Vegetarian Recipes

Sauteed Green Beans

When I’m planning dinner, there always has to be something green on my family’s plates, but getting my 3-year-old to eat a salad isn’t always a cinch. Crunchy, hot, Sautéed Green Beans, however, are always a win! My family loves fresh green beans raw, pickled, steamed, sautéed, dry-fried… you name it, we love it! When I’m short on time, this easy sautéed green beans recipe always comes in handy and is ready in less than 15 minutes.

I think green beans are one of the most versatile veggies out there. They’re easily accessible, affordable, and packed with nutrients. You can cook them in so many different ways in a matter of minutes! But one of my favorite ways to prepare them is by sautéing them in a hot pan with olive oil, garlic, onion powder, and crushed red pepper. And nope, I don’t blanch or parboil them beforehand—I just love how crisp and flavorful they turn out when cooked this way!

Here’s what you’ll need to make these sautéed fresh green beans:

Green Beans: These are also known as string beans or French beans. Go for fresh, crisp green beans that snap easily when bent. This means they’re super fresh! If you buy untrimmed green beans, you’ll need to cut off the ends yourself.
Olive Oil: For sauteing the beans and adding flavor.
Garlic: Once you’ve tried sautéed green beans with garlic, there’s no going back! It adds so much aromatic flavor and seriously beats plain boiled beans.
Onion Powder: An easy way to add flavor without having to dice up onions.
Crushed Red Pepper: Adds a subtle kick of heat. Feel free to adjust the amount according to your preference.
Salt & Pepper: Basic but essential seasoning for any savory dish.

Can I Use Frozen Green Beans?

I highly recommend using fresh green beans rather than frozen ones. Will frozen green beans work? Of course, but will they turn out the same? Not quite. Frozen green beans will release a lot of liquid in the pan, which means they’ll end up steaming rather than sautéing. They’re also usually parboiled before being frozen, so they won’t have the same crispness as fresh beans and will likely turn out softer and slightly mushy.

However, if you only have frozen and really want to give this recipe a try, I suggest thawing the beans first and then patting them dry before sautéing! Just don’t expect the same level of crispness as you’d get with fresh green beans.

I chose the seasonings in this recipe because they’ll easily pair with almost any main dish. But I’m also all for using up what I have on hand, and sometimes that means swapping out ingredients or adding something extra. Here are some variations you could try:

Swap out the red pepper flakes for a pinch of cayenne pepper if you want more spice
Add lemon zest and juice for a bright, citrusy flavor (great if serving with fish!)
Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top before serving
Use diced onion rather than onion powder
Add a splash of soy sauce for added umami or some balsamic glaze for a little sweetness
Toss in slivered almonds or pine nuts (I’d toast them first for extra flavor)
Add bacon crumbles or sautéed mushrooms

Serving Suggestions

Is there any dish that sautéed string beans don’t go well with? I don’t think so! They’re always an easy side for your favorite protein, like grilled salmon, chicken, tofu, or steak. But I especially love them with rich, saucy dishes like stews, curries, or my shakshuka recipe.

And I can’t forget about Thanksgiving—is it even a holiday meal without green beans on the table?! They’re the perfect Thanksgiving side that doesn’t take a ton of time or pans to make. Enjoy them in place of (or with!) traditional green bean casserole alongside your roasted turkey and gravy!

Overhead close up of sauteed green beans in a skillet.

Sauteed Green Bean Recipe

Have these Sautéed Green Beans on the table in less than 15 mins! Seasoned with garlic and spices, they’re a delicious upgrade to plain beans.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Total Cost ($2.20 recipe / $0.55 serving)

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings servings (1 cup each)

Calories 85kcal

Author Jess – Budget Bytes

Equipment

Deep Stainless Steel Skillet

Ingredients

1 lb green beans $1.78
1 ½ Tbsp olive oil $0.28
2 cloves garlic, minced $0.06
½ tsp onion powder $0.03
¼ tsp crushed red pepper $0.03
½ tsp salt $0.01
⅛ tsp freshly cracked black pepper $0.01

Instructions

Stem and rinse green beans. Strain in a colander and pat dry before sautéing.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add green beans, garlic, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
Sauté for 8-10 minutes or until desired tenderness is reached.*

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

* If you like your green beans a little softer instead of al dente, but don’t want them to brown in the pan, one of my favorite tricks is to add an ice cube to the center of the frying pan for the last minute of cooking. The ice cube will create steam, so put a lid on it and let them finish cooking. It’s the best of both worlds, sautéing and steaming!

Nutrition

how to make Sautéed Green Beans – step by step photos

Stem and rinse 1 lb of green beans. Strain in a colander and pat dry before sautéing.

Green beans in a skillet with minced garlic and seasonings.

Heat 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add green beans, 2 cloves minced garlic, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, ½ tsp salt, and ⅛ tsp black pepper.

Sauté for 8-10 minutes or until desired tenderness is reached.*

Overhead view of sauteed green beans on a white serving platter.

You’ve never tasted a fresh green bean quite as delicious as these…and that’s a fact!! 😉

Sesame Roasted Green Beans

$2.99 recipe / $0.75 serving

Overhead of a bowl of steamed green beans with butter, salt, and pepper.

How to Steam Fresh Green Beans

$1.86 recipe / $0.47 serving

close up of three bean salad in the bowl

Classic Three Bean Salad

$2.79 recipe / $0.56 serving

Close up overhead view of a bowl of potatoes and green beans.

Potato and Green Bean Skillet

$6.86 recipe / $1.72 serving

The post Sauteed Green Beans appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Cheesy Vegetarian

Homity Pie (Cheesy Potato and Leek Pie)

If you’re not familiar with homity pie, let me introduce you:

Homity pie is a traditional British recipe, which is essentially a cheesy potato and leek pie. It’s just the sort of thing we Brits do perfectly – simple ingredients, combined to make incredible comfort food. Say what you like about British food, but it’s hard to argue with buttery sautéed leeks, cheesy crushed potatoes, and a flaky shortcrust pastry case.

A slice of homity pie (cheesy potato and leek pie).

I’m not going to lie, this homity pie is a bit of a labour of love. It’s not a quick weeknight meal like most of my recipes – this cheesy pie is definitely one to save for a special occasion (it would be perfect for a vegetarian Christmas dinner!).

Since cooking this pie takes a bit of time and patience, don’t try to cook it against the clock. Give yourself plenty of leeway – perhaps an afternoon where you’ve not got much else on. That way, it doesn’t matter if the potatoes have to sit for a little while so you can finish cooking the leeks, or if the pastry case is ready to fill before the filling is actually cooked – you can just potter away at your own pace, and it can all be assembled when you’re ready.

Overhead shot of a cheesy pie with a slice pulled away.

What’s in Homity Pie?

There are three parts to this recipe:

garlicky sautéed leeks and onion
buttery crushed potatoes (with a cheesy topping)
a crispy pastry case

These 3 elements can all be prepared simultaneously, or one at a time, depending on how good you are at multitasking. I’ve written the recipe in 3 separate parts, but if the timings work out (or if you have someone else helping you in the kitchen), you can prepare them all at the same time.

Once all three parts of the recipe are ready, they can be assembled, and baked one last time to complete your cheesy homity pie.

And by the way, I am 100% not a pastry expert. You may think my homity pie looks decidedly… rustic. But I like it that way If I wanted it to look perfect, I’d have saved myself a couple of hours, and bought one in a shop.

Becca’s Top Tip

Any extra scraps of pastry can be baked on their own, and eaten spread with strawberry jam – my kids love it when I cook with pastry as they always get little jam tarts!

Cheesy Vegetarian Bakes ebook on an ipad screen.

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Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

leek – It’s hard to get the scale from the picture, but the leek I used was absolutely enormous – a proper monster (probably as big as my forearm!). If your leeks are a more normal size, you’ll probably need at least two.
potatoes
shortcrust pastry – I used a ready-rolled sheet of shop-bought pastry, as making pastry is not my forte. Feel free to use homemade pastry if you prefer!
cheddar cheese – If possible, use freshly grated mature cheddar cheese rather than the pre-grated stuff, as it melts more nicely.
onion – I used red onion, but regular onions would also be good.
fresh parsley
egg
garlic – I used pre-minced garlic from a jar because I hate chopping large amounts of fresh garlic.
curry powder (optional, but it does add a lovely hint of warmth)

Becca’s Top Tip

If you’re using shop-bought pastry, take it out of the fridge an hour or so before you need to use it. This helps it to soften a little, and means it’s less likely to crack as you unroll it.

Recipe Video

Equipment

I like to use a loose bottomed springform cake tin for homemade pies. It works really well because:

The clip on the side and the loose bottom make it so easy to remove the pie from the tin once it’s finished baking.
It gives a nice tall pie, which looks great, and also gives a wonderfully thick layer of filling.
The metal heats up nicely and helps to crisp up the pastry.

You can use a shallower pie tin to make homity pie if that’s what you have, but I would always recommend a cake tin if you have one.

Here’s a similar one on Amazon, with great reviews:

8-Inch Springform Cake Tin

I love using a loose-bottomed springform cake tin to make homemade pie. If you’re in the UK or Australia, click ‘Buy on Amazon’ to view a local product.

A slice of homity pie with sautéed leeks, potatoes and cheese.

Printable Instructions

Homity Pie (Cheesy Potato and Leek Pie)

How to make the classic British recipe homity pie (cheesy potato and leek pie!) – a tasty vegetarian pie made with shortcrust pastry.

Course Main Course

Cuisine British, English

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 50

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 30

Servings people

Calories 427kcal

Author Becca Heyes