Sometimes, it’s best not to over-complicate things. These easy crunchy green beans are a breeze to make, have just a few simple ingredients, and are so flavorful and delicious that I had to post the recipe. If you’re anything like me you tend to forget the simple recipes, so here’s a little reminder. You’re welcome.
We got these green beans in our CSA delivery this past week and I knew they would go great with a previously cooked/frozen meal I made. (In the months before I had Penelope, I pre-cooked several meals and froze them for easy dinners when I knew we’d have no time. List of those meals and recipes to come.)
What I like most about these green beans is that, even after cooking, they stay nice and crisp since the first thing you do is blanch them. It’s very simple, and literally takes two minutes. I’ll show you how. Here we go…
Easy Crunchy Green Beans With Lemon and Garlic
Ingredients
- 2 lbs of green beans, ends trimmed
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- zest of 1 lemon
- salt & pepper
To make:
The first thing you’ll do is blanch the green beans. To do this, fill a large stockpot with salted water and boil, and toss the green beans in for about 2 minutes until they are bright green in color and tender crisp. Drain them, then place them in a bowl of ice water, which will “shock” them and stop the cooking process.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and oil, then add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the beans; stir and saute to coat the beans, about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat, add the lemon zest, season with salt and pepper to taste. That’s it! Now you have delicious, crunchy green beans that can be done in a flash, and a recipe that works well with really any vegetable dish.
