Simple Boiled Green Beans

To make boiled green beans, simply drop them into salted boiling water and cook them until tender-crisp and not a second longer.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 35kcal

1 pound fresh green beans ends trimmed
2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt divided; or 1 teaspoon, divided, of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
1 tablespoon butter optional

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.
Drop the green beans into the boiling water. Bring back to a full boil and cook, uncovered, until the beans are just tender, about 5 minutes. But start checking after 3 minutes (use a fork to take one out of the pot and taste. Careful - they'll be hot!).
Drain the beans into a colander, shake them dry, and season with kosher salt.
Serve immediately. You can use other seasonings, and a generous pat of butter on top of the hot green beans is heavenly. But really, when they are fresh, they only need brief boiling and some salt.

Before cooking, pick through the beans and discard any that are withered or discolored. This simple cooking method is suitable only for the freshest of beans.
I prefer to leave the beans whole - they make a great finger food when left at their full length. But to serve at dinner, you can cut them into 3-inch pieces.
It's important that the beans remain firm. Soft and limp will not do! So take care not to overcook them. When properly cooked, they are so inherently tasty that the only seasoning they need is some coarse kosher salt and maybe a pat of butter.
Although they taste best when freshly cooked, you can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them gently in the microwave at 50% power, or chop them and add them cold to a salad.
The nutrition info is for the green beans and the salt sprinkled on them after cooking. It does not include the butter or the salt added to the cooking water.