Boiled Green Beans Recipe with Butter Glaze
Published November 17, 2022. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Boiled Green Beans Recipe with Butter Glaze is amazingly simple fresh green beans cooked and coated in a delicious butter glaze and then seasoned with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. You will love how simple this is to prepare.
This recipe reminds me of my childhood a bit because I always remember my mom outside watching us run around while she picked fresh green beans and threw them into a pot. Some other comforting dishes that remind me of home are my Garlic Mashed Potatoes and my Meatloaf recipe.
Ingredients
- Green Beans – Use fresh green beans. Haricot verts will also work for this recipe.
- Butter – Always use unsalted butter in your cooking and baking so that you control the salt content, not a butter company.
- Salt and Pepper – I always use sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.
How to Prepare Fresh Green Beans
When it comes to preparing green beans, you can pick the ends off by hand like my mom used to do it, or line up 10 to 15 fresh green beans with the bad ends on one side and then give them a little slice to remove.
I know it may seem like it’s more tedious, but it actually goes quite a bit faster, and you’ll be thanking me in the end if you’re ever trimming up 50 pounds of fresh green beans. I did the same process in my Ham and Bean Stew.
How to Make Boiled Green Beans
Instead of putting them picked in a pot, then filling them with water, and bringing them to a boil, I instead bring the water to a boil first. Doing this will ensure my fresh green beans only cook for a few minutes and remain nice and firm. There is nothing worse than mushy, overcooked green beans.
Once the water is boiling, add enough salt to it so that it tastes like the ocean, which is a tip one of my old chefs gave me. You add a lot of salt to the water to help keep the color of the beans and season them.
Next, add the trimmed fresh green beans and boil them for 4 to 6 minutes. I know that seems like a short amount of time but just because you remove them from the boiling water does not mean they all of a sudden stop cooking.
The carry overcooking, as we call it, will continue on, so by the time these perfectly cooked green beans hit your plate, they will be absolutely perfect.
How To Make The Butter Glaze
While you are boiling the green beans for 4 to 6 minutes, add a few pads of unsalted butter to a large saute pan over low heat to make the butter glaze.
Start swirling the butter around by moving the handle in a circular motion. Remember we aren’t trying to fry with the butter. We want to glaze with the butter, so keep it over low heat while continuing to move until it’s completely melted.
The butter should appear milky, and doing this will allow you to coat all of the green beans instead of dropping a glob of butter on top, hoping it touches all of the beans.
Glazing the Green Beans
After the green beans are boiled, remove them from the pot and strain them through a colander and then immediately pour them into your buttered pan.
Season the green beans with salt and pepper.
fold them over using tongs or are rubber spatula in the butter mixture, making sure to coat on all sides. These are ready to serve.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: These are meant to be eaten as soon as they are done cooking. You can keep them warm in the pan for up to 15 minutes before serving.
How to Store: Green beans will keep in the refrigerator covered in plastic for up to 3 days. These don’t freeze all that well after being cooked because they lose a lot of moisture. If you decide to freeze cooked green beans, it is best to thaw and use them in a soup.
How to Reheat: Add the green beans with a small amount of chicken stock or water and 1 tablespoon of butter to a pan. Cook over medium heat until the green beans are warm.
chef notes + Tips
- These green beans will be al dente or slightly crunchy when finished.
- If you want your green beans a little more done, boil them for 8 to 10 minutes.
More Side Dish Recipes
- Elote Recipe
- Fried Green Beans Recipe
- Oven Roasted Garlic Green Beans with Lemon
- Creamy Polenta Recipe
- Oven Roasted Root Vegetables
Video
Boiled Green Beans Recipe with Butter Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 pound trimmed green beans
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season heavily with salt. It should taste like the ocean.
- Next, add the trimmed green beans and boil for 4 to 6 minutes until al dente or slightly crunchy.
- Immediately remove them from the pot and strain them. Set them aside.
- In a large saute pan over low heat, add in the butter and coat the bottom of the pan by constantly swirling it in a circular motion. Be sure the pan is not too hot, you simply want to melt the butter not cook it.
- Add the green beans to the butter, season with salt and pepper, and fold the green beans into the butter until they are coated on all sides. Serve
Notes
Nutrition
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My mom who is Italian would add a little cooked bacon, and instead of butter she used the fat from the bacon. So delicious!
Do you cut off one end or both of them on the beans? If one, which end?
The root end.
Great simple recipe I have always over cooked my beans. Much better this way I added minced garlic and a tiny bit of lemon juice to the butter. Fantastic.
Hi Billy,
Tried your green bean recipe – followed your instructions to a T. Fabulous. Green beans are my go to snack veggie and yours is my new go-to recipe. My daughter loved the recipe and she also has a cultivated palate. I will use only two tabs of butter though. Love it.
Tasted great. I twisted it a little and cooked them in the skillet after cooking the chicken and the flavor was amazing.
Cooked the beans in boiling water for 6 minutes and they were perfect!
These sound delicious! Will definitely try these. I also love the mushy beans of yesteryear.
For sure, and I’ve got an awesome recipe for those at -> https://www.billyparisi.com/southern-ham-green-beans-and-potatoes-stew-recipe/
What does the ocean taste like?
salty!
I cook the green beans in beef broth then remove them add add whit potatoes to the broth then i put them together in a pot of melted butter mixing well with black pepper and italian seasoning its delicous!
sounds yummy
Great cook time in the water. 4-6min is perfect
Simple and delicious!
These are absolutely delicious! I sometimes add some garlic salt. And, thanks for the tip on cutting the ends rather than snapping each one. Phew! Much easier.
Love green beans
This is how I do mine too! Love the fresh picked taste of green beans, not the mushy gray-green beans of yesteryear.
Mmm! I love green beans – any green vegetable, really. This recipe is right up my alley!
I have to try this recipe. I’m a huge fan of green beans!