Garlic Green Bean Stir Fry

Close up of neatly lined sauteed green beans on a white plate

This easy 5-ingredient garlic green bean stir-fry is perfect for entertaining or as a tasty side dish on any regular Tuesday night.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 20

Servings: people

Calories: 107kcal

Ingredients

▢ 500 g (1 lb) green beans trimmed (note 1)
▢ 5 cloves garlic minced
▢ 1½ tablespoon olive oil
▢ salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

In a large frying pan (or saute pan), add garlic and olive oil. Cook garlic over medium-low heat until golden. Remove ¾ of fried garlic into a small bowl and set aside (note 2).
Add green beans, salt, pepper and ~½ cup water. Lid on and steam cook over high heat for 3 minutes.
Remove the lid, allow the liquids to completely evaporate over high heat and saute until green beans are tender with a hint of sizzled brown (extra flavour). Taste and adjust for salt and pepper if desired.
Top with reserved crispy fried garlic to serve.

Notes

1. See how to trim green beans in the post above (under 'cooking instructions' with pictures!

2. Optional tip: remove the pan from the stove as soon as garlic is golden to prevent burning. Once golden, fried garlic can burn very quickly! To avoid bitter burned garlic bits, remove the pan from the fire, scoop out ¾ of the fried garlic then add green beans and water before returning it back onto the stove (water will immediately cool the pan down). This may seem like a short period but that's just how quickly they can burn!

Prevent green beans from turning brown or dull - although perfectly fine to eat, dull or brown-ish beans just don't look as appetising. Just like any green vegetables, they turn brown once overcooked. So keep both eyes out when cooking these. As soon as they're tender, saute quickly for a light caramelisation then remove from the heat. Do not cover them with a lid in the frying pan to keep them warm (even with the heat off) - they'll turn brown!

Revive limp green beans in cold water for 1 hour or longer. They'll crisp up again! To speed things up, store it in the fridge (the icy coldness helps). However, if they've been limp for too long (we're talking days here), this might not work.

Storage - store any leftover garlic green bean stir fry in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.

Tried this recipe?Mention @Casuallypeckish or tag #casuallypeckish!

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