31 Green Bean Recipes That Will Spice Up Your Thanksgiving Menu
Forget about your grandma’s soupy, mushroom-laden casserole (no offense, Nana). Green beans don’t need to be drowned in canned soup to taste good. These alternative holiday recipes are fresh, flavorful and far from boring, but best of all, they let the underrated veggie shine on its own. Add any one of them to your Thanksgiving menu and let the compliments roll in. Read on for 31 green bean recipes that will have your guests asking for your secret (and reaching for seconds).
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1. Crispy Green Bean “Fries”
Not at all unhealthy (seriously) since they’re baked instead of fried. But don’t fret: They’re still coated in lots of Parmesan cheese.
2. Green Beans with Garlicky Pistachio Vinaigrette
Have you ever served green beans cold? Didn’t think so. Blanching is the key to the beans’ vibrant color and impeccable crunch.
3. Fusilli with Pesto and Green Beans
It only takes 25 minutes to prepare from start to finish, so consider this pasta salad one for the books. (Especially since it’s tossed in homemade pesto.)
4. Blistered Green Beans with Tomatoes, Pounded Walnuts and Raw Summer Squash
Feel free to substitute winter squash, sweet potatoes, carrots or Brussels sprouts for summer squash in the off-season.
5. Green Bean Casserole Galette
Leave it to Jake Cohen to give green bean casserole an elegant, Insta-worthy makeover. Instead of using traditional canned soup, he cooks down a pound and a half of mushrooms in heavy cream with fresh herbs.
6. Veggie Niçoise Salad with Red Curry Green Beans
Aka the classiest, prettiest appetizer of all time. Instead of topping it with canned tuna as the French do, we bulk it up with extra veggies.
7. Green Bean Bacon Bundles
Is this where the phrase “bundle of joy” came from? Maybe not, but this chic side is delicious and takes less than an hour to pull off.
8. Healthier Green Bean Casserole
The star here is homemade mushroom Alfredo sauce. It’s made with milk and vegetable stock instead of cream, so it won’t fill you up after two bites.
9. Lemon Parmesan Green Beans
Simple yet satisfying. We’re betting the only ingredient you don’t already have in your kitchen is the green beans.
10. Five-Ingredient Green Pasta Salad
Even your picky, veggie-hating kids will want seconds. Chalk it up to sautéing the greens in garlic, lemon juice and Parmesan. (Go ahead and add bacon if they need more convincing.)
11. Saucy Stovetop Thai Green Beans
Spice things up with a zingy peanut and ginger dressing that none of your guests will expect.
12. Dijon-Maple Green Beans with Caramelized Pecans, Bacon and Feta
Helloooo, fall. This sweet-and-salty dish is guaranteed to be a holiday favorite. Feel free to candy the bacon in brown sugar and maple syrup for extra sweetness.
13. Vegan Green Bean Casserole
It’s beyond decadent, despite being totally dairy-free. Thanks, cashew cream sauce.
14. Green Bean Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Feta
Complete with lemon-Dijon vinaigrette. Add nuts, croutons or breadcrumbs for extra crunch.
15. Miso Smashed Cucumber and Green Bean Salad
Smashing cukes before dressing them is actually pretty ingenious. It allows them to soak up as much of the sauce as possible.
16. Simple Skillet Green Beans
Believe it or not, this citrus-kissed beauty can be on the table and ready to devour in 15 minutes flat.
17. Green Beans with Tarragon Vinaigrette
White wine vinegar, coarse Dijon mustard and fresh tarragon make for a zingy, invigorating dressing that you’ll want to make a double batch of.
18. Crockpot Green Bean Casserole
If the cheddar cheese alone isn’t enough to sway you, consider how much you’ll be able to get done while the slow cooker takes care of business.
19. Red, Green and White Christmas Salad
We’re talking dried cranberries, green beans, snow peas, asparagus and feta, all tossed in a dressing made from simple pantry staples.
20. Green Beans Almondine
You’re only five easy ingredients and ten minutes away from this timeless vegetable side dish.
21. Spicy Braised Green Beans
Just a little bit of harissa paste goes a long way in the flavor department. Finish it off with crushed red pepper flakes for maximum heat.
22. Green Bean Farro Salad
Serve it alongside roast turkey, cranberry sauce and all the fixings on Thanksgiving. Then, have the leftovers for lunch the next day, since the fiber-rich farro makes the salad filling on its own.
23. Green Bean Salad with Clementines and Feta
No winter salad is complete without refreshing, juicy citrus fruit. Clementines are just the pairing for briny, salty feta.
24. Miso Dijon Green Bean Mushroom Salad
Umami-laced white miso paste takes the sesame dressing from simple to spectacular.
25. One-Pan Garlicky Green Beans with Slivered Almonds
The recipe calls for three cloves of garlic, but we wouldn’t blame you for doubling it. Be sure to toast the almonds in a skillet before adding them to the green beans.
26. Green Beans in Creamy Parmesan Sauce
Topped with crispy crumbled bacon, obvi. You’ll want to use the three-ingredient Parmesan sauce on pasta, pizza, grilled chicken and more.
27. Lightly Roasted Green Beans
Three words: Parmesan. Almond. Crumble. The crowning glory for this dish comes together in about four minutes on the stovetop.
28. Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic
You may be used to roasting green beans for the holidays but pan-frying them is a much speedier approach. Just brown them in oil over high heat until they start to blister.
29. Adam’s Green Bean Salad
If chopped walnuts aren’t seasonal enough for you, substitute them with toasted pumpkin seeds. They’re super easy to make yourself, trust.
30. Chargrill Charlie’s Green Bean Avocado Salad
Avocado and sour cream make the dressing uber buttery, creamy and tangy. Bonus points for charring the green beans indoors on a grill pan.
31. Fettuccine Alfredo with Green Beans and Tapenade
Despite its complex taste and sophisticated presentation, this dish only costs about $3 per serving. Store-bought green olive tapenade boosts the dish’s flavor in a flash.
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