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- Blanch for 2 to 3 minutes, shock in ice water, then sauté 2 to 3 minutes for bright, tender-crisp haricots verts.
- Simple ingredients: use good quality olive oil, fresh garlic, salt and black pepper.
- Pat beans dry to prevent oil splatter and add garlic after the beans so it cooks without burning.
- Versatile side; best served fresh and hot. Blanch ahead for easy finishing and toss leftovers cold into a salad like Niçoise.
Sautéed haricot vert might sound fancy, but I promise it’s one of the simplest and most satisfying things you can make. Haricot vert are the slender, elegant French cousin of the regular green bean. They are thinner, more tender, and just a little more special. Bright, garlicky and tender-crisp in about ten minutes, these sauteed French green beans are a great side dish for an easy weeknight dinner, special occasions and everything in between.
Quick Look: Sautéed Haricots Verts with Garlic (French Green Beans)
- ⏱ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 10 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 15 minutes
- 👩🍳 Serving: 4 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 90 calories per serving
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Garlicky, tender-crisp, bright, and fresh tasting with a mild, slightly sweet green bean flavor.
- 👌 Difficulty: Easy, perfect easy vegetable side dish that pairs perfectly with any meal
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Why you will love this recipe
- Haricot verts cook up fast. 8-10 minutes from start to finish.
- A short list of simple ingredients. Olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Done.
- They stay bright green and tender-crisp, never mushy or sad.
- This recipe is nearly impossible to mess up and will quickly become a go-to side dish in your rotation.
- This easy side dish pairs with pretty much any main you can think of, taking all the stress out of deciding what vegetable is for dinner tonight.
- Leftover haricot vert are great tossed cold into a salad the next day. My French salad Niçoise uses green beans as a key ingredient and is absolutely worth making if you find yourself with extras. For more easy and delicious side dish recipes, browse the full collection.
Ingredient notes
- Haricot vert – These are the slender French-style green beans. There pretty easy to find at the regular grocery store, I always pick up a bag on my regular Trader Joe’s run. French beans and thinner and more tender than regular green beans, meaning they cook faster and have a more delicate texture. If you can’t find haricots verts, thin regular green beans will do the trick, just adjust the cook time slightly.
- Olive oil – Use a good one here. The flavors in this recipe are simple and minimal, so the quality of your olive oil really does make all the difference.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic cloves only.
- Salt and black pepper – Season as you go. Don’t skip this step!
- Add some extra flavor – A squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end adds a nice brightness. Red pepper flakes add a little kick. A handful of toasted sliced almonds or a shower of shaved parmesan cheese on top are both great finishing touches.
How to saute French green beans
Step 1: Wash and trim the stem end of the green beans, the little tail end on the other side is completely fine to leave on. Haricot Verts are thin and tender and this saves a lot of prep time.
Bring a large saute pan or pot of salted water to boil. Mince garlic cloves. Prepare a large bowl of ice water.
Drop the green beans in the boiling water and blanch for 2-3 minutes until bright green.
Step 2: Quickly use tongs to remove green beans from boiling water and plunge into the ice bath. Leave them in the ice bath for a few minutes, this helps stop the cooking process before you finish them with a quick sauté.
Spread them out on a clean kitchen towel and let them dry. This helps eliminate oil splatter in the next step.
Step 3: Pour the water out of the same pan and heat it up again over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to the pan and saute the green beans for about a minute, season with salt and pepper.
Step 4: Add in minced garlic. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, tossing frequently until they are al dente. You want them tender with just a little bit of bite.
Transfer to a serving dish and finish with a drizzle of good olive oil or other flavor adds of your choice. Serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t skip blanching your beans. It’s an extra step but it doesn’t require an extra pan and it’s the best way to lock in that bright green color and ensure quick, even cooking.
- Pat the beans dry before you saute. Water hitting hot oil is a recipe for splatter. Drying the beans will ensure that any excess moisture doesn’t end up causing a mess on your stove.
- Add garlic to the pan after the green beans. Adding garlic to the hot oil first is a common mistake. Garlic burns quickly. By adding it to the pan after the beans, it will cook perfectly.
- Taste as you go. Season with salt right when the beans hit the pan and taste again before serving.
- Make ahead of time. You can blanch and dry green beans ahead of time and store them in an airtight container in the fridge saute them just before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Haricot vert is the French term for green beans, but in the U.S. it typically refers to a specific thinner, more slender variety. They’re more delicate in texture, cook faster, and have a slightly more tender bite than standard American green beans. Either will work in this recipe, but haricot vert are a little more special.
Yes. Regular green beans work just fine. They’ll need a minute or two of extra cook time since they’re thicker. Trim both ends and taste as you go to determine cook time for that tender-crisp bite.
You can, but I don’t recommend it. Blanching them in salted boiling water for 2 minutes and then transferring them to an ice bath before sautéing gives you a little more control over the final texture. It’s a great method if you’re cooking for a crowd and want to do some prep ahead of time. Just pat them very dry before they go in the pan.
These are best served fresh and hot right out of the pan. You can blanch the beans ahead of time and store them in the fridge, then do the final sauté right before serving.
Fresh, unwashed haricot vert and regular green beans will last up to a week in the refrigerator. Store them in a plastic bag or airtight container. Don’t wash them until you’re ready to cook as excess moisture speeds up spoilage. If the beans start to look limp or spotty, they’re past their prime.
Sauteed green beans will keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To reheat, toss them in a hot skillet for a minute or two. The microwave works in a pinch but the texture won’t be as good. I do not recommend freezing cooked haricot vert, the texture gets mushy after thawing.
Sautéed Haricots Verts with Garlic (French Green Beans)
These garlicky sauteed French green beans are bright, tender-crisp, and ready in under 10 minutes. Everything you need to know about haricot vert in one easy recipe.
Instructions
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Trim stem ends of green beans and wash thoroughly. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and mince garlic. Prepare a large bowl with an ice bath.
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Add trimmed beans to boiling water and blanch for 2-3 minutes until bright green and slightly tender-crisp.
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Using tongs, remove green beans from boiling water and plunge into ice bath. Let them cool for a few minutes before transferring to a clean kitchen towel to pat dry.
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Pour the water out of the same pan and place it back on the stove over medium-high heat. Heat olive oil and add in blanched string beans. Season with salt and pepper and saute for about 1 minute.
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Add in minced garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes, tossing frequently until tender-crisp and al dente. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Don’t skip blanching your beans. It’s an extra step but it doesn’t require an extra pan and it’s the best way to lock in that bright green color and ensure quick, even cooking.
- Pat the beans dry before you saute. Water hitting hot oil is a recipe for splatter. Drying the beans will ensure that any excess moisture doesn’t end up causing a mess on your stove.
- Add garlic to the pan after the green beans. Adding garlic to the hot oil first is a common mistake. Garlic burns quickly. By adding it to the pan after the beans, it will cook perfectly.
- Taste as you go. Season with salt right when the beans hit the pan and taste again before serving.
- Make ahead of time. You can blanch and dry green beans ahead of time and store them in an airtight container in the fridge saute them just before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 90kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 2gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 5mgPotassium: 186mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 587IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg
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