Recipes Ingredients Beans & Legumes Green Bean Recipes 20 Green Bean Side Dishes to Serve with Dinner Tonight By Kelly Vaughan Kelly Vaughan Kelly is a former associate digital food editor for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines Published on April 8, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Chris Clor / Getty Crispy, super vibrant, and good for you, green beans have got it all going on. That's why we're sharing 20 of our favorite green bean side dish recipes to serve alongside your main course tonight. Whether it's a quick and casual weeknight dinner or a festive holiday feasts, these sides will complete any meal. There are a number of different ways to prepare green beans, including simple cooking methods such as steaming, blanching, or microwaving. The goal when preparing green beans is never to overdo it—cook until they're just tender on the inside but still have a snappy, crunchy bite. Overcooking them will also cause them to lose their beautiful bright green color, which would be a complete tragedy. Once cooked, there are so many ways to dress up green beans. For the most understated side dish, season them with just salt, pepper, and a touch of lemon zest. We also like to turn the heat up with chile peppers, spicy mustard, and warm, aromatic spices. If you're in the mood for an all-time classic, you'll be delighted to know that we have two tasty recipes for green bean casserole. One version is about as timeless as it gets with an indulgent addition of bacon. Chopped, crispy strips of everyone's favorite pork product are both tossed with the green bean mixture and sprinkled on top as a garnish. We also have an even more autumnal recipe that calls chestnuts, homemade buttery breadcrumbs, and plenty of fresh herbs. Both recipes are totally delicious that it would be impossible to pick a favorite, so go ahead and try them both. If you're ready to fall in love with green beans all over again, make some of these fabulous side dish recipes to pair with dinner this week. 01 of 20 Green Beans with Warm Raisin-Caper Dressing Kate Sears The real magic for this green bean side dish appears in the dressing. Once the beans are blanched, they're tossed with a mixture of sherry vinegar, whole-grain mustard, capers, and extra-virgin olive oil. View Recipe 02 of 20 Harissa-Roasted Green Beans Kate Sears Just two teaspoons of harissa paste, which is a spicy chile and tomato condiment from Morocco, brings the heat to this green bean side dish. Garnish the beans with sesame seeds for a little crunch. View Recipe 03 of 20 Miso-Watercress Green Beans Kate Sears Green beans sizzle with oil and garlic until they're tender on the inside and crisp on the outside; once cooked, they're tossed with watercress and dressed with a delicious combination of white miso paste and fresh lemon juice. View Recipe 04 of 20 Green Beans with Tomatoes and Crispy Breadcrumbs Frédéric Lagrange Think of this green bean side dish recipe as summer in a bowl. A combination of green beans and wax beans share the spotlight with large cherry tomatoes, buttery breadcrumbs, and finely grated Manchego cheese. View Recipe 05 of 20 Braised Green Beans with Tomatoes and Cilantro Noe Dewitt Green beans are transformed from an ordinary vegetable to the star of the show in this side dish recipe. They're cooked with chopped tomatoes until the beans are tender and tomatoes are bursting at the seams with their summery juices. View Recipe 06 of 20 Green-Bean Casserole with Chestnuts and Buttered Breadcrumbs Con Poulos The ultimate side dish recipe starring green beans is this autumnal favorite. Here, we've amped up the usual casserole with roasted chestnuts, plenty of fresh parsley leaves, and lots and lots of crunchy coarse breadcrumbs. View Recipe 07 of 20 Lemon-Pepper Green Beans Louise Hagger Keep things simple with this 10-minute green bean side dish recipe. They're seasoned only with salt, pepper, and freshly grated lemon zest…but you don't need to stop there. Serve them with our Minty Yogurt Sauce for a cooling, flavorful addition. View Recipe 08 of 20 Cumin and Chile Green Beans Jake Stangel Hot green chile peppers give a serious kick to this green bean side dish, but the heat is offset by warm spices such as ground coriander, fresh ginger, and whole cumin seeds. View Recipe 09 of 20 Braised Green Beans with Tomatoes Aya Brackett This healthy green bean side dish recipe has plenty of flavor thanks to a gentle but genius pairing with onion, canned tomatoes, and fresh oregano. Bonus: If you use vegetable broth rather than chicken broth, it will be vegan. View Recipe 10 of 20 Green Bean Casserole with Bacon Martyna Szczesna Take classic green bean casserole to the next level with plenty of bacon. First, the strips are sautéed until crisp and reserved for both mixing into—and sprinkling on top of—the casserole. Next, cremini mushrooms are sautéed in the remaining bacon fat to absorb some of the salty, savory flavor. View Recipe 11 of 20 Green Bean, Shell Bean, and Sweet Onion Fattoush NGOC MINH NGO Serve this Middle Eastern-style green bean salad as a healthy side dish during spring and summer. The vibrant green, crisp vegetables and fragrant herbs are fresh tasting and totally delicious. View Recipe 12 of 20 Dry-Fried Green Beans John Kernick The secret to super crispy green beans is dry frying them in just a tiny amount of extra-virgin olive oil until they're blistered and tender. Fresh field peas and garlic are added at the very end of the cooking process for even more texture and flavor. View Recipe 13 of 20 Herbed Green Beans with Warm Mustard Vinaigrette linda xiao Instantly elevate any holiday spread with this elegant green bean side dish. The vegetables are blanched before being tossed with a sharp whole-grain mustard dressing and toasted bread cubes. View Recipe 14 of 20 Ginger Garlic Glazed Green Beans The savory, umami-rich flavors of toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, and fresh ginger bring new life to an old favorite. View Recipe 15 of 20 Tarragon Green Beans Maria Robledo We could eat green beans raw, but they become something super magical when cooked in a simple sauce made from butter, white wine, shallots, and fresh tarragon. View Recipe 16 of 20 Asparagus and Green Beans with Chili-Orange Oil Anna Williams Two of spring's brightest stars—asparagus and green beans—share the stage in this side dish recipe. They're drizzled with an oil made from olive oil, red pepper flakes, and orange zest, which you can make in advance. View Recipe 17 of 20 Green Beans with Spiced Breadcrumbs Just one-quarter teaspoon of paprika is all it takes to intensify the flavor of crispy breadcrumbs in this green bean side dish. View Recipe 18 of 20 Green Beans with Hazelnuts and Gorgonzola Bring a little funk to this green bean side dish recipe with gorgonzola cheese, nutty roasted hazelnuts, fragrant nut oil, and sherry vinegar. View Recipe 19 of 20 Green Beans with Mushrooms and Toasted Almonds You'll never look at green beans the same way again when you taste this side dish recipe that marries the green vegetable with cremini mushrooms, sliced scallions, and a combination of extra-virgin olive oil and butter. View Recipe 20 of 20 Microwave-Steamed Garlic Green Beans No over-the-top cooking techniques here! Here, we're using the magic of the microwave to steam one pound of green beans with garlic and butter for the easiest side dish ever. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit