Perfect Green Beans Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to green beans to make them taste better? ›

If you'd like more flavor, try adding garlic or herbs like rosemary or thyme during cooking. You can also use other types of stock, such as vegetables or beef, to make your green beans even tastier.

Place soaked beans in a large pot; cover with fresh water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently until beans are tender but firm. Most beans will cook in 45 minutes to 2 hours depending on the variety. Periodically, try a taste test or mash a bean against the side of the pot with a fork or spoon.

Add green beans to pan and sauté over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add boiling water to pan and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes, just until beans are tender. Add vinegar, butter and salt and pepper and stir.

Combine zest, juice, garlic, Dijon, and olive oil. Whisk thoroughly to make a vinaigrette. Roast green beans @ 450 for 8-10 min, then coat immediately with vinaigrette, season with salt/pepper to taste, serve. Super quick, tastes amazing, easy to make a batch.

Not only are they relatively inexpensive, green beans are rich in vitamin C and beta-carotene, an antioxidant that gives fruits and vegetables their color. The vegetable helps fight inflammation and is a good source of folate and potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure.

Toss drained/rinsed/dried beans with a bit of olive oil (or avocado oil) and your favorite seasonings. You can add crushed whole seeds (coriander, cumin, fennel, mustard, etc.), woodsy herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage), red pepper flakes, crushed garlic cloves, and of course salt and pepper.

Put a pan of salted water on to boil. Meanwhile, trim the the beans. Once the water is boiling, steam or boil the beans until tender. Drain well, then tip the cooked beans into the bowl with your dressing and toss everything together, making sure all the beans get coated.

In doing a little research, America's Test Kitchen recommends adding some baking soda to the boiling liquid to help the beans tenderize faster, as well as absorb more flavor.

The best way to achieve this (and keep your veggies green) is by blanching, roasting or sautéing them. (Long cook times result in limp, soggy vegetables, void of both nutrition and colour.)

Why are my green beans tough after cooking? ›

It is usually a problem with beans that have been stored for a long time, or which have not been stored in ideal conditions (too hot, etc.), most often because of their age, so most simply call it 'old beans.

The correct way to cook green beans with soaking method is to soak them in water overnight or at least 3 to 4 hours before cooking. Long soaking time helps to soften the green beans and thus, reduces the cooking time and saves gas.

Blanch Them

Blanching your greens is key to getting that bitterness level down. Because glucosinolates are water-soluble compounds, a lot of them are leached out into the water, allowing for a less bitter green.

Too little salt and your food will taste bland and flat, but if you add too much, your dish can become inedible. Finding that balance of salt is the best practice for cooking. When it comes to beans, there are some tricks to making sure they are seasoned properly. With dried beans, you run the risk of under-seasoning.

Instead, make this canned green bean recipe. There are only a few ingredients: butter and onion powder with salt and pepper. Simple but magical! The trick to this recipe is to let the liquid simmer completely out.