This French green beans recipe is ready in about 15 minutes from start to finish. The end result is a bright green side dish that tastes great with butter. This is one of my favorite green bean recipes to serve with a holiday main dish. But it’s honestly so quick, you can make it to go along with any weeknight dinners.
This style of green beans is also known as haricot verts, which literally means “green beans” in French. They look a little fancier than regular green beans and would look right at home on the menus of high-end restaurants. For that reason, I use this recipe whenever I want a great side dish that I can make quickly and still impress my guests. Try my glazed carrots, creamed spinach, or air fryer Brussels sprouts for more show-stopping, quick side dish ideas.
Picture a pile of slender, vibrant green beans – their shape sleeker and length a bit loftier than the humdrum green beans you typically grab at the grocery store These elegant beans are the French style, also called haricots verts, and they deserve a spot on your dinner table Keep reading to learn all about what makes French style green beans unique, how to cook them, and why you should add them to your repertoire.
What Are French Style Green Beans?
French style green beans, or haricots verts, refer to a particular variety of green beans popular in French cuisine They differ from regular American-style green beans in a few key ways
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Shape: Haricots verts are longer and slimmer, with a straighter, smoother silhouette. They look more refined than the coarser, bulge-waisted regular green bean.
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Size: On average, haricots verts are 6-8 inches long compared to 3-4 inches for conventional beans. Their slender pods are no wider than a pencil.
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Texture: The smaller seeds and youthful harvesting gives haricots verts a tender, delicate crunch. The thin skins cook up extra crisp-tender.
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Flavor: Their younger harvest timing enhances their sweet, vegetal flavor and aroma. French beans taste brighter and grassier.
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Color: A deep, vivid green color distinguishes their freshness.
So in essence, French style green beans offer a more refined, delicate eating experience in both aesthetics and taste.
How Are French Style Green Beans Grown?
To achieve their signature slim shape, French green beans are harvested earlier in their growing cycle, when the beans are smaller and the seeds less developed. Most varieties are picked at around 3-4 inches long.
They are bred to have a naturally leaner, tapered silhouette. Popular haricots verts cultivars like Nickel and Noe grow lengthy, slim pods on compact bushes perfect for close-together planting.
As they grow longer than bush beans, haricots verts are ideally suited for trellising. This vertical growing keeps the beans straight and uniform. Careful harvesting by hand also ensures an unblemished, uniform crop.
The younger picking age also contributes to their finer texture and milder flavor. With less time to mature, the plant focuses energy in the tender pods rather than the seeds. Slow, steady growth brings out their best.
How Do You Prepare and Cook French Style Green Beans?
To highlight their delicate texture and bright flavor, French green beans are best prepared using simple, light cooking methods:
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Steaming: The go-to cooking method. Steam just until vibrant green and tender-crisp, 5 minutes at most.
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Sauteing: Quickly saute in olive oil or butter over medium-high heat until lightly browned in spots but still crisp-tender.
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Roasting: Roast at 400°F for 15-20 minutes with olive oil and garlic until lightly charred and caramelized.
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Blanching: Boil in salted water for 1 minute, then shock in ice bath to set color.
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Grilling: Toss in oil and grill over direct heat for 2-3 minutes until grill marks appear.
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Eat Raw: Haricots verts shine in green salads, crudités, and cold vegetable sides.
Cooking haricots verts for just a brief time preserves their delicate texture. Overcooking leads to mushiness, so taste as you go. Season simply with herbs, garlic, lemon, or butter.
What Dishes Pair Well with French Style Green Beans?
The elegance of French green beans makes them a natural fit for refined entrees and side dishes:
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Creamy chicken or fish dishes like chicken piccata or sole meunière
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Lighter proteins like scallops, shrimp, pork tenderloin or white fish
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Salads featuring greens, tomatoes, feta, nuts or potatoes
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Grain or pasta salads with vinaigrette dressing
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Simple roasts like pork loin or chicken
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Quiches, frittatas, omelets and other egg dishes
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Green bean casseroles with a creamy mushroom sauce
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Sauteed with cherry tomatoes, garlic and herbs
Their slim shape also makes haricots verts ideal for pickling. Try Quick Refrigerator Pickled French Beans.
Why Should You Choose French Style over Regular Green Beans?
Compared to conventional green beans, French haricots verts offer:
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A more delicate, refined visual appeal
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An extra tender, melt-in-your mouth texture
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Subtle, sweet bean flavor without any starchiness
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A satisfying crispness that pops in the mouth
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Bright color and crunchy freshness
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Versatility as both a raw and cooked ingredient
Their slender silhouettes and petite sizes make them perfect as individual side dish servings. Kids may find their slimmer shapes and milder flavors more approachable.
So when you want green beans with a little more finesse, go French! Haricots verts elevate any dish with their delicate texture and elegant aesthetics. Your tastebuds will appreciate the difference that youth and breeding makes with French style beans.
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How to Make French Green Beans
1. In a large skillet, bring water and ½ teaspoon salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the green beans to the water that is already boiling. Boil for about 5 minutes, or until the beans are crisp-tender.
2. Drain the beans well in a colander and wipe the skillet dry. (If you want to stop the cooking process now, run cold water over the beans or put them in a large bowl of ice water. Then drain them again.) ).
3. Melt butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add a minced shallot and cook for 1 minute.
4. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the beans.
5. Then add ¼ teaspoon salt, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and ground black pepper.
6. Toss well to coat the beans in all the delicious flavors. Serve them hot or warm.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
French green beans — these fresh green beans may also be labeled “haricot verts” at the grocery store. They are usually untrimmed and have pointed tips on the ends, giving them a more elevated appearance.
Butter — butter adds flavor and richness to this side dish. Any kind of butter will work, but for a stronger taste, use a higher-fat butter like a European style if you have one.
Shallot—minced shallot gives these green beans a flavor that is both onion and garlic, making them a great side dish.
Lemon juice—fresh lemon juice gives the earthy green beans a subtle tang and a lot of brightness.
French Green Beans – Bruno Albouze
FAQ
What is the difference between French style green beans and regular green beans?
Why are they called French style green beans?
Why do French cut green beans taste different?