Quick and easy sautéed green beans with butter and fresh ginger. Simple, fast, and fresh. Jump to the Ginger Butter Sautéed Green Beans Recipe
The trick to the best sautéed green beans is to quickly blanch them first. All this means is to plunge fresh green beans into boiling salted water, leave for 2 to 3 minutes, and then plunge into icy water to stop the cooking.
This step takes less than 5 minutes and makes the green beans bright green, sweet, seasoned, and can be done well in advance. After blanching, quickly cook them with melted butter and fresh sliced ginger.
If you don’t want to blanch the beans, try this updated recipe for sautéed green beans. In that recipe, we streamline the process so that blanching is no longer necessary.
More Veggie Recipes
Sauteed zucchini is a quick, easy, and healthy side. It’s delicious, too. Try our version with zucchini cooked in garlic and butter.
Try our spicy garlic ginger edamame recipe! It’s so quick to make and tastes amazing.
Our whole family loves these garlic butter sautéed green beans.
Recipe updated, originally posted November 2011. Since posting this in 2011, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne
Ginger Butter Sauteed Green Beans
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
We blanch the beans before sauteing. This means to plunge fresh green beans into boiling salted water, leave for 1 to 2 minutes, and then plunge into icy water to stop the cooking. This makes them crisp and bright green. You can blanch the beans, cool, and drain them a day in advance. Just keep them covered in the refrigerator.
You Will Need
1 ½ pounds green beans, stem ends trimmed
2 tablespoons butter
1 (2-inch-long) piece fresh ginger
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
- Blanch Beans
1Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Plunge the beans into the water and cook until crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl filled with ice and cold water to stop cooking. Drain well.
- Saute Beans
1Peel the ginger and cut in half crosswise. Thinly slice lengthwise and cut into very thin matchsticks.
2Melt the butter in a wide heavy skillet over moderately high heat until bubbling. Add the ginger and cook until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Toss in the beans and cook, stirring, until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
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Love Mache! I had this eye on my recipe and am so glad you posted it 🙂 I’m making green beans for Thanksgiving but with walnuts and a dried cherry vinaigrette, but I’ll have to try these next time! So happy to have discovered your gorgeous blog. Happy Thanksgiving!
Awesome — the green beans are so good — a bit different, but in a good way 🙂
I like the unique combination! With all the fuzz and stress of preparing for Thanksgiving, we need to have our share of delicious veggies, and easy to prepare, a must! Thanks for the post! Happy Thanksgiving!
Those are some sexy beans!
Happy T-giving, you guys!
You, too!!! Love ya!