Sautéed French Green Beans with Furikake

Sautéed French Green Beans with Furikake are a healthy, tasty side that can be enjoyed year round. This recipe features an especially delicious type of green bean: haricot verts. Haricot verts are thin, crisp, French green beans that have a light sweetness. The lemon juice brightens the fresh green beans, while the furikake adds umami. If you are looking for a quick, healthy side dish to impress, Sautéed Green Beans with Furikake is the perfect recipe for you.

Green beans have a reputation for being boring, but these are far from it. These Sautéed Green Beans with Furikake are an exciting twist on traditional green beans and will perfectly compliment any main course. This recipe calls for haricot verts, garlic, furikake, and lemon juice.

Jump to:

• What are Haricot Verts?
• How to Season Green Beans
• What is Furikake?
• Ingredients
• How to Cook Green Beans
• FAQ
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Top Tip
• What to Serve with this Green Bean Dish
• Sautéed French Green Beans with Furikake
• Food Safety

Aside from being healthy and delicious, this green bean recipe is so easy to make. It takes under 20 minutes to make with minimal babysitting. If you are just learning to cook or want to cook something healthy in a short amount of time, these Sautéed Green Beans with Furikake are a great recipe to start with. I personally love making this during the work week. Even though it is simple, it is full of flavor and looks impressive too.

What are Haricot Verts?

These French style stringless green beans are more crisp and delicate than regular green beans. They have a light sweetness and cook very quickly, which is perfect if you are making a side for a large group. While haricot verts are French, they are available in most grocery stores.

How to Season Green Beans

When making vegetables, seasoning is often the most important part, but it is best to use it sparingly. You can mostly just depend on salt and fat to enhance the natural flavor of the vegetables. In the case of Sautéed Green Beans with Furikake, I only use garlic, lemon, furikake, and salt and pepper to highlight the light, sweet flavor of the crisp green beans.

What is Furikake?

Furikake is a Japanese seasoning made of dry seaweed (nori), sesame seeds, and salt. There are many varieties of furikake, which often include bonito flakes, rice puffs, shrimp, and other savory bits. For everyday seasoning, I use a classic furikake with the most basic ingredients.  Furikake is one of my favorite seasonings. I put it on vegetables, rice, popcorn, the list goes on. It adds a tasty umami flavor to anything you add it to without being overpoweringly salty.

Interested in another way to use furikake? Check out Furikake and Lemon Shishito Peppers.

Ingredients

• Olive Oil - Extra virgin olive oil is the best fat to cook the green beans in because it is both flavorful and healthy.
• Haricot Verts Green Beans - These garden fresh green beans are light and scrumptious.
• Garlic - Adds a classic and pungent kick.
• Lemon Juice - Adds citrus flavor that brightens the dish.
• Salt - Brings out all of the other flavors.
• Pepper - Used for seasoning to add spice.
• Furikake - a unique Japanese seasoning.

How to Cook Green Beans

1. Heat the olive oil - Heat olive oil in a skillet or fry pan.  
2. Warm the garlic - Once the olive oil is hot, place garlic in oil for one minute.  
3. Cook the green beans - Next, stir in 1.5 pound fresh green beans, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.  Sauté green beans in the pan or skillet over medium heat until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Toss with Furikake - Once green beans are cooked, remove them from the heat and toss them with furikake.

FAQ

Substitutions

• Gluten free - If you want to make this green bean recipe gluten free, simply replace the furikake with gluten free furikake.
• Other types of green beans - If haricot verts are unavailable or if you prefer the taste of normal green beans or frozen green beans, substitute them and then follow the same instructions above.

Variations

• Roasted green beans - If you want don't want to monitor the green beans while they cook, you can roast them.  In order to roast them, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and place the seasoned green beans on your baking sheet. Roast them for 12 to 14 minutes, undisturbed, until they look crispy and slightly golden brown.
• Bacon - Add chopped and crispy bacon pieces for added protein and little flavor crystals.
• Parmesan cheese - Add parmesan cheese for a sharp and nutty addition.
• Sesame Seeds - Add a couple tablespoons of sesame seeds for a sweet crunch.

Equipment

This Sautéed Green Beans recipe requires common kitchen essentials. For this recipe, simply cook the green beans in a large skillet, like this All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pan, GreenPan Ceramic Non-Stick Fry Pan, or Le Creuset Signature Oyster 10" Skillet.  You will also need a wooden spoon and a serving bowl.

Storage

Store leftover sautéed green beans in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat leftover green beans in a pan on the stove or microwave them in a microwave safe container until hot.

Top Tip

Once the green beans brown, immediately take them off the burner so they don’t overcook and stay crispy.

What to Serve with this Green Bean Dish

These bright Green Beans with Furikake are a quintessential fall side. Serve them with your favorite fall dinner recipes, like Roasted Turkey Roulade or Roast Chicken Thighs and Vegetables.

If you want to make this green bean recipe for a Thanksgiving meal, check out these other recipes: Dutch Oven Whole Chicken with Meyer Lemon, Mashed Potatoes with Miso Butter, Harvest Quinoa Salad with Arugula, Maple Roasted Kabocha, and Sautéed Mushrooms with White Wine.

Food Safety

• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.