Drain, add some salt and butter, and enjoy! This truly easy side dish is ready in about 20 minutes. I’m always looking for interesting ways to cook vegetables. I have a large collection of vegetable recipes on this website, but sometimes, the simplest recipes are the best. Green beans are now in season, and I find that when they are very fresh, the most enjoyable way to savor them is to simply boil them in salted water until tender-crisp. I then sprinkle them with kosher salt. That’s it!
Ingredients
Recipe Card
Fresh green beans: In this particular recipe, I’m using standard green beans, not the ultra-thin French haricot vert. I don’t recommend using frozen beans in this recipe. Kosher salt: I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Butter: I love using creamy European butter, but any butter will be great. And I often don’t use it at all! When not overcooked, these beans are delicious with just salt. You can also sprinkle the cooked beans with dry-grated parmesan or bacon bits for extra flavor. You start by trimming the ends of the beans. You can leave them whole or cut them into three-inch pieces. Now, drop the beans into salted boiling water. Cook them for about 5 minutes. Serve them topped with butter.
Ribeye roast Baked pork chops Shrimp scampi Baked chicken thighs Pan-fried salmon, as shown in the photo below:
Sometimes, I top them with a couple of poached eggs for an easy and delicious meatless dinner. In fact, when green beans are fresh and crisp, they make not just a great side dish, but a wonderful snack that you can serve and eat as finger food, and get that peculiar satisfaction that we humans get when we eat something crunchy and salty. Reheat them gently, in the microwave at 50% power. Or chop them and add them cold to a salad. Sometimes, I replace the asparagus in this asparagus salad with leftover green beans.
