

    Reply
  15. Luke says

    October 8, 2021 at 10:32 am

    I make this all the time, but I dress it with toasted flaked almonds, chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon.
    Also, I feel privileged that I have the same gas cooktop as Nagi, the Queen of Cooking 😍🔥

    Reply
  16. Les Fox says

    October 7, 2021 at 11:13 pm

    Potatoes have little nutritional value? The Irish in the 1800s lived almost exclusively on potatoes and yet they generally enjoyed better health than the poor Europeans that lived on corn and polenta in the same times.
    Potatoes are much more nutritious than you think!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 8, 2021 at 10:39 am

      I knew there was a reason I love them so much! Nx❤️

      Reply
  17. Sherry says

    October 7, 2021 at 11:14 am

    I’ll be making this dish very soon so no rating yet.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 8, 2021 at 10:38 am

      Let me know how it goes! Nx😀

      Reply
  18. Justin Smith says

    October 7, 2021 at 2:01 am

    I make this very similar…except usually add shallots/onions and bacon….because I’m healthy lol.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 7, 2021 at 5:17 pm

      Great idea…bacon should be one of the four main food groups! Nx😂

      Reply
  19. Joseph says

    October 7, 2021 at 12:46 am

    being Italian we have been making a similar recipe for 70 years and before ,only difference would be a ton more garlic and not letting it to brown ,we blanch the beans Aldenti. remove from pot wipe pot dry add EVVO heat add chopper garlic , some cracked pepper cook med heat do not let brown add beans back add a lot of salt cover pot an toss plate n enjoy. make a lot extra are refrigerated for a cold bean salad. really good great for a midnight snack for me its about 2 AM. ” Good Appetite “

    Reply
    • Debra Cook says

      October 7, 2021 at 1:33 am

      that sounds awesome

      Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 7, 2021 at 5:25 pm

      What a healthy midnight snack! I grab the ice cream! Nx❤️

      Reply
  20. Kelly Preston says

    October 6, 2021 at 11:32 pm

    These look amazing, and I bet they’d be phenomenal with toasted almond slivers added in!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 8, 2021 at 10:37 am

      For sure! Nx❤️

      Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

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