Description
Crisp green beans dance with zesty gremolata in this Mediterranean-inspired side dish that brings fresh garden flavors to your plate. Italian herbs and lemon brighten the vegetables, creating a simple yet elegant accompaniment you’ll crave at every meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 pound (454 grams) French green beans, trimmed
- 3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
- 3 tablespoons (45 grams) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) toasted pine nuts
Flavor Enhancers:
- 2 teaspoons (10 grams) minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
- 1 tablespoon (6 grams) grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
Dressing and Seasoning:
- 2.5 tablespoons (37.5 milliliters) olive oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Fill a spacious pot with water and bring to a rolling boil.
- Submerge green beans into the bubbling water, allowing them to blanch for approximately 2-3 minutes until they achieve a tender yet crisp texture.
- Swiftly transfer beans from boiling water into a colander, then immediately plunge them into an ice bath to halt cooking and preserve their vibrant emerald hue.
- Craft the gremolata by combining minced garlic, freshly grated lemon zest, finely chopped parsley, grated Parmesan, and toasted pine nuts in a compact mixing bowl.
- Once prepared to serve, warm olive oil in a expansive sauté pan over medium-high heat.
- Thoroughly drain the chilled green beans and meticulously pat them dry with paper towels.
- Introduce the beans to the heated pan, gently sautéing for two minutes while continuously stirring to ensure even coating and thorough warming.
- Remove pan from heat source and generously sprinkle the prepared gremolata over the beans, tossing with precision to distribute flavors evenly.
- Delicately season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper according to personal preference, then serve immediately while piping hot.
Notes
- Blanch green beans perfectly by ensuring the water is at a rolling boil and timing the cooking precisely to maintain their vibrant color and crisp texture.
- Create a quick ice bath right next to the boiling pot to immediately stop the cooking process and preserve the beans’ bright green appearance.
- Toast pine nuts carefully in a dry skillet to enhance their nutty flavor, watching closely to prevent burning and stirring frequently.
- Customize the dish by substituting pine nuts with almonds or sunflower seeds for nut-free diets, and use nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan for a vegan version.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 190
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg