Fresh Green Beans
I love cooking fresh green beans! And this tutorial will show you how to cook those green beans so they taste divine! 4 ingredients is all that is needed to make this fresh bean recipe. The perfect complement to any dinner you whip up.
If you are on the hunt for a fresh green bean recipe, you might enjoy this one. No complicated steps, no fuss. Just simple ingredients that offer big flavor.
Ingredients:
- Fresh beans
- butter
- salt
- pepper
How to Make
Break the ends off of each bean and then break them into bite sized pieces.
Discard the ends or feed ’em to your chickens.
Don’t have chickens? Go get at least three or four hens before proceeding to the next step.
Just kidding.
Place all of these beans in a pot of water along with a stick of butter. Place this over medium high heat and cook until the water cooks down almost completely, stirring from time to time. This is also where you would add some minced garlic if you like.
I sometimes add a heaping teaspoon, but I like garlic so you do you! There will be a little liquid left in the pot but not much at all. This will take anywhere from 10-15 minutes or more depending on how hot your pot gets.
Don’t be tempted to call the beans done before the water is cooked down.
They will be tender before that but not nearly as flavorful as they will be once they are tender all the way through and cooked down to a nice thin buttery coated sauce.
Recipe FAQs
I like to add garlic and some red pepper flakes too, depending on my mood. If I have some bacon grease handy I like to add a tablespoon or so of that as well, totally optional.
You can use frozen green beans in place of fresh if you really can’t get fresh, just promise me you’ll try it with fresh sometime, ok?
Let’s not talk about using canned green beans in this recipe, we just don’t even want to let that thought enter into our minds. 🙂 If you want to make canned green beans taste good, check out this recipe (click here).
If you are not sure what to look for when picking green beans let me help. Here you will look for bright colored beans, that don’t show a lot of brown spots. You also want the beans to be firm to touch. You should hear a snap when you bend the bean and it breaks. If it just bends it is too far gone.
You can cut off the ends of your beans. You just want to cut off the stems so you don’t get a woody texture when you eat them. If you prefer your beans not as long slice them in half. This will also help speed up the cooking time for smaller beans.
These are good with just about anything. We have been eating them as our low carb side when the kids are having rice or mashed potatoes so I like to keep a big container of them already cooked in the fridge for us.
Get the recipe for To Die For Meatloaf by clicking here.
Ingredients
- Fresh Green Beans
- 1 stick of butter
- salt and pepper
- minced garlic, red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Break ends of green beans off and discard. Break each bean into bite sized pieces.
- Place green beans and butter in a large pot. Cover with water.
- Bring to a boil over medium high heat (add minced garlic now if you like and a pinch of salt) and continue cooking, stirring often, until water is almost completely cooked out and beans are very tender.
- Salt and pepper to taste. And if you like red pepper flakes add them here and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Here are some other recipes for green beans that you may enjoy:
- Last Minute Green Beans & and Pretending to Let Go
- Sweet And Sour Green Beans
- Green Bean Casserole Rich, Creamy With The Perfect Crunch
- Creamed Beans and Taters
- French Onion green beans
Add a few new taters to this, a hunk of cornbread slathered in butter, and a big slice of sweet onion and boy is that some kinda good eaten! But I know then it’s no longer low carb. But sure is some good ole country grub!
Good ole country grub is right Marsha!!
I guess I’m more old school although I love your faster recipe too. My green beans usually cook about 2 hours or so. With some country ham, a hot pepper, and onion.
About how many pounds of green beans? Thanks!
I fall into the ” why haven’t I made these lately” category ! Now I’m craving them and will have to make them. : )
I remember when I was growing up my mom and other cooks of the era I knew cooked fresh green beans to death. My mom would put them on in the morning and cook them most of the day. I can’t say they tasted bad as they were seasoned with ham or bacon but I now know that probably nary a vitamin survived.
Oh, and never be embarrassed or afraid to put the “barely a recipe” recipe’s on here. There are plenty of people reading this, that it never occurs to them to make it that way. Be it the first time they’ve ever made it, oor one of those “why haven’t I made this lately?” times.
Thanks again!
Thank you so much! Please know that you have been a great encouragement to me today!!!!!
I agree with Angie H. Christy, remember that there are always brand new cooks – – of all ages – – and cooks who hate cooking but who must do it. Both groups will love these simple recipes. People who enjoy cooking will love them, too, and those who have precious little time will be your fans, too.
I am an old cook and I still love the simple way the best! Thanks for sharing Christy!
Simple is never a bad thing!
I find the most magic in simple recipes, the fewer the ingredients the more dependent on quality of ingredients and execution.
So very true Marvin!!
How many lb. Of green beans and about how much water
Didn’t matter just cook the water down. I usually cook around three lbs. and it takes around two to three hours
Today is Easter. In the middle of making dinner, I had a big pile of fresh string beans. My husband doesn’t care for string beans or at least mine. I really enjoy fresh string beans. I can across your recipe and thought I would give it a try. WOW. He could not get enough of them. It’s simple recipe with a powerful taste. Thank you.
PS: No string bean left overs here!
Wow, that just made my day!! I am glad they were a hit but am so honored to hear that your husband liked them!!
I love simple recipes! This is a recipe I will try! Love fresh green beans! Thanks!
Thanks Christy!
You weren’t kidding when you said people like to make these big complicated recipes nowadays.
Simple is best, in my book. I cook my green beans the same way, and my kids can hardly get enough of them.
I appreciate this very much. I have grown my own green beans, successfully, for the first time. This recipe was true perfection. Thanks so much!
Man, these are so simple and crazy delicious. I couldn’t believe how tender and tasty they are. I crave them every week. Cooking for one isn’t always easy, especially when you aren’t a big fan of leftovers, but I can eat a batch of these green beans pretty quick. Yum!