Name: Sautéed Lemon Garlic Green Beans with Toasted Breadcrumbs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 pound fresh french green beans; 2 Tablespoons salted butter; 1 Tablespoon minced garlic; 2 Tablespoons lemon juice; 1-2 Tablespoons toasted bread crumbs

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These Sautéed Lemon Garlic Green Beans with Toasted Breadcrumbs are the perfect quick and healthy side dish that you’ll be needing for the holiday’s (or even weeknights)! Blanched green beans sautéed in browned butter with a splash of lemon juice and plenty of garlic, then finished with freshly toasted bread crumbs for a mouth-watering side dish that everyone is sure to love. The best part? This recipe is ready in 20 minutes or LESS! If you’re in need of a last minute side-dish that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser, these sautéed green beans are the perfect recipe to make!

overhead shot of sautéed greens with two spoons on marble surface with bowl of bread crumbs beside.

About The Recipe

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!!! Oh, gosh. We’re down to the last minute now, can you believe it? My mom and I had so many ideas about what to share today, but since it’s the day before Thanksgiving, we thought to keep things simple and super easy.

I don’t know about your family, but ours…sides are one of THE most important things on Thanksgiving, Like, really good sides. We love a good appetizer, dessert, even the turkey…but the sides are where it’s at! All of us have favorites.

close up of green beans with bread crumbs on top.

green beans in deep platter with bowl of bread crumbs beside, two empty glasses, and a stack of white plates behind.

My mom loves the dinner rolls, my brother is ALL ABOUT some mashed potatoes. Me? I adore the shoepeg corn and green bean casserole. Which, was kind of the inspiration behind this recipe!

My mom and I picked up a pretty big back of fresh french green beans at the farmers market last Saturday for our casserole, but we actually had some leftover and didn’t know what to do with them.

We’ve talked back and forth about all the things we could make with them to share with you all, but since Thanksgiving is really almost here, we didn’t want to do anything too intensive, you know?

Which is how we arrived at these sautéed green beans!

overhead shot of green beans in platter with two gold spoons and bread crumbs, with bowl of bread crumbs and white flowers beside.

Our main thing was that we didn’t want to take up anymore oven space! That, and keep it super quick, but still full of flavor.

We dug through our fridge and pulled out our staples. I mean, is there really anything better than just some lemon and garlic and butter? Of course, these green beans are only lightly sautéed, just enough to cook them, but still have some texture and flavor.

Every bite is fresh, garlicky, with a bright lemony twist. It’s simply a must-have last minute recipe during the holiday’s!

Reasons You Will Love Sautéed Lemon Garlic Green Beans

Super quick and easy to make!
Crowd pleasing.
Perfect for the holiday’s or even weeknights.
Can easily be made gluten-free and vegan!
Healthy and delicious.
Can be made a day in advance!

angled close up of sautéed green beans with bread crumbs on top.

Equipment Needed

Ingredients

(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)

Fresh French Green Beans
Salted Butter
Minced Garlic
Lemon Juice
Toasted Bread Crumbs

green beans, garlic, butter, lemon juice, and bread crumbs on marble surface.

How To Make Sautéed Green Beans

Step 1: Blanch green beans

In an 8 quart stockpot, steam green beans in salted water for 2 minutes.

green beans in pot with small amount of water.

Drain.

Step 2: Sauté

Add butter to pot and melt until just starting to brown, about 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and green beans. Sauté 1-2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Cover and cook for 1 minute.

Step 3: Serve

Transfer to serving dish and top with bread crumbs!

bread crumbs added on top of green beans.

How To Store

These green beans are best eaten the day they’re made, but they can be stored for a 2-3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. It’s best to take off as many breadcrumbs as you can before storing, as they will soften in the fridge.

Substitutions

To made this recipe gluten-free, omit the breadcrumbs or use your favorite gluten-free bread and toast the crumbs for the topping!
Vegan butter can be used in place of the butter.

green beans with bread crumbs on platter with two gold spoons on marble surface with bowl of bread crumbs beside and stack of plates.

Expert Tips

1 Tablespoon minced garlic is equal to about 4 medium-large cloves.
Make sure you have French green beans for this recipe! If another type of green bean is used, cooking times may need to be adjusted.
You can steam the beans a day ahead and finish them just before serving.

When you make these Sautéed Lemon Garlic Green Beans with Toasted Breadcrumbs, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

5 from 1 vote