Green Bean Recipes for Thanksgiving
Green beans are probably the biggest go to side vegetable dish for the holidays (other than mashed potatoes!). And yet, we’ve all experienced our share of disappointing green beans, so they aren’t necessarily the sexiest dish on the table. And yet, it just doesn’t feel like a Thanksgiving table without a green bean dish.
These 7 green bean recipes have all been met with great delight on my table. Some are takes on very traditional dishes (yes, of course there is a green bean and mushroom casserole with a crispy oniony topping—but wait until you see how delicious this fresher version is!), there are also some new ideas for your holiday meal.
Some of these green bean recipes all for haricot verts, which are French green beans, a bit slimmer and more tender than everyday green beans, and worth checking out for their elegant presentation. They are a bit pricier, and will cook a little more quickly than their thicker cousins. But you can swap back and forth between the two as you like.
7 Great Green Bean Recipes
Green Bean Casserole From Scratch! An updated version of a favorite holiday side dish. Perhaps the most famous green bean dish in the world is that quintessential green bean casserole that shows up on Thanksgiving and other holiday tables all across this great land during the last months of the year. The old version involved canned soup, canned or frozen beans and greasy, semi-crispy onions from a tin. This is a fresh and modern take on the topic, and once you try it you will have burst into the 21st century a new and improved person.
Keep some green beans plain and simple, and add a great herby-citrus seasoning to the rest.For this dish you make some simply sautéed green beans with a touch of garlic, and then have the choice of leaving them plain and straightforward, or making a quick but very flavorful gremolata, which is a combo of citrus zest and herbs for a bright finishing touch.
A simple (5-Minute!) honey mustard dressing transforms green beans into a flavorful side dish.
This green bean salad is easy, it’s colorful, and it has an intriguing mix of tastes and textures. The beans can be cooked and tossed with the dressing up to 2 days ahead of time. Add the oranges and the feta just before serving. If you don’t have coarse Dijon you can definitely use regular, though I like the extra texture that the coarse gives to the dressing.
Haricot Verts are slender French green beans, a bit more tender than their standard green bean cousins. The added medley of shallots and red onions makes these a step up from plain green beans. You can add a simple tangy citrusy dressing after they are cooked, and some feta, or leave them as is – up to you.
The flavor of the herb chervil is like a milder cross-pollination of tarragon (a tiny bit licoricey/anisey) and parsley (just fresh and clean). I just love it. It’s a little unexpected twist on a simple green bean side.
Green beans and mushrooms snuggle up nicely to each other, and if you don’t have the time or inclination to make the full on traditional green bean and mushroom casserole, you can still get the benefits of this classic combo in this easy side.
