Lemony Steamed Green Beans

These savory steamed green beans are the quintessential easy side dish! This healthy recipe complements almost every dinner.

Looking for a healthy and easy side dish that literally goes with it anything? These lemony steamed green beans go well with almost any meal, from meatloaf to salmon to pasta. Even better: It only takes 10 minutes to prepare! Alex and I are always looking for simple side dishes. “Steamed green beans” might not be the most Instagram-worthy idea, but they’re super convenient and 100% worth expanding your cooking skills. Week ! The tangy lemon flavor and black pepper bite in these beans have made them a favorite at our house.

Do you have an instant pot? Try our Instant Lemon Green Beans.

How to Make Perfect Steamed Green Beans

The trick with steamed green beans is to grab them when they’re bright green and crispy! Keep cooking and they’ll turn a muddy green color and become mushy. The ideal time to steam this green vegetable is around 4-5 minutes. You’ll need to play it by ear each time you cook the beans, as the timing can vary depending on how thick and fresh the green beans are. Here are our tips for steaming beans.

Equipment needed: You will need a steamer or steamer basket for this recipe. Here is a steam basket that you can buy online.

Step 1: Cut the green beans.

The prime time investment in green beans? cut them! Here’s our quick way to cut green beans that will save you precious minutes.

Step 2: Boil the water.

The most important things you need to know about steaming green beans: First bring the water to a boil! Don’t be tempted to boil the water with the veggies in the pan! You boil the water in a saucepan or saucepan before adding the beans. If you are using a steamer basket without a handle, place it in the pot now: the water surface should be just below the basket.

Step 3: Add beans, cover and steam until tender and crispy, 4-5 minutes.

Once the water is boiling, add the beans (into the steamer basket if it has a handle) and cover the pan with a lid. Steam until light green and tender, 4-5 minutes. Test the bean with a fork and taste it: if you want it a little softer, cook another minute. Just be careful not to steep for too long or the color will fade and the beans will become mushy.

Step 4: Drain and season.

Remove from the heat and drain the beans. Then season with lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, salt and pepper. like that ! Steamed green beans in no time.

Ways to flavor steamed green beans

This steamed green beans recipe includes our favorite spices: lemon juice and zest for shine, and black pepper for a bit of flair. But of course, there are many other ways to flavor steamed beans! Here are some other ideas to get your wheels turning:

• Chopped garlic and butter
• Grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
• rice vinegar and sesame seeds
• Roasted almond slivers
• Thinly sliced ​​spring onion
• The feta falls apart

how to serve them

Any dish that needs an easy side dish has this recipe covered. It is suitable for many diets, including vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free. Here are some main dishes you can serve up with our best green bean recipe:

This Steamed Green Beans recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, plant-based, dairy-free and vegan.