Skillet Green Beans

If you frequent some farmers markets this summer, you’ll probably come across some fresh green beans. They’re one of my favorite vegetables of all time!

The frozen varieties aren’t bad, but I love cooking fresh veggies.

Normally I really love to roast green beans, or wrap up a bundle in bacon and grill them, but this recipe is one of my family’s favorites.

For this recipe I choose to blanch my green beans first, then sauté them. However, since that does take a bit of extra time, I’ve also shared how you can cook the beans entirely in a skillet.

In case the term blanch is new to you, check out my handy Cooking Terms page 🙂

How to make skillet green beans?

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Blanch. Boil green beans for about 2 minutes, then add to an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
2. Pat dry.
3. Sauté. Add blanched green beans to a hot skillet and cook for a few minutes.
4. Add garlic. Cook the garlic with the green beans for less than a minute, until fragrant.
5. Add lemon. Remove from the heat and stir in lemon zest.

Variations of this recipe

• One pan method – to make this recipe even faster, you can skip the blanching. Cook the green beans in the skillet for about 5 minutes, add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add about 1/4 cup of water, then cover the skillet and continue cooking, until beans are tender and water is evaporated. Remove lid, stir in lemon zest and serve.
• Spicy – if you like things a bit spicy, try adding 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes or a drizzle of sriracha sauce.
• Toppings – I kept it simple here with lemon zest, but you could also add some toasted sliced almonds for crunch!
• Frozen – if you don’t have fresh green beans, you can use frozen whole green beans, however you’ll want to thaw them completely. You can omit the blanching steps and just sauté them, and they may need a bit less time in the skillet.

Making skillet green beans ahead of time

I don’t recommend making this recipe entirely ahead of time. However, you can blanch the green beans, drain them, dry them completely, then refrigerate them (in an airtight container). They should keep for up to 2 days.

Then when ready to serve, complete the remaining steps of the recipe (sautéing in the skillet).

Freezing

These green beans can also be frozen! After the beans are blanched, drain them, dry them completely, then transfer to a freezer safe container.

Green beans can be frozen for up to 6-8 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then sauté as directed in the recipe.

Storage

Leftover cooked green beans should be stored in an airtight container and eaten within 3-5 days.