This quick and easy green bean recipe makes a bright side dish for any meal (& probably perfect with meatloaf, just sayin).

Welp, there’s several inches of snow outside right now, with more on the way here in Chicago. While usually I lean into winter weather and cooking big hearty stews and roasts, I recently craved a bright summer-y vegetable. Enter some squiggly green beans that needed to be used up asap and some farm fresh tomatoes from Avrom Farm, and voila! This crazy easy, yummy green bean recipe was born!

I’m newly obsessed with fried garlic chips after making them for, er, some recipe from some cookbook I don’t remember. Eep! But they’re so tasty and add a great texture to this dish. I’m trying to sneak them in frequently to new recipes, so buckle up for some garlic breath!

I steam the green beans here as it’s my favorite way to get a tender-ish but still snappy bean. And once you toss these guys into some good olive oil and lemon, oh Momma. It’s good dudes.

I’m also trying to add more veggies to my plate, and maybe, just maybe cutting out some carbs because:

My pants don’t fit.

Yep, you read that right, and yes this is a recipe blog on green beans, BUT I have to admit this. I have gained 12 freaking pounds since last March when “lockdown” started. I admittedly hate working out, and since winter has settled in I’m not out and about in the garden diggin’ every day…so here we are. With small pants. LOL.

So, I’m out here trying to jazz up my veggies and eat just a smidge better. I can promise you, this will never become a diet blog or a non-meaty blog. But I’m throwing this out there because I can’t imagine I’m the only one? How are y’all doing out there? How are you keeping active and eating good? Lay it on me in the comments, friends! 👇

Alright, now that that truth bomb has been dropped on you, on with the show.

Green Beans Recipe with Lemon, Tomatoes and Crispy Garlic

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 8 mins

Cook Time 8 mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Equipment

• Steam Basket
• Spider (Frying Spoon)

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups Trimmed Green Beans
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 2 Thinly Sliced Garlic Cloves
• 1 Lemon
• 2 Tbs Olive Oil
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1/4 Tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
• 1/4 Cup Sliced Grape Tomatoes

Instructions

 

• Place the green beans into a steam basket in a large stockpot and fill with water until the water is just below the steam basket. Top with a lid and turn the heat to medium-high. Cook until your desired amount of doneness, between 6 and 8 minutes.
• While the beans are steaming, slice the garlic cloves into very thin slices.
• Heat the olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat.
• The oil is hot enough to fry the garlic when a little flick of water sizzles.
• Add the garlic slices – carefully – to the sauce pan and fry until they just start to turn golden.
• Remove with the spider and lay onto a paper towel. Set aside.
• Once the green beans are cooked, remove and add to a large bowl.
• Add the juice from one lemon, the salt + pepper and sliced tomatoes to the bowl with the green beans and toss together.
• Top with the garlic chips and serve!

Notes

You can also swap olive oil out for butter or duck fat if you’re feeling more decadent! 

Keyword Easy Side Dish, Garlic Green Beans, Green Bean Recipe, Green Beans Recipe, Quick Side Dish, Side Dish, Steamed Green Beans, Vegetable Recipe, Vegetarian Recipe, Veggie Recipe