Green beans with garlic bread crumbs are a favorite vegetable in our house. This has been updated from a previous post.
We love green beans. I usually purchase them fresh and in bulk, but the frozen varieties are very good as well. The thing is, plain old string beans are kind of boring. They just sit on the plate, resigned to being unappreciated.
Green beans with garlic bread crumbs are much more assertive.
They beg to be eaten.
How to cook fresh green beans
Any type of cooked string bean will be great with garlic bread crumbs. Look for other colors at your favorite vegetable stand. The beans don’t have to be whole if you prefer them cut into bite sized pieces.
Most of the time I prefer to steam my beans.
The method I use for fresh beans depends on the quantity I’m making. For two to four people, I wash the beans, then trim the ends and steam them whole in the microwave. They take about 6 minutes on high.
If making for a crowd a pressure cooker is an easy way to do it. The following directions work well for the Instant Pot, check your manufacturers recommendations if you have a different type.
Prep the beans as mentioned above and place into a steamer basked in the Instant Pot. Add a cup of water. Seal the lid and set the pressure cooker to HIGH and 0 MINUTES. When it comes to pressure, do a quick release. If you find the beans are undercooked for your tastes, next time set the instant pot to cook for 1 minute.
Of course, you can steam green beans on the stove top as well. A steam basket comes in handy here, as well. Use a pot large enough to hold the beans. Pour a couple inches of water into the bottom, then add the basket and beans. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat so the water is gently boiling and start the timer. The beans will be ready in about 6 minutes.
Garlic bread crumbs make an amazing topping
The garlic bread crumbs can be prepared while the beans are cooking, it’s just a matter of browning some bread crumbs in a little garlic, butter and olive oil.
This would be an opportunity to use a small amount of flavored oil (walnut oil for example) to give the bread crumbs a little extra kick. You could certainly substitute another light flavored oil or even coconut oil for any or all of the olive oil/butter combination.
Ingredients
- 1 lb whole green beans, washed, trimmed and steamed
- ½ cup bread crumbs, (I like panko or fresh bread crumbs, but use whatever you like)
- 2 cloves garlic (or more), grated or finely minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
- ¼ cup or more chopped fresh parsley (dried parsley will work, too)
- salt and pepper to taste
- parmesan cheese and/or lemon zest to taste
Instructions
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a medium skillet. Add red pepper flakes, if using.
- Add the garlic and cook briefly, stirring often to prevent burning. Add the bread crumbs and stir to mix well.
- Cook until the bread crumbs are a nice golden brown color. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese, lemon zest and parsley.
- Arrange the beans on a platter, drizzle with a little oil oil and top with the bread crumbs. Garnish with more cheese, lemon zest and parsley as desired.
Now that you’ve tried green beans with garlic bread crumbs, don’t stop there! Try garlicky bread crumbs over broccoli, squash, roasted tomato slices, fish or chicken. There are many opportunities to use them and the flavor of the bread crumbs can be easily adjusted and modified to suit.
Try these green bean recipes, too!
Yummy 😋 looks delicious 🤤 i can’t wait to cook and try thanks for sharing this amazing article