Easy Stovetop Sautéed Green Beans

If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to make green beans taste amazing, this stovetop Sautéed Green Beans recipe is for you. It requires only a handful of ingredients, takes roughly ten minutes to whip up, and goes great with just about anything you’re having.

The Great Thing About Sauteed Green Beans

Pairing green beans with any dish is self-explanatory, but the flavor makes this recipe great. Sure, you can toss some beans and fresh herbs into a pan and call it a day, but the dish needs a little extra love to get the flavor everyone enjoys. Sauteeing the green beans in garlic and shallots is the perfect way to add flavor without the additional work! 

Ingredients for Delicious Sauteed Green Beans

This recipe uses simple ingredients, so you probably already have everything in your pantry or refrigerator. 

Spices & Extra Flavor

For this recipe, you’ll use minced garlic and sliced shallots to flavor the otherwise bland beans. To create less work for yourself, use a garlic press to achieve that minced effect quickly. The lemon is for some extra flavor at the end and is entirely optional, but I find that it finishes the dish nicely. 

Choosing Your Green Beans

Fresh green beans will be the better option for this recipe. Canned green beans and frozen beans will have a lot of moisture to cook out and won’t crisp up the same way fresh ones will.

While your favorite green beans might be French green beans from the can, they won’t be the same for this cooking process. Be sure to wash your fresh beans and pat them dry with a paper towel before cooking.

Preparing This Green Bean Recipe

There isn’t much prep work behind this easy sautéed green beans recipe, but you can pre-cut your shallots and garlic. When it’s time to cook, you must toss everything in the pan to create the perfect side dish. 

Add fresh garlic and shallots to your large skillet with olive oil to cook the green beans. Sauté those ingredients on medium heat for a minute or so until they are soft. Add the green beans and stir frequently to avoid overcooking.

The beans will cook for about 5-7 minutes. Once they have a tender-crisp texture, remove them from the heat and add a squeeze of lemon juice and zest garnish! 

How to Serve Tender Green Beans

This easy side dish can be paired with virtually any meal. There are so many to choose from, but some of my favorites would be Best Damn Oven Baked Chicken Breast, Oven Baked Mediterranean Cod, or Air Fryer Herb Roasted Chicken Legs! Each main dish goes well with the lemon zest from the green beans and is an easy recipe to add to your dinner rotation.

Up the Flavor

If you want to add more ingredients to the green beans, there are a few options for different flavors! Add pine nuts to the beans at the end of the sautéing process. The nuts will crisp up a bit and add some extra crunch to the dish. You can also try sprinkling crushed red pepper flakes if you want some heat to pair with the fresh lemon juice. 

Storage and Reheating

To store your green beans, place them in an airtight container and put them in the fridge. They will stay there for 3-4 days.

To reheat, either pop them in the microwave or reheat them on the stovetop. Toss them back into your skillet with a little bit of oil to heat them. This method will keep them on the crisp side, while the microwave makes them wilt a bit. It’s all up to personal preference. 

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