Sautéing is a cooking method that uses small amounts of oil in a shallow pan or a skillet over relatively high heat. You can cook many hard vegetables using this cooking technique and the result will most probably be delicious. Food that is sautéed is browned while preserving its texture, moisture and flavor (from Wikipedia).

This is a very simple recipe that requires fresh green beans. The beans will come out slightly brown, slightly crunchy and very moist and easy to bite. My kids really like to eat it and I’m making it at least once a week for dinner as a side dish when I find fresh green beans at the supermarket.

Ingredients:

2 cups green beans, edges trimmed and washed.

2 TBS olive oil

2 cloves of garlic thinly sliced

1 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup water.

1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:

1. Heat a large wok or a pan over medium-high heat, add the oil and the green beans.

2. Saute (fry and mix occasionally) for about 5 minutes  so the beans get a little brown.

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3. Add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds, until you can smell its fragrance.

4. Mix the water and the lemon juice and add to the pan. try to place the beans in one layer so all of the beans will be cooked more or less evenly. In addition to making the beans slightly softer, this step will help us create a very thin sauce – using a cooking technique called deglazing (removing and dissolving browned food residue from a pan to make a sauce).

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5. Cook for about 5 more minutes until most of the water has been evaporated. You would notice small bubbles forming (our thin sauce!), this is the time to remove from the heat and serve.

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Variations:

– Try adding along with the garlic some chopped tomatoes for a quick green beans in tomato sauce

– Saute in peanuts or sesame oil, add sesame and minced ginger with the garlic and serve with fresh cilantro (more Asian style)

Basically, this is the simplest template recipe, you can add whatever flavor you like using the same technique.

Printable recipe:

5.0 from 2 reviews
Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic and lemon
 
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Sautéing is a cooking method that uses small amounts of oil in a shallow pan or a skillet over relatively high heat. You can cook many hard vegetables using this cooking technique and the result will most probably be delicious. Food that is sautéed is browned while preserving its texture, moisture and flavor (from Wikipedia). This is a very simple recipe that requires fresh green beans. The beans will come out slightly brown, slightly crunchy and very moist and easy to bite. My kids really like to eat it and I'm making it at least once a week for dinner as a side dish when I find fresh green beans at the supermarket.
Ingredients
  • 2 cups green beans, edges trimmed and washed.
  • 2 TBS olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
  • 1 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ½ cup water.
  • ½ tsp salt
Instructions
  1. Heat a large wok or a pan over medium-high heat, add the oil and the green beans.
  2. Saute (fry and mix occasionally) for about 5 minutes so the beans get a little brown.
  3. Add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds, until you can smell its fragrance.
  4. Mix the water and the lemon juice and add to the pan. try to place the beans in one layer so all of the beans will be cooked more or less evenly. In addition to making the beans slightly softer, this step will help us create a very thin sauce - using a cooking technique called deglazing.
  5. Cook for about 5 more minutes until most of the water has been evaporated. You would notice small bubbles forming (our thin sauce!), this is the time to remove from the heat and serve.
Variations:
- Try adding along with the garlic some chopped tomatoes for a quick green beans in tomato sauce
- Saute in peanuts or sesame oil, add sesame and minced ginger with the garlic and serve with fresh cilantro (more Asian style)
Basically, this is the simplest template recipe, you can add whatever flavor you like using the same technique.