Simple Green Bean Sides

Updated November 17, 2009
Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower

See our collection of our best green bean recipes for a variety of easy ways to prepare this popular vegetable including sautéing, steaming, and roasting. These simple green bean sides are anything but boring and bland. Whether you prefer nutty additions, a creamy sauce, or a hit of seasonal stir-ins, we've got the green bean recipe that's perfect for your table. Don't relegate green beans to the holidays; these dishes are perfect for your table all year long. Serve them with your favorite main dish, such as a roast chicken, smoked pork, or planked salmon for an easy, flavorful meal.

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Lemon-Feta Green Beans

Credit: Caitlin Bensel

Lemon-Feta Green Beans Recipe

Searing lemons is one of our favorite tricks for upping the ante on any dish. The tart juice mellows out, providing the perfect balance for the briny capers and feta in this skillet side. If you have any leftovers, try adding halved cherry tomatoes and enjoying as a cold salad; some cooked chicken or shrimp would turn it into a lovely main dish.

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Toasty Mac Nut Green Beans

Credit: Stephen Devries; Styling: Lindsey Ellis Beatty

Toasty Mac Nut Green Beans Recipe

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Green Beans with Pecans and Maple Vinaigrette

Credit: Con Poulos; Styling: Jeffrey W. Miller

Green Beans with Pecans and Maple Vinaigrette Recipe

Pair this nutty-sweet green bean side dish with creamy mashed potatoes and the protein of your choice for an easy yet impressive weeknight dinner.

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Prosciutto Green Bean Bundles with Crispy Mushrooms

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Prosciutto Green Bean Bundles with Crispy Mushrooms Recipe

Though it may look complicated, this recipe is quite easy to prepare. To save prep time, look for bags of prewashed, pretrimmed beans in the produce section. If you can’t find the slender haricots verts, you can use regular green beans—they’ll just need to cook a few minutes longer in step 1. You can blanch the beans and prepare the dressing the day before, but wait to combine them; the acid will discolor the beans.

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Green Beans with Dried Cranberries and Hazelnuts

Credit: Brian Woodcock; Styling: Paige Hicks

Green Beans with Dried Cranberries and Hazelnuts Recipe

From the Kitchen of Ivy Manning, longtime contributor. "This side dish is positively Pacific Northwest, my stomping grounds. Oregon produces both cranberries and hazelnuts, which I source from local vendors."

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Easy Summer Green Beans

Credit: Alison Miksch; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Easy Summer Green Beans Recipe

Other than the green beans, you probaby already have all the ingredients needed to make this easy and flavorful summer side.

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Charred Sesame Green Beans

Credit: Caitlin Bensel

Charred Sesame Green Beans Recipe

One taste of these quick-charred green beans, and you’ll never just steam again. Letting the beans sit in the hot skillet without stirring is the secret to getting a nice char; adding the sauce to the still-hot skillet helps it reduce quickly and cling to the crispy, smoky beans. Serve with roasted pork or salmon.

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Green Beans with Mustard-Tarragon Sauce

Credit: Caitlin Bensel

Green Beans with Mustard-Tarragon Sauce Recipe

Substitute fresh thyme or dill for the tarragon, if you prefer. To blanch haricots verts, cook them in boiling water 2 minutes, and immediately transfer to an ice bath to cool.

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Green Beans Amandine

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Green Beans Amandine Recipe

Adding lemon juice and water to the browned butter mixture creates a lovely, glossy sauce that coats the beans beautifully. The overall impression is that there’s far more butter than is actually there. You can easily get a head start by completing step 1 up to two days ahead; then the recipe can come together in the last few minutes before the feast.

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Green Beans with Toasted Garlic

Credit: John Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr

Green Beans with Toasted Garlic Recipe

Simple, garlicky beans are a great side dish to any meal.

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Skillet-Charred Green Beans with Salsa

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Skillet-Charred Green Beans with Salsa Recipe

Resist the urge to stir the green beans often­—that’s the secret to getting a nice amount of char. For even better flavor, use 13 oz. of fresh green beans from your local farmers market; trim them yourself before steaming in a covered container in the microwave.

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Super-Garlicky Green Beans and Chard with Bacon

Credit: Photo by Katie Foster

Super-Garlicky Green Beans and Chard with Bacon Recipe

This green bean dish pays homage to my mom’s green beans with country ham and garlic—an unwavering favorite in our Thanksgiving spread. For this brunch version, though, I wanted to add a little more color and texture and use bacon, both because it’s easy to find and, well, what’s a brunch without bacon? The diced chard stems provide confetti-like bursts of color and crunch throughout the dish, while silky chard leaves play nicely with the green beans. The garlic factor is no joke here—vampires beware. But don’t be alarmed: As garlicky as it is, it just makes you appreciate the green snap of the veggies and the salty richness of the bacon all the more. 

Super Garlicky Green Beans and Chard with Bacon

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Sautéed Almond Green Beans

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen

Sautéed Almond Green Beans Recipe

Sprinkle almonds, salt, and pepper over sauteed green beans to prepare this simple side dish. 

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Green Beans with Dilly Sauce

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower

Green Beans with Dilly Sauce Recipe

Dunk crisp-tender green beans in the buttermilk sauce, a cooling contrast to the spicy burger.

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Leftover Green Bean Niçoise

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Leftover Green Bean Niçoise Recipe

Classic salade niçoise gets a big flavor boost from our leftover green bean recipe: Dried cranberries provide unexpected sweet-tart notes, while hazelnuts add lightly sweet, meaty depth.

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Wax Beans with Chorizo, Almonds, and Parsley

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen

Wax Beans with Chorizo, Almonds, and Parsley Recipe

Belonging to the same vegetable family as green beans, wax beans make a great side dish and compliment the bright colors of Summer.

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Green Beans with Crisp Meyer Lemon Bread Crumbs

Credit: Greg DuPree

Green Beans with Crisp Meyer Lemon Bread Crumbs Recipe

Time: 45 minutes. Olive oil– and citrus-toasted crumbs make this Thanksgiving staple special.

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Garlic-and-Sesame Green Beans

Garlic-and-Sesame Green Beans Recipe

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Balsamic Green Beans with Pearl Onions

Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez

Balsamic Green Beans with Pearl Onions Recipe

We upgraded this classic holiday side dish with a tangy balsamic glaze and sweet caramelized onions.

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Warm Potato and Green Bean Salad

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen

Warm Potato and Green Bean Salad Recipe

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Prosciutto-and-Almond Green Beans

Prosciutto-and-Almond Green Beans Recipe

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Feta-and-Walnut Blistered Green Beans

Feta-and-Walnut Blistered Green Beans Recipe

Charring is a great technique for coaxing extra flavor from vegetables without adding calories. Here, slender green beans stay crisp and fresh while taking on a hint of bitter and smoke for balance.

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Four Bean (and One Pea) Salad

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Four Bean (and One Pea) Salad Recipe

We’ve updated the tired three-bean staple with a wonderful variety of textures, colors, and shapes. It’s a gorgeous salad that you’ll be proud to serve at your next backyard barbecue. Charring the snap peas and edamame adds robust flavor notes that complement the zip of the dressing and the mild taste of the green beans.

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Quick and Easy Green Beans

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower

Quick and Easy Green Beans Recipe

Here's a fast, efficient way to cook green beans (and other vegetables), eliminating the fuss of bringing a large pot of water to a boil or draining the veggies. (Cost for 4: $1.12)

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