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

  • Fabulous! Outstanding! Made a single recipe last night as a test run for then making for a crowd on Christmas Eve. I will need to quadruple this recipe … I am reading your comments/responses (thank you for such detail!!) and wondering if it is important to blanch first if quadrupling or can I just follow your recipe as written even if 4X? Thank you!

    • — EL on December 15, 2023
    • Reply
    • Glad you liked them! Yes, for a large batch like that, I would blanch them. Hope everyone enjoys as much as you did. 😊

      • — Jenn on December 15, 2023
      • Reply
  • So I made these for dinner for 22 tonight. I usually just boil and serve! These were absolutely delicious. Several people took the recipe home. Thank you. Eileen S

    • — Eileen Spiegel on November 26, 2023
    • Reply
  • Very bland. Two friends who have made this said the same thing. It’s not a recipe I will make again.

    • — CindyG on November 26, 2023
    • Reply
    • Just my opinion but these were far from bland. I always try Jenns recipes exactly as written the first time and they’re usually spot on. Did you use enough shallots? The shallots alone give it tremendous taste. I would suggest giving them another go. Maybe it was the beans?

      • — Sharon on January 12, 2024
      • Reply
  • Hi!

    This recipe looks great. I’m just wondering is there anyway this can be made ahead or partially made ahead as I’m running out of time and would like to serve this tonight with my salmon dish.

    Thanks

    Ken

    • — Ken Russo on November 20, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Ken, You can definitely make this ahead and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. Enjoy!

      • — Jenn on November 20, 2023
      • Reply
  • Love you, Jen! Always great recipes. Questions:
    Commentors are mentioning make ahead directions, but reading through I cannot find anything definitive. What are your suggestions when doubling and making ahead?

    • — Janet on November 19, 2023
    • Reply
    • So glad you like the recipes! If you’re doubling this recipe, I’d blanch the beans in boiling salted water and then shock in ice water. Once cool, drain the beans. Heat the oil/butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat and cook the shallots until soft. Then add the drained beans and seasoning to the pan and cook a few minutes more. And if you’d like to make them ahead, that’s fine. You can reheat them in the microwave or on the stove — just until heated through — you want to be careful not to overcook them. Enjoy!

      • — Jenn on November 20, 2023
      • Reply
  • Jenn, I’m a big fan and love your recipes! I plan to double and cook ahead for a dinner party, but am confused by different recommendations for this method of preparation. Are you able to summarize instructions for doubling and preparing ahead (do you blanch, etc.)? Thanks!

    • — Jill on November 8, 2023
    • Reply
    • Jill, so glad you like the recipes! Yes, if you’re doubling the recipe, I’d blanch the beans in boiling salted water and then shock in ice water. Once cool, drain the beans. Heat the oil/butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat and cook the shallots until soft. Then add the drained beans and seasoning to the pan and cook a few minutes more. Hope everyone enjoys!

      • — Jenn on November 9, 2023
      • Reply
  • I couldn’t find fresh French green beans so I bought frozen. UGH! Do I make this any differently since the green beans are frozen?

    • — Emily Marks on September 8, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Emily, Unfortunately frozen green beans won’t work here – sorry!

      • — Jenn on September 10, 2023
      • Reply
  • This would have been a great recipe but mine was fairly soggy. I made it for my dad and his friends who are in assisted living and they didn’t eat it until the night after I dropped it off. I noticed it was pretty soggy when I tried it myself right after making. Can you tell me what mistakes I possibly made? I want to try making this again. 😊

    • — Bizzybee82 on September 8, 2023
    • Reply
    • It sounds like it may have just been a bit overcooked; I would reduce the cooking time next time.

      • — Jenn on September 10, 2023
      • Reply
  • This recipe converted me. I have never like green beans, not even with butter. This however is a recipe I am loving. I seriously can make a meal out of just these beans! Thank you for this recipe!! I made it for a group of 25 people. I will be making this regularly 🥰

    • — Terri J. Moore on July 13, 2023
    • Reply
  • So simple and yet so delicious. Tried this recipe over the holidays, now one of our favorite bean recipes. Shallots add an intricate flavor, milder and more sophisticated than onions. Looking forward to summer when I can make this recipe with my home grown verts. We omit sugar, quite flavorful without it.

    • — Marianne on February 2, 2023
    • Reply

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