15-min Easy Healthy Garlic Green Beans

How do you cook fresh green beans? How do you incorporate green beans into your diet?

Usually, I cut green beans to about one inch long pieces and add them to vegetable biryani rice or to Indian styled mix vegetables along with other veggies.

More recently I started making sautéed green beans with garlic, olive oil, and some onion. It makes a perfect side dish and turns any main dish into a wholesome meal.

Here I will share with you this simple and healthy garlic green beans recipe.

What you will need?

• Fresh green beans - Use whole green beans for this recipe. Just trim the ends
• Garlic - chop or mince it finely
• Onion - dice into small pieces
• Olive oil - or use any other cooking oil of your choice
• Red chili flakes - you can skip it if you don't prefer your beans to be hot

How to make healthy garlic green beans

Steam or boil green beans until tender or as per your likings. In a large skillet cook freshly chopped garlic with chili flakes in some olive oil. Then add chopped onion and sauté for a minute. Now add in cooked green beans and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and turn off the heat.

For extra flavors consider adding some grated parmesan cheese. I use it sometimes.

That's it! A super simple and quick side is ready to visit the dining table.

Serving suggestions!

• Serve them warm on the side of salmon or shrimp in tomato sauce with some whole grain pasta or rice or this butternut squash risotto etc., to make a wholesome meal.
• You can add this recipe into a healthy thanksgiving menu along with mashed cauliflower, whole wheat dinner rolls, whole roasted chicken or roasted whole turkey or ground turkey meatballs with gravy, etc.

Helpful Tips!

• Fresh green beans - choose firm and medium-sized green beans for this recipe. Do not buy beans that feel soft and bend easily instead of snapping in two. Using hands to cut the end of beans. If they cut easily without bending as much then the beans are fresh and not overly matured.
• Cook green beans (steam or boil) as per your liking before sautéeing them with garlic and oil. I steam them until they are tender in texture. You can keep them crunchy too.
• You can also add some parmesan cheese at the end of cooking to get some cheesy flavors.
• If you have pumpkin oil then add a teaspoon of it once the dish is ready and mix well.  It gives a rich nutty flavor to the dish and enhances its nutrition. In case you don't have, no need to buy pumpkin oil simply for this recipe.