Ideas for Green Beans?

  • Hi everyone,

    I just bought over a pound of green beans at the farmer's market. I live alone...and I'm afraid they're going to go bad! So does anyone have any good ideas on how to serve them? I love to eat them raw, but I feel like I've eaten so many raw already, and there are still so many left...I'd like to spice it up a bit!

    Thanks!
  • I steam mine in a bit of broth (just splash some in and put the lid on), and while they cook, mash up a clove of garlic with some coarse salt to a paste-like consistency. I add that, plus the zest of a lemon and a bit of pepper, just before they are done cooking.
  • I have never eaten a green bean raw. I will have to try that. I loves me some bacon and green beans! Actually bacon with ANYTHING!
  • Bean salad.I add low fat feta to mine.yumm.
  • Oven roasted I toss with a little bit of olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, and fresh cracked black pepper, lay in a single layer on a baking sheet, then roast till they start to shrivel.
  • My hands-down, favorite recipe for green beans is Spicy Green Beans and Sausage. Only 300 calories per serving and way yummy. It's also really good with mushrooms instead of the carrots.


    Or you can make a nice quiche with smoked turkey, green beans, and reduced fat blue cheese.
  • I second oven roasted. They're also really good stir-fried until they're browned, then add a drop of sesame oil and top with sesame seeds. Spectacular.
  • Great suggestions! Thanks everyone. I even have some of these other ingredients necessary. I'm going to try oven-roasting them tonight!
  • I like to blanch them first. Then I sautee them roast them with just a little bit of oil with cherry tomatoes, garlic, and hot pepper flakes, toss in some fresh parsley too. This makes a really pretty side dish for a holiday dinner by the way.
  • I usually roast them.. but I just bought some and plan on making Chinese Green Beans tomorrow (the ingredients sound a lot like the stir-fry sauce I make, so I'm pretty sure I'll like them).
  • Green Bean Fries
    Fresh green beans, with the ends snipped off. Wash and dry. Put them in a large Ziploc with olive oil and shake it all around.

    Lay them out on a large baking sheet or foil, sprinkled with salt or whatever you like (Mrs. Dash, garlic salt, onion salt, seasoned salt...anything), and bake at 400 for about 45 minutes...until they shrivel and turn dark brown, and some will be black.


  • Wannabe--how do you blanch them?
  • I roasted the with the Worcestershire sacue the other night--soooo good, it tasted like candy, and it made my apartment smell GREAT! That is a keeper.
  • We cut the ends off, add a bit of olive oil to a saute pan, then add 1/2 stick of butter, a touch of garlic, salt and pepper. Add green beans and fry until almost crisp, then add some diced ham and finish cooking until the ham is browned. Super yummy!

    We also use green beans in place of pasta. We cook them the same way without the garlic, salt and pepper. Then we add 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes, cut up squash, celery, onions and whatever veggies we can find. Then we top it off with Parmeson cheese.....Takes like pasta!