Cut Green Beans without the Can

Who doesn’t remember a dish of “cut green beans” fresh from the can and heated up in their own “juice.”  The color, while a pretty shade of green is more likely to be found in a box of crayons instead of in nature and I’m pretty certain that the metallic taste doesn’t come from being loaded with vitamins and minerals. Since fresh green beans are available at your grocer all the year ‘round, you should never need to buy them in a can, again.

Some comfort food dinners just have to have certain vegetable dishes in supporting roles. Cut Green Beans is probably the most prevalent among these. So let’s bring them back for an encore performance with just a few updates to the script.


Cut Green Beans without the Can
Yield: 4 Servings     Preparation Time: 10 Minutes     Cooking Time: 10 Minutes


Ingredients

• 1 Pound Fresh Green Beans, washed, trimmed and any strings removed
• 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper


Preparation Steps

Step 1. Cut the Green Beans into 1¼” lengths.

Step 2. Melt Butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat.

Step 3. When Butter begins to sizzle, add cut Beans in a single layer. Cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. The Beans will just begin to wrinkle slightly and the edges will begin to brown.

Step 4. Remove pan from heat and season Beans with Salt and Pepper.

Serve hot with any remaining pan butter drizzled over the top.


Tips and Trending

~ Most green beans sold today are stringless, but check what you’ve bought before cutting to make sure no tough strings remain. Always trim away about ¼” of the stem end – no one wants to bite into a woody stem.

~ Watch the beans carefully as you sauté them to avoid over cooking. Thicker beans will take the full amount of cooking time while thinner beans, such as Haricot Verts, will require less time and may become mealy when over cooked.