Boiled Green Beans Recipe with Butter Glaze

This Boiled Green Beans Recipe with Butter Glaze is amazingly simple fresh green beans that are cooked and coated in a delicious butter glazed and then seasoned with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.

I know this Boiled Green Beans Recipe with Butter Glaze is beyond simple, just like my Garlic Mashed Potatoes, but sometimes it’s the easiest dishes that can bring out the most joy.  For me, 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.

Cooking green beans may seem like a no brainer but believe it or not we cook green beans differently nowadays as I like a much firmer greener green bean, but the taste is still there.  The recipe simply consists of:

• Green Beans
• Butter
• Salt and Pepper

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How To Prepare Fresh Green Beans

My mom and I actually even trim the green beans differently as well, mom I promise yours are still great!  I remember when I was working at a country club in St. Louis I had to trim like 50 pounds of fresh green beans so there I was picking them with my hands…

Well, the chef didn’t like that so he taught me how to line up then ends and snip ’em off with one slice.  That was the end of my picking green beans tenure, finished with a slice.  I do have to admit, it’s a much faster process, sorry mom.

Just 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 Long To Boil 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 as well as season them.  Do it!

Next, you want to add the trimmed fresh green beans and boil them for 3 to 4 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 Fresh 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 and fold them over using tongs or are rubber spatula in the butter mixture making sure to coat on all sides.

There it is, a Boiled Green Beans Recipe with Butter Glaze!  These are so simple to prepare but wow is this the absolute best way to prepare and eat fresh green beans.

Chef Recipe Notes + Tips

How to Reheat: The best way to reheat green beans is by heating up a small amount of chicken stock or water with 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat and adding in the cold green beans and tossing until warm, about 1 to 2 minutes.  You can also cook them in the microwave for 45 seconds to reheat.

Storing And Freezing:  Green beans will hold in the refrigerator covered in plastic for up to 3 days, after that they start to break down.  Green beans don’t freeze all that well after being cooked because they lose a lot of moisture.  If you do decide to freeze cooked green beans, then it is best to thaw and use them in a soup.

More Awesome Side Dishes

• Elote Recipe
• Fried Green Beans Recipe
• Oven Roasted Garlic Green Beans with Lemon
• Creamy Polenta Recipe
• Oven Roasted Root Vegetables