French Green Beans
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These French green beans cooked with shallots are simple enough for weeknights but special enough for holiday dinners.
These French green beans are simple yet elegant, perfect for a quick weeknight side or an impressive holiday dish. The recipe requires just one pan: simply cook the shallots in butter in a large skillet, then add the beans with a splash of water and simmer until tender. You’ll be surprised at how much flavor the shallots bring to the beans. Note that the recipe uses French green beans, or haricot verts—thinner, sweeter, and more tender than American varieties, these beans are typically available pre-trimmed and ready to cook.
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. Use whichever you prefer.
- 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) – Haricot means “beans” and vert means “green.” These slender green beans cook quickly and absorb the flavors of the shallots and seasonings.
- Salt, freshly ground black pepper & sugar – These seasonings enhance the flavors, add warmth, and bring out the natural sweetness of the 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
These French green beans cooked with shallots are simple enough for weeknights but special enough for holiday dinners.
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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Jenn, this looks amazing! And green beans are my favorite 😉 I’m just wondering if I could make them a day in advance and then reheat in a crockpot versus the microwave? It would serve the dual purpose of being able to make ahead (important during the holidays) and keeping the beans warm throughout the meal. What do you think?
Love all your recipes!!
Hi Alex, Glad you like the recipes! I’ve never reheated these in a crockpot but suspect it should work. Happy Thanksgiving!
made last night. Great and simple recipe. Like a little sweetness at the end. turned out great in non stick pan . Thanks for your lessons. Always wanted to make vegetables in a quick and tasty way. do you think zucchini will turn out the same way? love peas and asparagus recipe from your book.
Glad you liked these. Yes, I do think this could work for zucchini too. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it! 🙂
These tasted great! I love shallots. My shallots didn’t caramelize as nice as yours in the picture, but they still tasted good. I used a stainless steel pan. Should I cook them longer in the beginning?
I’d like to make this for Thanksgiving. I was thinking on Wednesday I would quickly blanch the green beans and then shock them in ice water to keep them bright green. If I do that, how can I adapt the recipe?
Thank you so much!
Yes, Ell, I’d cook the shallots a bit longer if you’d like them a little more caramelized. And if you want to retain that green color, blanching sounds like a good way to go. If you do that, when you’re ready serve them, I’d fully cook the shallots and then add the green beans, salt, pepper, and sugar at the very end to warm them through. Hope that helps!
I prepared these in a nonstick pan. No issue with the browning and no major issue water evaporation. I cannot say if it took longer than it should have as I was quite busy with the chicken and mashed potatoes. I also turned up the heat to get the water finish evaporating at the end.
What brand/type of saute pan did you use? I cooked this in a non-stick saute pan and the shallots did not brown and the water did not evaporate.
Hi Lisa, I think the issue may be the nonstick pan. I use stainless steel, which is not nonstick. Hope that helps!
I used a 10” skillet from a Rachael Ray™ Hard Anodized Nonstick 14-Piece Cookware Set.
So I did the “unthinkable” – I used frozen haricots verts in place of fresh beans. THEY WERE DELICIOUS! I simply put the frozen green beans in with the shallots at the point in the recipe where you add the fresh beans, then cooked them on low until they were thawed. I then added the water and cooked on low until the water evaporated. It definitely took longer than the description in the recipe, but the beans turned out perfect – not soggy, and not squeaky. Even my daughter, who hates green beans, liked this recipe.
I have made these several times and every time I need to cook MUCH longer than the recipe suggests. Any idea why? I’ve read the other reviews and no one else seems to have this problem. I always use haricots verts, also. Never thick green beans.
Hmmm… that’s a bit of a head scratcher…are you cooking them over medium-low heat and using a large saute pan? If your pan is not large enough and the beans are crowded, it could take longer. Also, perhaps you cooktop runs a little cooler than most. While they take longer to cook, do they turn out okay?
This is my “go-to” favorite recipe for cooking French Green Beans! Cook plenty because they keep well to serve later.
Thought I had pressed 5 stars!! YES, I loved it!! Never thought I could get addicted to green beans!! LOL!!
So very easy and delicious……I just made a pound to try the recipe and ate the whole thing!! Luckily I have enough French green beans left for Christmas dinner….hands down this is now my favorite green bean recipe….My family and guests also love the curried carrots…can never make too many of those!! Thanks again, Jen!!