These Garlic Parmesan Green Beans are an easy vegetarian side that require just 6 ingredients and 15 minutes!
If I had to choose my absolute favorite vegetable, it’d have to be green beans. Call them a vegetable. Call them a legume. I don’t care – they’re tasty. Not only are green beans delicious and crunchy, but they’re also low in calories and fat and contain no cholesterol. Plus they’re high in fiber and protein.
So, really, green beans rock.
They rock so much, in fact, that you don’t have to do much to them to make them tasty. Truth be told, I’ll enjoy a bowl of green beans raw. BUT add some sauteed garlic, sea salt, and parmesan to fresh green beans and I’m good. So good.
How To Pick Fresh Green Beans
When shopping for green beans, I recommend you take the time to actually pick out the ones you’re looking for. Don’t just grab handfuls and stuff them into your bag.
Instead, look for the bright green, non-browned, plump fresh green beans. It actually makes quite a difference in the final product. If the green beans look dull in color and are slightly brown or have brown spots, they’ll likely be woody and not crisp and delicious. The greener, the better!
What Goes With Green Beans?
Okay, so we have this super easy fresh green bean recipe right here….so what goes with it? I’m so glad you asked! These green beans go with SO MANY different types of foods, but here are my absolute faves:
- Pan-Roasted Salmon
- Baked Chicken Parmesan
- Honey Mustard Chicken
- Pan-Roasted Steak
- Garlic-Roasted Pork Chops
- Thanksgiving Turkey
I also think they are wonderful alongside my mashed sweet potatoes and green beans plus mashed potatoes are all any of us ever need. All in all, they’re the perfect quick side for any weeknight dinner. So. Good. (And so easy!).
More Fresh Green Bean Recipes
Hooray for fresh green bean recipes! If you like this garlic parmesan green bean recipe, you’ll love these other green been goodies:
What are your favorite ways to enjoy green beans? Share in the comments below!
Garlic Parmesan Green Beans
These garlic parmesan green beans are an easy vegetarian side that requires just 6 ingredients and 15 minutes! These will quickly become a welcome side for your dinner rotation.
- 1 lb fresh green beans, stems removed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
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Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.
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Add garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring frequently..
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Add the green beans, sea salt, and black pepper, and toss to coat green beans evenly. Continue to saute for approx. 5-6 minutes.
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Remove from heat and sprinkle grated parmesan. Toss once again until parmesan is melted.
Recipe Video
These parmesan green beans are such a versatile side dish. They can be as simple as a side to meatloaf for a weekday dinner, or can be dressed up for a Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day side. They are so tasty, and shockingly easy to prepare.
Pro Tip: Make sure to not cook the green beans all the way through so they still have some crunch to them. This will help improve the overall texture of the green beans when served. Don't skimp on the parmesan as well when serving - it adds a great saltiness to the green beans.
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Such a great dish! I tried this recipe with cut green beans in a can & I knew I was taking a risk but, it was an absolute success. Be sure to drain your green beans. Thumbs up all the way!! Thanks Lacey!!
I didn’t watch the video so I didn’t use butter or steam them…….so they took longer than 6 minutes!! I also squeezed lemon over them towards the end. Didn’t need butter. Soooo good!
So glad I read the comments!! I never watch videos just follow recipes. Thanks!
Your video and the recipe don’t match at all. Says nothing about butter and then I watch the video and it does. And you steamed yours in the video but not in the recipe. I’m going with the recipe as I have no butter or a fancy pot with strainer.
Hi! This looks really good, but I just wanted to let you know that parmesan is one of the rare cheeses that are not considered vegetarian (as they have calf rennet, aka baby cow stomach) as a mandatory ingredient to be allowed to be called parmesan. I’m sure this recipe is excellent with vegetarian cheese instead, for vegetarian guests, though.
Would this work with frozen green beans? If so would you thaw before steaming or just steam straight from the bag?
Yes, it would certainly work with frozen green beans. I’d thaw first so you can remove some of the moisture before adding to the heat.
I would like to bring these to a family dinner. Do they travel well? If so, what is the best way to reheat them?
YES they reheat very well. You can either reheat in the microwave or saute again really quick to heat through.
This recipe is so simple and I like the steaming method better that sautéing green beans. Such a great combination of flavors. I found your blog through Pinterest.
Thanks, Mira! Yay for Pinterest! Welcome 🙂
Yum!!!this looks great and delicious, great pics…
Thank you so much, Bindu!
Yum Yum Yum. This is one of our go to veggie dishes! 🙂
Us, too! We love how easy and fast it is. Plus it tastes soooo good! 🙂
I love discovering new ways to eat green beans! When I saw these on Pinterest, I knew they would be fantastic. So simple, yet so yummy! You have such a pretty blog. Glad I found you.
Thank you so much! I agree – simple and yummy for the win!!
I found you on pinterest, great recipe! I hand pick my green beans too. My husband is usually done getting the rest of our produce by the time I’m done picking out a pound of green beans!
Thanks for sharing such a great recipe! (Found it on Pinterest) Can’t wait to try it!!
Awesome! Hooray for Pinterest 🙂
These look delicious! Can’t wait to try!
Woohoo! I hope you love them 🙂
Soooo good & even my veggie-hating son ate it without complaining! A win for my whole family !
Wow, what a compliment!!
These were soooooo good!!
Yay! So glad to hear it 🙂
i tried these tonight & the hubs & i LOVED them! i found the recipe via pinterest & couldn’t be more happy with how they turned out! i’m sharing one of your pictures (because we ate them all before i snapped one) & a link to your blog on my blog!
thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
You’re so very welcome! Thanks for the great feedback, review and link to my blog! I’m glad you all enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Your green beans look so fresh & fabulous! Must bookmark 🙂
Thanks, Marla!
I’ve been looking for some new side dishes to try and this fits the bill perfectly. I can’t wait to try it. Thank you for sharing it!
Absolutely, Tanya! I hope you enjoy them. Beware: they’re super addicting 🙂
These look so fantastic, I can’t wait to make them! I like my veggies still crunchy so these just make it that much better. I’m so excited. [:
Thanks, Staci! I hope you like them!
Hello fellow San Diegan,
This beans look great! So simple, yet so good. This allows all the flavors to have their own voice and speak out. I need to try this soon.
Well, hello Spencer! I’m so glad you like the recipe. I agree…I love how simple this recipe is and, yet, how delicious the basic flavors are. Thanks for commenting! See you around!
Man, those look great. They remind me of the pan-seared green beans I used to get at a local Chinese restaurant that closed recently & broke my heart. They pan seared them with onions, soy, garlic, and a little sesame oil. They were awesome. Now that they’re gone, I’m turning to your garlic parmesan green beans to heal my broken heart.
PS – Now that you’re home, what did you think of Austin? Ready to move yet?
Thank you! Love the idea of pan-searing the green beans with onions, soy, garlic, and a little sesame oil…that sounds fantastic. Sorry that store closed! I still feel the agony of a local Japanese restaurant that closed 10 years ago that had the BEST paper-wrapped salmon butter-yaki, so I totally understand your pain. I hope this recipe can help ease your suffering a little 🙂
We actually just got back home last night from Texas. We LOVED Austin and have actually decided to move! We loved the people, the restaurants, the downtown and all its character… Thanks so much for your recommendations! We checked out the Salt Lick, Chuy’s and Hey Cupcake and had a blast!