30 Game-Changing Green Bean Recipes
They couldn't be more versatile in the kitchen. Use fresh green beans to add crunch and color to salads, stir-fries, pastas, casseroles, and so much more. Get our best recipes featuring green beans, as well as tips for selecting and storing them.
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Green Bean Basics
Fresh and crunchy, green beans are easy to love and super easy to incorporate into everything from vegetable side dishes to pasta salads to main courses. They don't have to be baked in a casserole to be delicious, as these recipes show. Also called string beans, green beans are made up of small seeds encased in long pods. Because the beans are harvested while still young, the pods are tender and edible.
While green beans are available year-round, their peak season is May to October. When you're shopping for green beans, we recommend you choose ones that are sold loose rather than in packages so you can pick the freshest. They should be crisp and bright green without blemishes or signs of wilting. For even cooking, choose beans that are of similar size.
Store them in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to five days, but know that green beans are not a keeper—they really do taste best if used right away. Another reason to choose green beans? Prep is easy, with no peeling or slicing required! Just rinse the beans under cold water, then trim the stem end by snapping it off with your fingers or cutting with a paring knife. You can trim the other end if you like, but it's not necessary.
Need even more reasons to love green beans? The legumes are rich in vitamin C ,"which helps you absorb iron and is an important mineral for carrying oxygen through your body," says New York City-based registered dietitian Rachel Berman. A cup of green beans delivers a quarter of your daily vitamin K, which maintains healthy blood and bones, Berman explains. Plus, they have nearly three grams of cholesterol-curbing fiber per cup. Enjoy their crisp texture and bright flavor in these, our favorite recipes that range from spicy sides to crisp salads to comforting casseroles.
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Green Beans With Warm Raisin-Caper Dressing
This sweet and tangy warm green bean salad with golden raisins, capers, and toasted pepitas is a winner.
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Quick-Cooked Green Beans with Lemon
A great make-ahead recipe, these lemon-spiked green beans taste best at room temperature. They're the perfect side dish for any potluck, picnic, or buffet.
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Miso-Watercress Green Beans
Here's a healthy, fast, and different green bean side dish. The beans are quickly cooked in a skillet, then brightened with a mixture of umami-rich white miso, tart lemon, and peppery watercress.
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Green Bean Casserole with Bacon
Who says you can only make this comforting dish at Thanksgiving? Our bacon version is too delicious to indulge in only one day out of the year.
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Pasta Salad with Peas and Summer Beans
Jazz up whole-wheat penne with green beans, wax beans, peas, cilantro, and a punchy garlic-lime dressing in this easy make-ahead side dish.
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Harissa-Roasted Green Beans
Take green beans into lively territory with this quick side. Beans are tossed with olive oil and harissa then roasted in the oven.
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Blistered Green-Bean and Corn Frittata
A slice of summer on your plate, this vegetarian entrée can star at brunch or dinner. Either way, this seasonal frittata is a winner.
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Delhi-Style Green Beans
Fresh ginger, fiery green chiles, and a host of spices—asafetida, cumin, and coriander—flavor this green bean dish known as sem ki sabzi. It's just one of Madhur Jaffery's easy, healthy Indian recipes.
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Green Bean, Shell Bean, and Sweet Onion Fattoush
Our take on the Middle Eastern bread-and-vegetable salad known as fattoush calls for green beans, shell beans, Vidalia onion, English cucumber, crumbled feta, fresh mint and parsley, and grilled pita. A lemon-garlic vinaigrette ties all the flavors together beautifully.
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Dry-Fried Green Beans
It takes just a few minutes over high heat to transform green beans into crisp-tender, blistered beauties.
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Braised Green Beans with Tomatoes
Green beans are simmered with broth, onion, tomatoes, and fresh oregano in this easy vegan side dish.
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Spicy Pickled Green Beans
Fresh green beans take on a sweet and spicy tang in this batch of quick pickles that will keep in the fridge for up to a month.
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Potato Salad with Green Beans and Ricotta
Forget mayo! Fresh ricotta, dill, and lemon zest and juice make an unforgettable potato salad, while green beans add the perfect amount of crunch. If you prefer a non-creamy potato salad, try our Potato and Green Bean Salad that relies on grainy mustard, lemon juice, and fresh thyme for its big flavor.
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Chopped Green Bean and Celery Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
White-wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and honey flavor tender green beans and crisp celery, an ideal sidekick to fried chicken or grilled steak.
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Green Beans with Hazelnuts and Gorgonzola
In this easy-but-sophisticated side dish, Gorgonzola's rich, creamy texture offers a nice counterpoint to crunchy hazelnuts and tangy sherry vinegar.
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Lemon Chicken Stir-Fry with Green Beans
A weeknight-friendly dinner of stir-fried chicken breast and green beans that will appeal to everyone at the table.
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Green Beans with Ginger and Tomatoes
Ginger, coriander, tomatoes, and fresh lime juice are all you need to take green beans from ho hum to flavor-packed.
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Pasta Salad with Chickpeas, Green Beans, and Basil
For a potluck or a picnic, this hearty, fresh-tasting pasta salad can't be beat. The light, lemony mayo-based dressing is just right for crisp green beans, red onions, chickpeas, and farfalle.
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Quinoa and Green Bean Salad
Gussy up everyone's favorite superfood with sautéed onion and garlic, crisp-tender green beans, fresh parsley, and a tangy red-wine vinaigrette.
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Green Beans with Potatoes and Ham
Green beans are added last to this flavorful braised ham hock-and-potato dish so that they're just tender.
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Green Beans with Parsnips and Pickled Red Onions
Green beans and parsnips are cooked in the same pot until crisp-tender, then paired with quick-pickled onions and a red wine vinegar-mustard dressing in this easy, colorful side dish.
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Green Bean Casserole
This from-scratch version of the family favorite calls for fresh green beans, a creamy homemade mushroom sauce, and a flavorful topping of crisp fried shallots.
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Green Beans with Tomatoes, Olives, and Eggs
This hearty Mediterranean side dish takes its inspiration from salade Niçoise. Serve with grilled tuna, salmon, or chicken.
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Green Beans with Spiced Breadcrumbs
Paprika and cayenne add a kick to the crunchy breadcrumb topping on simple steamed green beans. You can also transform pita into seasoned breadcrumbs for our Crispy Green Beans.
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Raw Tomato and Green Bean Pasta
Colorful, crunchy, creamy, and sweet, this pasta is delicious warm or at room temperature—great for a picnic.
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Green Beans with Olives
Mild-mannered green beans get a new lease on life when tossed with an intensely savory dressing of green olives, parsley, anchovies, and red-wine vinegar.
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Green Beans with Sauteed Mushrooms and Garlic
Coriander, white wine, and sherry vinegar punch up this fabulous all-purpose side dish.
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Green Beans with Caramelized Onions and Tarragon
Golden brown caramelized onions amplify the flavors in this perfect-for-entertaining, room-temperature side dish. Making it even easier for the host, you can trim the green beans and caramelize the onions a day in advance.
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Stewed Green Beans with Bacon
This side dish of green beans stewed in chicken broth and speckled with bacon will make everyone want to eat their vegetables.
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Green-Bean Casserole with Chestnuts and Buttered Breadcrumbs
Reconsider the casserole this holiday season. Try this elegant makeover that easy, creamy, stars fresh green beans with roasted chestnuts and mixed wild mushrooms make it a classy, crowd-pleasing side dish.