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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I made this recipe with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Rack of Lamb. Absolutely delicious! The pinch of sugar gave it just that hint of sweetness. I used brown sugar. Loved by everyone.
Yum! Made this for Christmas dinner with your Maryland Crab Cakes – delicious.
Made these for Thanksgiving and again tonight. This simple, but delicious recipe is definitely going into heavy rotation.
Sometime when I’m feeling naughty, I’m going to throw some chopped bacon on top :p
Hi Jenn!
This recipe looks great! For the sugar, how much is a pinch? Less than 1/8 teaspoon? Thanks!
Hi Leigh, A pinch would be less than 1/8 teaspoon. It’s literally the amount that you can pinch between your fingers. (A tiny bit more or less won’t have a big impact on the recipe, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much.) 🙂
Loved it was a big hit on Thanksgiving.
I made these green beans last night to serve with the chicken marsala. So delicious! I was worried that they would be overcooked with all the cooking time, but they were so good and a big hit with the family. Easy to make, results are great!
This is such a simple preparation, but so flavorful. I made it exactly as the recipe detailed, and it was perfect with a fried chicken and potato salad dinner. These haricot verts are widely available in my area, already cleaned and washed. We usually have frozen green beans, but these are a huge improvement.
I just reviewed this recipe (awesome), but a question came up discussing it with my sister. Could you adapt the preparation to use pearl or cipiollini onions? Same cooking time? Thanks!
Glad you like it! You could use pearl or cipollini onions here. You’ll just need to cook them for a bit longer than you would the shallots before adding the beans. I’d love to hear how it turns out with this tweak!
It was just okay for me! Followed the recipe to a T, but overall it is bland for my taste. The shallots get boiled essentially and somehow you lose all their flavor in the cooking process.
Delicious! Best way to have green beans, imo; however, I did make a few modifications …
Prior to the reduction stage (i.e. the final 6 mins):
1. Added 3-4 cloves of garlic in with shallots
2. Instead of water, I did 1/2 cup of chicken stock
3. In a separate pan, I toasted 1/4 cup of sliced almonds with some butter over medium heat for 1-2 mins, stirring frequently and making sure to not burn the almonds.
During reduction stage:
1. Squeezed about 1/2 a lemon over the beans and continued to stir. I did this about 3 mins before finishing.
2. 3-4 mins before finishing, I added in the almonds and stirred.
Hi there! Are you able to use regular green beans in this recipe or do they have to be french beans
Hi Janine, You can use regular but they will take a bit longer to cook.
I made this and it’s the easiest, most delicious side I’ve ever made with green beans. Thank you so much!
Jenn,
I’ve made these so many times I have in memorized. This is my go-to side dish. They are so delicious! Love your recipes! On a side note, can you tell me where you got the white porcelain serving dish in the picture?
Hi Ray, So glad you like the recipes! The dish is from Sur La Table. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much!