Ingredients
Green beans
- 1 lb fresh green beans trimmed; 454 g
- 1/4 cup water 60 ml, plus more as needed
Garlic-lemon finish
- 1 tbsp olive oil 15 ml
- 2 cloves garlic minced; about 6 g
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 15 ml
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Equipment
- 1 12-inch skillet with lid
- 1 Tongs or spatula
- 1 Microplane or fine grater
- 1 Measuring spoons
Instructions
Cook the beans
- Rinse and trim the beans. Place them in a 12-inch skillet with 1/4 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, cover, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Check a thick bean; if still too firm, add a tablespoon of water as needed, cover again, and cook until it reaches your preferred tenderness.
- Uncover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, turning occasionally, until the remaining water evaporates. Timing depends on the beans and pan; do not let the empty skillet scorch.
Finish and serve
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the olive oil and garlic, and stir for 30 to 60 seconds, until fragrant but not browned.
- Remove from heat. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Toss, taste a bean, and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve promptly.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving (one fourth of recipe)Calories: 68.51kcalCarbohydrates: 8.8gProtein: 2.2gFat: 3.65gSaturated Fat: 0.53gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.49gMonounsaturated Fat: 2.47gSodium: 152.56mgPotassium: 251.25mgFiber: 3.18gSugar: 3.83gVitamin A: 784.16IUVitamin C: 16.44mgCalcium: 46.05mgIron: 1.23mg
Video
Video: Inspired Taste demonstrates green beans cooked in one skillet with a small amount of water, followed by evaporation and a garlic-lemon finish. Their variation blisters the beans before steaming and adds butter. Follow the recipe above for this version’s steam-first sequence, olive oil and lemon-juice finish.
Notes
Use similarly thick fresh beans. Frozen and canned beans are not direct timing-equivalent substitutions.
Refrigerate leftovers in a shallow covered container within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90 F/32 C. Keep at 40 F/4 C or below and use in 3 to 4 days. Reheat to 165 F/74 C.
Nutrition is estimated per one fourth of the recipe using USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy ingredient data. It assumes all measured oil, salt, and other ingredients are retained. Values exclude extra seasoning. Vitamin estimates use raw ingredient inputs without cooking-retention factors and may overestimate the amount served. Trans fat is not reported because the olive-oil record does not provide that value.
