Sautéed Green Beans

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 10 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4 Servings

For anyone who already adores green beans, this simple side will make you fall more in love with them. It’ll also turn green bean skeptics into total believers. Like most vegetables, there’s a lot of ways to cook green beans. You can roast them, air-fry them, just drop them in some boiling water, or you can even grill them. But the easy, yet super-impressive method we come back to most often are these sautéed green beans. Tossed with the triple threat of flavor from brown butter, garlic, and Parm, they’re the perfect side dish for whatever you’re cooking for dinner.

Ingredients

1 pound green beans, stem ends trimmed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the cooking water
1/2 ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup), plus more for garnish

Instructions

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl halfway with ice and cold water. Line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels or a kitchen towel.
Add 1 pound trimmed green beans to the boiling water and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and transfer immediately to the ice water bath to stop the cooking. Let sit for a few minutes.
Drain and remove any remaining ice cubes. Transfer the green beans to the baking sheet in a single layer to dry.
Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add 2 very thinly sliced large garlic cloves and cook, stirring regularly, until the garlic is light golden brown and toasted, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the garlic chips to a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with 1 pinch kosher salt.
Return the pan to medium heat. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, 10 to 15 seconds. Add the green beans and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and cook, tossing regularly, until warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in 1/2 ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese.
Transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with the reserved garlic chips and more Parmesan cheese if desired.