Ghee Garlic Green Beans with Parmesan
Elevate your dinner with these nutty, crisp-tender green beans. Sautéed in rich ghee and finished with salty Parmesan and a bright squeeze of lemon, this 20-minute side dish is far from basic.
Ingredients
- 1.5 tablespoon Ghee (clarified butter)
- 1 lb Fresh green beans (ends trimmed)
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper (or to taste)
- 3 cloves Garlic (minced)
- ½ Lemon (freshly squeezed lemon juice)
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
Instructions
- Wash the green beans, trim the stem ends. Pat them completely dry. Add a tablespoon of ghee to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Wait until ghee is heated and simmering.
- Add the green beans to the skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for 5-7 minutes, tossing occasionally, until they start to develop golden-brown blister marks.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the minced garlic. Stir occasionally for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
- Add a fresh squeeze of lemon juice directly into the pan. Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.
- Serve immediately with your favorite main dish or by themselves. They are more delicious when still warm.
Notes
- Pat the green beans dry with a kitchen or paper towel before adding them to the pan. This will make them sear when they hit the skillet instead of steam. When you remove the surface moisture from beans (or any other vegetables and legumes) before searing, they get a nice brown blistered exterior and do not become mushy. This also keeps the oil or ghee from splattering all over your cooktops.
- Avoid crowding the pan to give the green beans space so that they get the nice brown-blistered exterior.
- Add the garlic at the end. Garlic burns much faster than the green beans cook so adding it towards the end makes sure you get a nice garlicky flavor instead of a burned garlic taste.
- Use frozen beans only if absolutely necessary. The texture in this case will be a lot softer. When you thaw the green beans, don't forget to pat them completely dry.
- Use medium-high heat when searing them in ghee so that they do not become mushy. If using usual butter, the heat level should be towards medium to not burn the butter.