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.

Spoon in a dish of French green beans with shallots.

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 vertsharicot 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

adding shallots to oil in skillet

Begin by thinly slicing the shallots into rings and cooking them slowly in olive oil until soft, sweet and mellow.

Cooked shallots in a skillet.

Next, add the beans, salt, pepper and water.

adding the beans, salt, pepper, and water

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered, for about 8 minutes.

Simmered beans in a skillet with shallots.

Remove the cover and continue cooking until the pan is completely dry, the shallots are jammy, and the beans are tender, about 6 minutes.

Simmered beans in a skillet with shallots.

Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar.

Dish of French green beans with shallots.

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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.

Servings: 4
Total Time: 20 Minutes

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

  1. 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.
  2. Add the beans, salt, pepper and water; bring to a boil. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 8 minutes.
  3. 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

Powered by Edamam

  • 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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Comments

  • I love your recipes, they are my go-to favorites for weeknight dinners as well as weekend dinner parties. I have both of your beautiful books. I have made these green beans many times but now I plan to serve them at a party for 12 as a side with your Moroccan Chicken Tagine, which we love. My question is when I triple the recipe ingredients should I also triple the amount of water after the shallots are cooked? Thank you for your amazingly delicious and easy recipes.
    Nancy

    • — Nancy on January 15, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Nancy, So glad you like the recipes! 🙂
      Yes, I think you should triple everything including the water. Hope everyone enjoys!

      • — Jenn on January 18, 2023
      • Reply
    • Hi Nancy, So glad you enjoy the recipes! Yes I would triple the water as well.

      • — Jenn on January 30, 2023
      • Reply
  • I have made this a couple of times and to put this over the top I have found a couple of pinches of sugar is better than just 1 pinch.

    • — Keb on January 1, 2023
    • Reply
  • I made these for Thanksgiving and they were delicious! For years I have been trying to slowly replace “traditional” side dishes (gloppy casseroles) with healthier and more tasty dishes. With this recipe, I think I have finally shown the green bean casserole the door! Everyone went for seconds and asked for the recipe. Thank you for the upgrade I’ve been looking for!

    • — HartofAthens on December 4, 2022
    • Reply
  • We made these for Thanksgiving they were perfect even after sitting out due to the usual delay of serving.
    Thank you for the recipe.

    • — Denise and Chandler on December 4, 2022
    • Reply
  • This recipe completely exceeded my expectations!
    Not a super huge fan of green beans, but I guess now I am!

    • — Kristin BP on December 1, 2022
    • Reply
  • Excellent-beyond good! Made these for Thanksgiving & my husband said these were the best green beans he’s ever tasted & I agree! Happy Thanksgiving Jenn!

    • — Dana on November 24, 2022
    • Reply
  • Can I use regular green beans? If so, any changes to the cook time?
    Thank you 🙂

    • — Shelley Rampton on November 23, 2022
    • Reply
    • Sure, Shelley, you can use regular green beans. They’ll take a little longer to cook so just keep an eye on them.

      • — Jenn on November 24, 2022
      • Reply
      • Hi! About how much is two large shallots? I looked it up on line and the answers varied wildly. Thank you in advance.
        P.S. I love all of your recipes – the ones I’ve tried are some of my all-time favorites!

        • — Chandra on December 11, 2022
        • Reply
        • Chandra, So glad you like the recipes! And I’d guesstimate that 2 large shallots would give you about 1 cup of sliced shallots. Hope you enjoy the green beans!

          • — Jenn on December 14, 2022
          • Reply
  • Hi Jenn,
    I’m planning to make these delicious haricots verts for Thanksgiving/tomorrow! I wanted to make the beans ahead of time so I plan to boil and blanch today. What’s the best was to store them, though? On a baking sheet covered with plastic wrap? In a zip top bag?
    Thanks, as always, for the amazing recipes!

    • — Alex S. on November 23, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi Alex, So glad you like the recipes! I don’t think it’s necessary to blanch the green beans. That said, I’d either store them in a zip-top bag or an airtight container.:)

      • — Jenn on November 23, 2022
      • Reply
  • Hi Jenn,
    These green beans sound perfect! I assume if making this entire recipe ahead that it should be refrigerated until microwaving for the 3 plus minutes before serving?

    • — Liz on November 18, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi Liz, yes, you should refrigerate them until you’re ready to reheat. And you probably won’t need 3 minutes in the microwave; I’d start with one minute, give them a stir and keep going in 30-second intervals until they get warmed through.

      • — Jenn on November 19, 2022
      • Reply
      • These green beans were absolutely delicious! The make ahead directions we’re perfect!
        As always, thank you so much Jenn for another great recipe!

        • — Liz on November 20, 2022
        • Reply
  • These green beans are absolutely delicious – the shallots really make it special! I’m having 12 people for Thanksgiving and wanted to know any suggestions for tripling the recipe. Would I need to use more water in the pan? Or blanche the beans instead? I plan on making it earlier in the day and reheating in the microwave. Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!

    • — Susan on November 16, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi Susan, so glad you like the green beans! I wouldn’t do anything different if tripling the recipe though if you don’t have a pan large enough, you can divide the ingredients between two pans. Hope everyone enjoys!

      • — Jenn on November 17, 2022
      • Reply

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