French Green Beans
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Quick, easy, and elegant, these one-pan French green beans are the perfect side dish for just about any meal.
These simple and elegant French green beans are the perfect side dish for just about any meal. The recipe only requires one pan, so it’s quick and easy to make. Just cook the shallots with olive oil or butter in a large skillet, then simmer the beans in a bit of water until tender in the same pan. The recipe calls for French green beans, which are thinner, sweeter, and more tender than most American varieties. They are usually labeled haricot verts—haricot meaning beans and vert meaning green—and you can usually find them bagged, pre-trimmed, and ready to cook at the supermarket.
What You’ll Need To Make French Green Beans
- Extra virgin olive oil or unsalted butter – Adds richness and depth of flavor to sauté the shallots and coat the green beans.
- Shallots – Thinly sliced and cooked until soft, they add a delicate sweetness and mild onion flavor that complements the beans.
- Water – Added to steam the beans, ensuring they cook evenly and become tender.
- French string beans (haricots verts) – These slender, tender green beans cook quickly and absorb the flavors of the shallots and seasonings.
- Salt – Enhances the natural flavors of the beans and balances the sweetness of the shallots.
- Freshly ground black pepper – Adds a bit of spice and warmth to the dish.
- Sugar – Just a pinch brings out the natural sweetness of the french beans and shallots.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by thinly slicing the shallots into rings and cooking them slowly in olive oil until soft, sweet and mellow.
Next, add the beans, salt, pepper and water.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered, for about 8 minutes.
Remove the cover and continue cooking until the pan is completely dry, the shallots are jammy, and the beans are tender, about 6 minutes.
Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar.
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French String Beans with Shallots
Quick, easy, and elegant, these one-pan French green beans are the perfect side dish for just about any meal.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or unsalted butter
- 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
- ½ cup water
- ¾ pound (12 ounces) French string beans (haricots verts), trimmed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch sugar
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Do not brown.
- Add the beans, salt, pepper and water; bring to a boil. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 8 minutes.
- Remove the lid and increase the heat to high. Cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid is evaporated, the beans are tender, and the shallots are jammy, about 6 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Serve warm.
Nutrition Information
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- Calories: 116
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 13 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 302 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Unbelievably delicious, seriously. My 5 kids 9 and under were fighting over the last of them 😊
This is a great recipes loved it thanks you
This meatloaf was delicious and soft. Only thing I didn’t have was milk so instead use water and it was prefect next time I’ll use milk. This is a keeper Thank you for sharing and excellent to try others recipes again thank you so much
These are the best green beans ever! My 15 yr old daughter (who thinks French fries are a veggie) asks for these all the time. Thanks for sharing!
Delicious and easy side dish. Elegant enough for holidays and quick enough for a weeknight dinner!
My “holiday job” is to make the green bean dish – made many different styles but this one is the BEST…the “jammy” shallots put it over the top…and at Christmas dinner I watched two lbs of green beans disappear…thanks for this and your many other wonderful dishes…
This is my favorite green bean recipe! I’ve made it 3 times in the past month and everyone in our family loves it, including our kids that say they don’t like green beans. The beans come out perfectly crisp.
Served on Christmas with your Roast Beef Tenderloin recipe. These string beans along with your Roasted Carrots were the perfect sides. Thank you for helping me serve my best holiday dinner ever.
Yes I m ade it and it came out wonderful making it again for Christmas dinner. Thank you!
Very easy and delicious! I used a 12 oz package of regular stringbeans. I actually made 2 separate batches, one I left the shallots sliced and the second, I cut them up smaller, which I liked better! Really good flavor!