These simple sautéed green beans are cooked in butter with salt, pepper, and garlic. They're so delicious and ready in 20 minutes!
I cook green beans often. I enjoy green beans with bacon, roasted green beans, and Chinese green beans (they are super flavorful!). I especially like this easy recipe for sautéed green beans and make it almost every week. It's ready fast, and I love its tender-crisp texture and buttery flavor. The crushed red peppers add a nice touch visually and in terms of flavor.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on the ingredients.
- Unsalted butter: I love using creamy European-style butter.
- Fresh string beans: Pick firm ones with a bright green color and no discoloration.
- To season: I season the beans simply, with salt and pepper.
- Minced garlic: Mince it yourself, or use the stuff that comes in a jar. Both work, although freshly minced tastes better.
- Crushed red pepper: It doesn't make the dish spicy - it merely adds an interesting layer of flavor.
- Optional: Sometimes, I sprinkle grated Parmesan on the finished dish, as shown in the photo below.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Cook the beans in butter and salt over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.
Add the black pepper, garlic, and crushed red peppers. Keep cooking until the beans are tender-crisp, about 5 more minutes.
Serve immediately.
Recipe Tip
Regardless of how you cook green beans, the most important thing is to avoid overcooking them. You want them to be tender, but they should still have a bite, much like your goal is "al dente" when cooking spaghetti. You definitely don't want them to be mushy or droopy. On the other hand, you don't want them too crunchy!
In my experience, sauteing them for about 10 minutes over medium-high heat is perfect. But you'll need to double-check in your kitchen. As you know, cooking equipment varies greatly, and this includes your cooking range and your pans.
Recipe FAQs
Blanching is a cooking technique in which the food is briefly cooked in boiling water and then plunged into ice water to stop the cooking process. I use this technique when making green beans almondine.
However, hurried and pressed for time most nights, I am not a fan of multi-step recipes. So, in this recipe, I don't blanch the beans before sautéing them, and I don't think it makes a big difference in the final outcome.
I don't recommend that. Canned ones would be a hard no. They are already cooked and tend to be limp, brownish, and lifeless. But I also don't recommend using frozen beans in this recipe. For best results, please use fresh beans.
This is up to you! You can cut them in half before cooking them, as shown in the photo below, or leave them whole. Both work. 
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently in the microwave at 50% power. They are also good when served cold, antipasti-style. Sometimes, I chop them up and add them cold to a salad. They make a colorful addition to this tomato salad.
Serving Suggestions
Sautéed green beans are a versatile side dish that goes with anything. I often serve them with one of the following main dishes:
- Sweet and sour meatballs
- Pesto chicken or pesto shrimp
- Barbecue beef stew
- Chicken patties
- Pulled chicken
- Fish stew
- Seared tuna
Last week, I served them with broiled scallops, as shown in the image below:
And tonight, I served them with pan-fried salmon, as shown here:
Recipe Card
Simple Sautéed Green Beans
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pound fresh green beans - ends trimmed
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic - minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium-high heat.
- When the butter stops foaming, add the green beans and salt.
- Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes.
- Add the black pepper, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
- Continue to cook, stirring often, for about 5 more minutes, until the beans are tender but not mushy. Serve immediately.
Notes
- The most important thing is to avoid overcooking the beans. You want them tender, but they should still have a bite, much like "al dente" when cooking spaghetti. You definitely don't want them mushy or droopy.
- Whether you cut the beans in half or leave them whole is up to you. Both work.
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently in the microwave at 50% power. They are also good when served cold, antipasti-style. Sometimes, I chop them up and add them cold to a salad.
Nutrition per Serving
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Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Maria says
Love it!
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe, Maria! Thank you very much for the review.