Green beans have long been a favorite choice among home vegetable gardeners, because they’re easy to grow and they usually offer abundant and frequent harvests. They’re also among the first vegetables that most children are exposed to in a practical, hands-on sort of way in the kitchen—many of us probably have an early memory of being put to work, snapping the tips and tails from a giant pile of green beans and maybe snacking on a few crunchy raw beans in the process.
Green beans are legumes, which are plants that produce a pod with edible seeds inside. They are related to fresh shell beans (like lima beans and chickpeas) and dried beans (like kidney beans and cannellini beans). But unlike those types of beans, green beans are grown and eaten for their pods rather than for what’s inside them. Different varieties—yellow wax, purple, romano, haricots verts—may vary in texture, color, and size, but all have a sweet, grassy flavor and crisp texture.
These sturdy vegetables adapt amiably to a variety of preparation methods (except for haricots verts, which are so tender and sweet that they barely need cooking). We especially like to cook green beans in one of two ways: fast or slow. They’re terrific after a quick roast in the oven, as in our Roasted Green Beans with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts, or a speedy blanch-and-shock treatment on the stovetop, as in the Blanched Green Beans with Bistro Mustard Vinaigrette. They also hold up wonderfully to long braises, without turning to mush like other green vegetables. Enjoy their silky yet stable texture in our tomato-saucy Mediterranean Braised Green Beans and in the Thanksgiving classic Extra-Crunchy Green Bean Casserole.
shopping and storage
All types of green beans are generally grown for commercial availability year-round, though the traditional garden season for them runs from midsummer through fall.
When shopping, select thinner beans if possible, since those will be crisper and sweeter. Avoid really thick beans that are bulging with seeds, because they are more likely to be mealy in texture. If the green beans are loose in a bin, snap one in half—it should truly snap, rather than bend. If the beans are packaged, they should look bright in color, fresh, and firm (not limp). The one exception to this rule is Chinese long beans, which will be a bit droopy and flexible even when fresh.
Across the board, green beans are fairly perishable, losing both texture and flavor quickly. Store them wrapped in paper towels in an open plastic produce bag in the refrigerator for no more than a few days.
bean varieties
“Green beans,” “snap beans,” and “string beans” are general terms that cover many different varieties of beans. The most commonly available variety sold in markets is Blue Lake. Though they are often still called string beans, the tough string that ran down the seam was bred out of green beans a long time ago. As they age, regular green beans can become tough and start to develop a stronger, slightly bitter flavor edge. Several purple varieties are also available; they’re very pretty when raw but turn plain old green when cooked.
HARICOTS VERTS Haricots verts, also called French beans, are a thinner, shorter variety. They have a more delicate texture than regular green beans and a fresh, lightly sweet flavor. They cook much more quickly than regular green beans and are even tender enough to eat raw.
WAX BEANS Wax beans, like green beans, encompass many varieties. They are pale yellow snap beans with a flavor that’s similar to green beans but slightly milder and sweeter. Wax beans have been cultivated to have none of the chlorophyll pigment that makes green beans green. You might also sometimes see yellow wax beans with vivid purple streaks. Wax beans can be substituted for green beans in any dish.
ROMANO BEANS Romano beans, also called Italian flat beans or Italian pole beans, are flatter and broader than regular green beans and have a crisp texture and sweet flavor. Like regular green beans, they also come in yellow wax and purple varieties. They can be used similarly to regular green beans.
CHINESE LONG BEANS Chinese long beans, also called yard-long beans, asparagus beans, or snake beans, can grow up to nearly 3 feet in length (and can grow several inches in a single day!). They have a flavor that’s a little more mellow than regular green beans and a softer, chewier texture, which is best highlighted by stir-frying or deep frying.
Team Green or Team Yellow?
Green beans get their color from chlorophyll, whereas yellow wax beans are simply green beans that have been bred to contain none of this pigment. So the questions are: Does chlorophyll contribute to the flavor of green beans? And will you miss it if it’s not there?
We tasted green beans and wax beans two ways: steamed until crisp-tender, and braised in our Mediterranean Braised Green Beans recipe. In both applications, tasters were hard-pressed to discern that much difference between the flavors and textures of the two beans, calling both sweet and grassy. But wax beans did demonstrate one noticeable advantage over green beans. Because they have little color to lose during prolonged braising, their appearance changes less than that of green beans, which tend to turn a drab olive shade. So if you’re making a long-cooked bean dish and are picky about aesthetics, go for the gold.
vegetable prep
To trim green beans quickly, line up several so stem ends are even and then cut off stems with one swipe of the knife.
BLANCHED GREEN BEANS WITH BISTRO MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE
Serves 4
Total time: 30 minutes
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Green beans are excellent candidates for the classic, simple cooking technique of blanching. Cooked quickly in rapidly boiling salted water and then chilled in ice water to cool them and stop their cooking instantly, green beans hold their fresh flavor, bright color, and crisp-tender texture beautifully. The rustic, slightly sharp mustard vinaigrette here brought out the best in the beans without overshadowing their mild flavor. Be sure to set up the ice water bath before cooking the green beans, as plunging them in the cold water immediately after blanching both retains their bright green color and ensures that they don’t overcook. The beans are delicious at room temperature, slightly chilled, or briefly rewarmed in the microwave.
1 pound green beans, trimmed
Salt and pepper
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
1½ teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 small shallot, minced
1 small garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Fill large bowl halfway with ice and water. Add green beans and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain beans, then transfer immediately to ice water. Let beans cool completely, about 5 minutes, then drain again and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Whisk oil, mustard, vinegar, shallot, garlic, thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Add green beans and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
SAUTÉED GREEN BEANS WITH GARLIC AND HERBS
Serves 4
Total time: 20 minutes
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS For tender and lightly browned green beans using just one pan, look to sautéing. We discovered that simply sautéing the raw beans in hot oil resulted in blackened exteriors and undercooked interiors. So, for the best results, we sautéed the beans until spotty brown, then added a little water to the pan and covered it so the beans could cook through. Once the beans were bright green but still crisp, we lifted the lid to evaporate the water and promote browning. A little butter added to the pan at this stage lent richness and encouraged even more browning. A few additional ingredients—garlic, herbs, and lemon—added flavor without overcomplicating things. This recipe yields crisp-tender beans. If you prefer a slightly more tender texture, increase the water by 1 tablespoon and increase the covered cooking time by 1 minute. You will need a 12-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe.
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
Salt and pepper
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add beans, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until spotty brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add water, cover, and cook until beans are bright green and still crisp, about 2 minutes.
2. Uncover, increase heat to high, and continue to cook until liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Add butter, garlic, and thyme and cook, stirring often, until beans are crisp-tender, lightly browned, and beginning to wrinkle, 1 to 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
VARIATIONS
Sautéed Green Beans with Roasted Red Peppers and Basil
Substitute extra-virgin olive oil for butter, 1 minced shallot for garlic, and ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes for thyme. Add ⅓ cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers to skillet with shallot. Substitute 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar for lemon juice. Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil with vinegar.
Sautéed Green Beans with Ginger and Sesame
Omit lemon juice. Substitute 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil for butter, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger for garlic, and 1 tablespoon Asian chili-garlic paste for thyme. Sprinkle green beans with 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds before serving.
GREEN BEANS AMANDINE
Serves 4 to 6
Total time: 25 minutes
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS The simple French preparation of green beans tossed in a light sauce of butter, shallots, and lemon, topped with toasted sliced almonds, is refined yet not at all intimidating. Unfortunately, over the years it has descended into a cliché, made with frozen green beans tossed with a bag of sliced blanched almonds and loads of butter. We’ve reclaimed this side dish with crisp-tender fresh beans, crunchy toasted almonds, and a balanced lemon butter sauce. To achieve a more elegant feel, we replaced regular green beans with thin haricots verts. For maximum flavor, we first toasted the almonds, then added a little butter to the skillet and allowed it to brown for further nuttiness. Adding lemon juice off the heat brightened the sauce. After steaming the haricots verts in a little water in a covered skillet until crisp-tender, we tossed them with the sauce. You will need a 12-inch skillet with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe. If using regular green beans, increase the covered cooking time in step 2 to 8 to 10 minutes.
⅓ cup sliced almonds
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1½ pounds haricots verts or green beans, trimmed
¼ cup water
Salt
1. Toast almonds in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, until just golden, about 6 minutes. Add butter, shallot, and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until shallot softens and butter is golden brown and has nutty aroma, about 3 minutes. Transfer almond mixture to small bowl and stir in lemon juice.
2. Add haricots verts, water, and ½ teaspoon salt to now-empty skillet. Cover and cook over medium-high heat, occasionally tossing with tongs to redistribute, until beans are bright green and still crisp, 4 to 6 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to high, and cook until liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Off heat, add almond mixture and toss to combine. Season with salt to taste. Serve.
ROASTED GREEN BEANS WITH GOAT CHEESE AND HAZELNUTS
Serves 4 to 6
Total time: 45 minutes
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS This technique for roasting green beans has a lot going for it: It’s supersimple, it frees up your stovetop, and it gives mature supermarket green beans a flavor comparable to sweet fresh-picked beans. We knew the quick-cooking beans could only handle a short stay in the oven before they overcooked, so we ensured plenty of flavor-boosting color by tossing them with a touch of sugar along with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spreading them on a baking sheet and sealing them under aluminum foil allowed them to steam gently in the oven. Uncovering the beans for the final 10 minutes let the sugar caramelize, turning the beans an appealing blistered, speckled brown. To lift the flavorful beans to another level entirely, we tossed them with a warm orange vinaigrette and fresh chives and topped them with goat cheese and hazelnuts.
1½ pounds green beans, trimmed
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon grated orange zest plus 2 teaspoons juice
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (½ cup)
¼ cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and chopped
1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Toss green beans with 2 tablespoons oil, sugar, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in bowl. Evenly distribute green beans on rimmed baking sheet.
2. Cover sheet tightly with aluminum foil and roast for 10 minutes. Remove foil and continue to roast until green beans are spotty brown, about 10 minutes, stirring halfway through roasting.
3. Meanwhile, combine garlic, orange zest, and remaining ¼ cup oil in large bowl and microwave until bubbling, about 1 minute; let steep for 1 minute. Whisk in orange juice, lemon juice, mustard, ¼ teaspoon salt, and¼ teaspoon pepper. Add green beans and chives and toss to combine. Transfer to serving platter and sprinkle with goat cheese and hazelnuts. Serve.
VARIATION
Roasted Green Beans with Pecorino and Pine Nuts
Substitute 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest for orange zest, 4 teaspoons lemon juice for orange juice and lemon juice, chopped fresh basil for chives, ½ cup shredded Pecorino Romano cheese for goat cheese, and ¼ cup toasted pine nuts for hazelnuts.
MEDITERRANEAN BRAISED GREEN BEANS
Serves 4 to 6
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS In the crisp-tender craze of recent years, a lesser-known but time-honored approach to cooking green beans has become overlooked and underappreciated. A slow braise turns green beans into something silky-smooth and altogether different. This Mediterranean version calls for sautéing the aromatics on the stovetop in a Dutch oven, then adding the green beans and tomatoes and transferring the pot to the oven for hands-off simmering until the sauce is thickened and the beans become infused with the tomato and garlic. The best part is the velvety texture of the beans: The slow cooking renders them so meltingly tender that they’re almost creamy.
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch cayenne pepper
1½ cups water
½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 2- to 3-inch lengths
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained with juice reserved, chopped coarse
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Red wine vinegar
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add water, baking soda, and green beans and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste, salt, and pepper.
2. Cover pot, transfer to oven, and cook until sauce is slightly thickened and green beans can be easily cut with side of fork, 40 to 50 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with vinegar to taste. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and serve warm or at room temperature.
VARIATIONS
Mediterranean Braised Green Beans with Potatoes and Basil
Substitute 2 teaspoons oregano for cayenne, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil for parsley, and 2 teaspoons lemon juice for red wine vinegar. In step 1, add 1 pound peeled Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces, to pot with green beans and increase salt to 2 teaspoons.
Mediterranean Braised Green Beans with Mint and Feta
Add ¾ teaspoon ground allspice with garlic and cayenne. Substitute 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint for parsley. Omit 2 tablespoons oil in step 2. Sprinkle green beans with ½ cup crumbled feta cheese before serving.
VEGETABLES REIMAGINED
MEDITERRANEAN BRAISED GREEN BEANS
Lightly crisp green beans are so commonplace that many cooks assume that’s the only way you’re supposed to prepare them. But there is another way—a velvety soft and silky way. Because the natural pectin found in the beans makes them slow to break down in the acidic tomato sauce, we added a small amount of baking soda to lower the acidity and get this braise on the table more quickly. This is a good thing, because these are great served with simply grilled or roasted chicken. Or make like an Italian nonna and serve them on their own in a bowl, with a hunk of crusty bread alongside.
1. Trim the ends from the green beans and cut them into 2- to 3-inch lengths.
2. In a Dutch oven, sauté the onion in the olive oil until it’s softened, 3 to 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the water, baking soda, and green beans to the Dutch oven, bring to a simmer, and then reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the chopped tomatoes with their juice and the tomato paste.
5. Cover the Dutch oven, transfer to the oven, and cook until the sauce is thickened and the green beans can easily be cut with the side of a fork, 40 to 50 minutes.
6. Drizzle the braised beans with more olive oil and serve either warm or at room temperature.
GREEN BEAN SALAD WITH CILANTRO SAUCE
Serves 6 to 8
Total time: 35 minutes
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS In this picnic-perfect green bean salad, the sweet, grassy flavors of the green beans and cilantro really shine through. For a creative variation on pesto sauce, we swapped the traditional basil for bright, herbal cilantro and traded the pine nuts for walnuts. Last but not least, a touch of lemon juice balanced out the richer flavors and helped to loosen the sauce to just the right dressing-like consistency. We blanched and shocked the beans to set their vibrant green color and ensure that they were evenly cooked. Be sure to set up the ice water bath before cooking the green beans, as plunging them in the cold water immediately after blanching retains their bright green color and ensures that they don’t overcook. Don’t worry about drying the beans before tossing them with the sauce; any water that clings to the beans will help to thin out the sauce. Serve this at room temperature.
2 pounds green beans, trimmed
Salt and pepper
¼ cup walnuts
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2½ cups fresh cilantro leaves and stems, tough stem ends trimmed (about 2 bunches)
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1 scallion, sliced thin
1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot over high heat. Fill large bowl halfway with ice and water. Add green beans and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain beans, then transfer immediately to ice water. Let beans cool completely, about 5 minutes, then drain again and return to now-empty bowl.
2. Meanwhile, cook walnuts and garlic in dry 8-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until toasted and fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to bowl. Let garlic cool slightly, then peel and chop coarse.
3. Process walnuts, garlic, cilantro, oil, lemon juice, scallion, ½ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add cilantro sauce to green beans and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
TARRAGON-MUSTARD BEAN SALAD
Serves 4 to 6
Total time: 25 minutes (plus 30 minutes chilling time)
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS String bean salad is a terrific side dish for any summertime gathering—especially if it can be made ahead of time, as this one can. We combined green beans and yellow wax beans with a potent vinaigrette while still warm, and then refrigerated the salad until chilled. The honey and Dijon mustard are a classic pairing that thickened the vinaigrette enough for it to coat the beans nicely, with the bite of the mustard and touch of cayenne pepper intensifying the overall flavor and pairing nicely with the fresh tarragon. Skipping the typical step of plunging the beans into ice water after cooking worked to this salad’s advantage. Tossing the beans with the dressing immediately after boiling and draining them caused the warm beans to soak up some of the flavorful vinaigrette, resulting in a tender, not-too-crunchy texture. The salad tasted even better after the short chilling time in the refrigerator let the flavors mingle.
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon, dill, or parsley
Salt and pepper
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
12 ounces green beans, trimmed
12 ounces yellow wax beans, trimmed
1. Whisk oil, vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, honey, tarragon, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and cayenne together in large bowl; set aside.
2. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add beans and 2 teaspoons salt and cook until beans are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain beans, add to bowl with dressing, and toss to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.
THREE-BEAN SALAD
Serves 4 to 6
Total time: 30 minutes
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Store-bought three-bean salad may be convenient, but it’s also mushy and sugary. Here’s our simple, superior take on this summertime classic. First we steamed fresh romano beans and yellow wax beans to crisp-tender perfection. To avoid the need to soak and simmer dried beans for hours, canned kidney beans rounded out our trio. Letting the garlic and onion sit in the vinaigrette while preparing the beans tamed the garlic and quick-pickled the onions. A touch of honey in the bright dressing added the appropriate hint of sweetness to recall the classic formula, and a generous amount of parsley folded in just before serving contributed a lively finish. Be sure to set up the ice water bath before cooking the green beans, as plunging them in the cold water immediately after blanching retains their bright green color and ensures that they don’t overcook.
¼ cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper
½ small red onion, sliced thin
8 ounces yellow wax beans, trimmed and halved on bias
8 ounces romano beans, trimmed and halved on bias
1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed
¼ cup minced fresh parsley
1. Whisk vinegar, oil, honey, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper together in large bowl. Stir in onion and set aside.
2. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot over high heat. Fill large bowl halfway with ice and water. Add wax beans, romano beans, and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain beans, then transfer immediately to ice water. Let beans cool completely, about 5 minutes, then drain again and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Add drained wax and romano beans, kidney beans, and parsley to vinaigrette and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
EXTRA-CRUNCHY GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
Serves 6 to 8
Total time: 1 hour
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS The original “green bean casserole” was created by the Campbell Soup Company in 1955 to showcase one of its star products: canned cream of mushroom soup. The recipe also called for frozen green beans. For our modern remake of this beloved Thanksgiving favorite, naturally we wanted fresh green beans and mushrooms, along with the richness that comes from fresh heavy cream. We jump-started the cooking of the green beans in the microwave, which took just a few minutes. For the sauce, we browned the mushrooms to drive off moisture (to avoid a watery sauce) and develop deep flavor. And for the topping? Absolutely nothing we tried in our test kitchen got a better response with tasters than the traditional canned fried onions. However, adding some panko bread crumbs to the onions did give the topping even more crunch and saved us from having to bake the casserole further after topping it. You can substitute white mushrooms for the cremini, if desired.
TOPPING
½ cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
2½ cups canned fried onions
CASSEROLE
2 pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1½ cups chicken broth
1½ cups heavy cream
½ cup dry white wine
1. For the topping Combine panko and melted butter in bowl. Microwave, stirring occasionally, until panko is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Let cool completely, then stir in fried onions; set aside.
2. For the casserole Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine green beans and ½ cup water in large bowl. Cover and microwave until green beans are just tender, about 8 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving. Drain green beans in colander; set aside.
3. Melt butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook until liquid is nearly evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in broth, cream, and wine and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer green beans to 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Pour sauce over green beans and toss to combine.
5. Bake until bubbling and green beans are completely tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven, top with fried-onion mixture, and let cool for 10 minutes. Serve.
ONE-PAN PORK TENDERLOIN WITH GREEN BEANS AND POTATOES
Serves 4
Total time: 50 minutes
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Pairing green beans and potatoes with quick-cooking pork tenderloin makes a hearty meat-and-veg dinner that’s quick enough for any night. We started with a base of green beans and halved fingerling potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and then perched two tenderloins right on top of the vegetables. Keeping the tenderloins up off the metal pan helped protect the lean meat from drying out while at the same time the vegetables developed great browning. Brushing a layer of salty-sweet-spicy hoisin sauce over the meat before roasting gave it a complex flavor boost and an appealing caramelized layer. After just 20 minutes of roasting, we took the tenderloins out to rest and gave the vegetables a little extra time in the oven to pick up more color. An easy garlic-chive butter, melted over the resting pork and tossed with the vegetables, made for a rich, flavorful finish. To ensure that the tenderloins don’t curl during cooking, remove the silverskin. A rasp-style grater makes quick work of turning the garlic into a paste.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1 garlic clove, minced to paste
Salt and pepper
1 pound green beans, trimmed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½ pounds fingerling potatoes, unpeeled, halved lengthwise
2 (12- to 16-ounce) pork tenderloins, trimmed
¼ cup hoisin sauce
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine butter, chives, garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in bowl; set aside.
2. Toss green beans with 1 tablespoon oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in separate bowl. Arrange beans crosswise down center of rimmed baking sheet, leaving room on both sides for potatoes. Toss potatoes with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in now-empty bowl. Place potatoes, cut side down, on either side of green beans.
3. Pat tenderloins dry with paper towels, season with salt and pepper, and brush thoroughly with hoisin. Lay tenderloins lengthwise, without touching, on top of green beans. Roast until pork registers 145 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Remove sheet from oven and transfer tenderloins to carving board. Dot each tenderloin with 1 tablespoon chive butter and let rest while vegetables finish cooking. Gently stir vegetables on sheet to combine and continue to roast until tender and golden, 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Remove sheet from oven, add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to vegetables, and toss to coat. Slice pork ½ inch thick and serve with vegetables.
STIR-FRIED SICHUAN GREEN BEANS
Serves 4
Total time: 30 minutes
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS The flavors of Sichuan green beans are addictive: wrinkled, sweet beans tossed with morsels of flavorful pork and coated in a pungent sauce. The dish is spicy, aromatic, and tangy all at the same time. In Chinese restaurants, the beans are usually deep-fried in a wok filled with oil, which produces their wrinkled appearance, slightly chewy texture, and intense flavor. To make this at home, we opted instead to stir-fry the beans until the skins began to shrivel. The time spent in the pan produced spotty charring, which resulted in a nice chewy texture and a deeper flavor that more than compensated for their not being deep-fried. For the sauce, to achieve the desired characteristic tanginess and modest heat, we used dry mustard and sherry for their subtle tang and red pepper flakes and white pepper for their aromatic warmth and complex muskiness. The ground pork, already stir-fried with lots of garlic and ginger, absorbed the sauce perfectly, adding meaty richness. Some chopped scallions and a drizzle of sesame oil were the perfect finishing touches.
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon white pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
4 ounces ground pork
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 scallions, white and light green parts only, sliced thin
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1. Whisk soy sauce, water, sherry, sugar, cornstarch, pepper, pepper flakes, and mustard in small bowl until sugar dissolves.
2. Heat vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add green beans and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender and skins are shriveled and blackened in spots, 5 to 8 minutes (reduce heat to medium-high if green beans begin to darken too quickly). Transfer green beans to large plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.
3. Reduce heat to medium-high and add pork to now-empty skillet. Cook, breaking pork into small pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Push pork to sides of skillet. Add garlic and ginger to center and cook, mashing mixture into skillet, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Stir mixture into pork; transfer to platter.
4. Whisk sauce to recombine, then add to again-empty skillet. Cook over high heat until sauce is thickened and reduced slightly, about 15 seconds. Return green beans and pork to skillet and gently toss to coat with sauce. Off heat, stir in scallions and sesame oil. Serve immediately.
STIR-FRIED SHRIMP AND LONG BEANS
Serves 4
Total time: 40 minutes
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Chinese long beans make a dramatic and exotic presentation alongside sweet pink shrimp in this light stir-fry. Traditional Chinese recipes for these serpentine beans employ a double- cooking technique of deep frying followed by stir-frying, which renders them tender and juicy. We wanted to nod toward this tradition, but without the hassle of deep frying. Since long beans can be a couple of feet in length, cooking them by any method wasn’t without challenges. Fitting the beans into the typical home cook’s 12-inch skillet was our first hurdle. We decided to cut them in half—however, they were still very long beans. Microwaving the beans jump-started the cooking process and also made them more pliable for getting them into the skillet. Stir-frying the beans in batches allowed for the desired charring and blistering. We then cooked the shrimp with fresh ginger and garlic and built the finishing sauce with chicken broth, oyster sauce, sherry, sesame oil, and rice vinegar. The savory sauce thickened to just the right consistency to lightly glaze the shrimp and beans.
¾ cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1½ teaspoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon white pepper
¼ cup vegetable oil
1½ tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1½ pounds long beans, trimmed and halved
1 pound large shrimp (26 to 30 per pound), peeled, deveined, and tails removed
1. Whisk broth, oyster sauce, sherry, sesame oil, vinegar, cornstarch and white pepper together in bowl. Combine 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, ginger, and garlic in small bowl; set aside.
2. Combine long beans and ¼ cup water in large bowl. Cover and microwave until beans are pliable, 7 to 9 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving. Drain beans, transfer to paper towel–lined plate, and pat dry.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add half of long beans in single layer and cook, without stirring, until beans begin to blister and char, about 3 minutes. Stir and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are just softened and well charred, about 3 minutes. Transfer beans to serving platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm. Repeat with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and remaining beans; transfer to platter.
4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in now-empty skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add shrimp in single layer and cook, without stirring, until shrimp turn opaque and brown around edges, about 1 minute. Push shrimp to sides of skillet. Add ginger-garlic mixture to center and cook, mashing mixture into skillet, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir mixture into shrimp; transfer to platter.
5. Whisk broth mixture to recombine, then add to again-empty skillet. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and reduced slightly, about 1 minute. Return beans and shrimp to skillet and gently toss to coat with sauce. Serve.