Sautéed Haricots Verts (French Green Beans) are a great side dish. So good that they deserve to be the star attraction! The melt in your mouth texture, the tang of the garlic butter and the zest of fresh herbs make sautéed haricots verts a dinner time favorite. You will love this green beans recipe!
The perfect accompaniment to a wide variety of dishes - Sautéed Haricots Verts pair beautifully with Roast Rosemary Rack of Lamb, Filet Mignon, Surf & Turf or Roasted Chicken, Salmon and even Roast Capon for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Mamie Pierrette (my late Grandmother in law) always made these haricots verts when we would visit her for lunch in Toulon, often as an accompaniment to lamb. They are one of my huysband's favorite dishes. I am happy to share it with you.
Ingredients
This recipe is super simple to put together - only a few key ingredients and lightly seasoned with salt. Use fresh green beans - we often find them in a bag form in grocery stores in the US with the tops already snipped off. I suggest buying them at the farmers market whenever possible - you will always find the freshest local produce there.
- 12 oz French Green Beans (haricots verts), trimmed (snap the end off)
- 4 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
- 2 tbsp of butter.
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Sautéed Haricots Verts Instructions
This recipe is SO EASY. Cooking the haricots verts in 2 steps ensures the perfect consistency and flavor.
Place a pot of salted water to boil for your haricots verts. Trim the ends of the haricots verts and place in boiling water for 12 minutes. Strain.
In a frying pan over medium high heat, drizzle the olive oil and toss in in the sliced cloves of garlic. Allow the garlic to sizzle before adding in the strained green beans. Once the remaining water has evaporated, add in the butter. Toss frequently. Use a pair of tongs to toss the green beans so you keep their shape. If you use a spoon you risk breaking them.
Finely chop the fresh parsley. Sprinkle onto the green beans. Mix together and turn off the heat. Lightly season with salt.
Serve with the protein of your choice. Here it is served with Seared Tenderloin Steak and Lobster for a Surf n Turf Dinner.
Substitutions
This recipe can be used for a variety of vegetables. The key is to poach the vegetables almost until they are fully cooked and then use the butter sautéeing to finish them and and add decadent golden sheen. This technique also works great for the following vegetables:
- Carrots - cut in julienne slices (match stick slices) and boil until tender (about 8 minutes) before finishing in the pan
- Asparagus - cut off the bottom white part and leave the rest whole. Boil until tender (about 8 minutes) before finishing in the pan. Here is a recipe for French Asparagus Recipe with a Champagne Citrus Vinaigrette
- Fennel - Remove the core of the fennel and cut into slices. Boil for about 12 minutes before finishing in the pan. For more on how to cut fennel check out this recipe: La Salade Mentonnaise - a delicious Fennel, Orange and Artichoke Salad with Pine Nuts
Variations
This recipe can also be made a few different ways:
- Vegan - simply substitute more olive oil for the butter
- Spicy - add chili flakes to taste into the garlic as you sautée
- Dill - replace the parsley with dill for a fresh zing
Equipment
The equipment needed for this recipe is very simple. I use my All-Clad All in One skillet for both steps. The wide brim makes it easy for boiling and then I can also use it to sautée. It keeps my dishwashing to a minimum!
This is a variation of a similar pan by Cuisinart that is less expensive - but I cannot vouch for the longevity of the product as I can for my All Clad that I have used for over 10 years!
Storage
Store the sautéed haricots verts in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Microwave to reheat.
These ingredients don't stand up very well to freezing. The haricots verts become too mushy.
Top tip
Make sure you are cooking the haricots verts almost all of the way through while boiling. You simply want to add a golden coat of butter when sautéeing.
FAQ
Haricots Verts are French Green Beans. They are often harvested younger and so are smaller and thinner than fully mature green beans. They are also softer when cooking and have a more robust flavor.
The perfect accompaniment to a wide variety of dishes - Sautéed Haricots Verts pair beautifully with Roast Rosemary Rack of Lamb, Filet Mignon, Surf & Turf or Roasted Chicken, Salmon and even Roast Capon for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
You don't need to cut off the tip but I do suggest snapping off the top where the bean was attached to the stalk. You want to make sure that there isn't any stalk left on the green bean as it doesn't soften when cooking. When the green beans are fresh the top will snap right off with your thumb.
A bright green color, no yellow spots and a crisp texture. If the bean is already soggy when you buy it it won't have much taste to it. Fresh green beans are so tasty!
Related Vegetable Side Dishes
Looking for other creative vegetable side dishes with a French twist? Try these:
French Asparagus Recipe with a Champagne Citrus Vinaigrette
The best Tomatoes Provençale Recipe
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Sautéed Haricots Verts:
Simple Rosemary Roast Rack of Lamb and Potatoes
I also suggest baking a batch of French Baguettes. The crusty baguettes are perfect for mopping up the garlic butter of the haricots verts. So Yummy!
Sautéed Haricots Verts Recipe (French Green Beans)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 people 1x
- Category: French, sides
- Method: sautee
- Cuisine: French
Description
Sautéed Haricots Verts (French Green Beans) are a great side dish. The melt in your mouth texture, the tang of the garlic butter and the zest of fresh herbs make sautéed haricots verts a dinner time favorite.
Ingredients
- 12 oz French Green Beans (haricots verts), trimmed (snap the end off)
- 4 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
- 2 tbsp of butter.
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Place a pot of salted water to boil for your haricots verts.
- Trim the ends of the haricots verts and place in boiling water for 12 minutes.
- Strain.
- In a frying pan over medium high heat, drizzle the olive oil and toss in in the sliced cloves of garlic.
- Allow the garlic to sizzle before adding in the strained green beans.
- Once the remaining water has evaporated, add in the butter.
- Toss frequently. Use a pair of tongs to toss the green beans so you keep their shape. If you use a spoon you risk breaking them.
- Finely chop the fresh parsley. Sprinkle onto the green beans.
- Mix together and turn off the heat.
- Transfer to your dish of choice and serve.
- Bon Appètit!
Notes
Top tip
Make sure you are cooking the haricots verts almost all of the way through while boiling. You simply want to add a golden coat of butter when sautéeing.
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Sautéed Haricots Verts:
ABOUT LE CHEF'S WIFE
Bonjour! I am Anina Belle. I translate the fancy cooking of my Michelin-star trained French Chef Husband, Le Chef, into easy to make dishes that busy people with no culinary training (like me!) can make at home. We have two young kids (5 and 2) and I have a full time job in hospitality in addition to this blog. I strongly believe that even busy people deserve to eat well at home.
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