Sautéed Frozen Green Beans Recipe
This Easy Sautéed Frozen Green Beans Recipe takes frozen green beans (you can also use fresh) to the next level. These delicious green beans are quickly blanched and then sauteed in olive oil and butter with onions, garlic, and toasted pinenuts. This creates the perfect texture and adds classic Italian flavors! Ready in 20 minutes.
Servings: 4 -6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb frozen green beans not defrosted (or, fresh green beans trimmed)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup pinenuts
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and the green beans and cook for 2-4 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl with ice-cold water this will stop the cooking process.
- Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and pine nuts and cook until softened and the pinenuts toasted, about 5-7 minutes. Add the beans, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until softened to your taste, about 3-4 minutes.
- Take off the heat and serve hot. (see notes for recipe variations)
Notes
Blanching: You can skip the blanching process (cooking method of quickly boiling the green beans), but this will result in a much more crunchy green bean texture. You will also need to increase the cooking time in the pan.
Variations:
- Bacon - add crunchy bacon to the top of the final green bean dish. You can also cook the beans in bacon grease for additional flavor. Save the bacon dripping the next time you fry up some bacon.
- Cheese - add a sprinkle of parmigiano, or parmesan cheese just before serving for a cheesy addition.
- Red Bell Peppers - the fresh flavors of bell peppers work well with green beans. Simply sautee them when you add the onions and garlic and cook for an extra couple of minutes before adding the green beans.
- Herbs - at the end of cooking add chopped fresh parsley to finish off the roasted green beans, or other herbs such as dill, green onions, or basil.
- Fresh Lemon - garnish the green beans with a squeeze of lemon juice and lemon zest just before serving.
- Nuts - instead of pinenuts use hazelnuts, sliced almonds, pistachios, or walnuts.
Nutrition
Calories: 218kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 31mg | Potassium: 387mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 875IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2mg
