Easy Lemon Garlic Green Beans Recipe

Tasty Lemon Garlic Green Beans are a light and delicious side dish to compliment just about any meal or make a batch for a healthy and crunchy snack.

On a regular basis, we try to focus on having some non-carb options on hand. Usually, I’m always in the mood for potatoes. When I say “usually,” I mean like every day I could eat potatoes. But I need to focus on the green things a little more. These easy Lemon Garlic Green Beans are just the ticket and surprisingly quick to make.

These tasty beans are the perfect side for many main dishes like steak, chicken, or fish. In fact, what originally triggered me to make this version at home was a visit to our local steakhouse. They offer a similar green bean side to substitute instead of a baked potato. It actually hurts a little to order green beans instead of a baked potato. Just a bit. But once the initial pain subsides, honestly, I really do find these green beans ultimately satisfying and without feeling like I’m going to bust after eating.

How to cook lemon garlic green beans 

1. Cook the green beans in salted water for about 3 minutes. Drain them and transfer to the bowl of ice water. 
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat with butter and olive oil. Once the pan has been preheated, add the green beans along with the lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook occasionally stirring for 3-4 minutes. 

What to serve with lemon garlic green beans 

Lemon Garlic Green Beans are fuss-free and something that can be served as a side or enjoyed on their own as a lighter lunch or crunchy snack. These tasty green beans are a perfect complement to steak, chicken (like Oven Fried Chicken from The Cookie Rookie), fish, or pork.  This recipe is seriously simple. I’ve made these beans no less than five times in the past two weeks. That’s a lot of green beans.

A couple of Garlic Lemon Green Beans recipe notes:

• Change up the seasonings as you like to compliment any main dish. I like to add ground ginger to these beans for extra flavor.
• French green beans are best for this recipe. They are a shorter and thinner variety and cook quicker, which means you may skip the parboiling step.
• Prep ahead of time – parboil the green beans ahead of time and store in the refrigerator, ready to toss in a pan for a few minutes before serving to make it a super duper quick healthy option to have on hand.

If you enjoyed this green beans recipe, you’d also love: 

• Quick Baked Potatoes
• Coconut Milk Roasted Green Beans
  
• Roasted Broccoli Recipe 
• White and Black Bean Salad Recipe
• Cucumber Dill Greek Yogurt Salad

Easy Lemon Garlic Green Beans Recipe

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Garlic Lemon Green Beans Recipe

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

These Garlic Lemon Green Beans are the perfect side dish, or healthy snack.

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Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds thin green beans, cleaned and trimmed (I like French green beans the best for this recipe.)
• 4 tablespoons, butter, salted
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil (depending on pan size; basically will need enough to cover pan and coat green beans)
• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (if you really like garlic, add more)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

1. (If you can find French green beans (a shorter and thinner variety), you may skip the par boiling steps, and go on to #3.) Prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside.
2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook green beans for about 3 minutes. Drain beans and transfer them to the bowl of ice water. Allow beans to cool completely. Once cool, drain beans, and proceed to next steps. Or store covered in refrigerator for up to a couple of days until ready to finish cooking.
3. Heat a large skillet* over medium-high heat. Add butter and olive oil. Once butter and olive oil are hot, add green beans, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper; toss to coat all beans well with oil, butter and seasonings. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes. If skipping the par boiling step, continue to cook, stirring occasionally for another 5 minutes, or until cooked to desired doneness.
4. Serve warm.

Notes

*Depending on skillet size, you may need to work in smaller batches, dividing lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and paper as you work through smaller amounts.

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