Green Beans Gremolata is a really easy, fast and flavorful veggie side dish! It's great for a weeknight dinner but also for entertaining or for serving on a holiday table!
Gremolata sounds a little exotic, doesn’t it?
It’s really pretty basic though.
It’s just an herb mixture that features lemon zest, garlic and parsley. And often nuts and Parmesan cheese.
It’s one of those magical condiments that just brings food to life. Without a ton of effort.
Totally my style!
And it goes stunningly well with green beans.
French green beans, to be exact, which are the long, slender ones. Very elegant.
Also very fast to cook because they are so thin. (Plus, they are particularly tasty, in my opinion!)
This is actually an Ina Garten/Barefoot Contessa recipe that I’ve loved for a long time.
You can prep everything ahead so that it just needs a couple of minutes to get it ready to serve, which makes it great for entertaining.
It's also a great veggie side dish for the holidays.
Particularly with those elegant beans and the fancy sounding name. You’ll look like a star!
(You might also like green beans almondine or sesame asparagus, equally easy but impressive sides.)
OK, let's get cooking.
Now, I've got a few quick notes and tips coming up below.
If you'd rather skip to the recipe, simply scroll on down. The recipe card is near the bottom, just above the comments section.
Ingredient Notes:
- Green beans: I use and prefer the long, thin French style green beans. Also, you definitely want fresh green beans, not canned.
- Lemons: You'll need the zest only of 2 medium to large lemons. You can refrigerate them to save and use the juice for another recipe.
- Parmesan: Fresh grated Parmesan cheese is best here. Also, you could swap in a little nutritional yeast if you want to make this vegan-friendly.
- Walnuts: Feel free to substitute pecans if you prefer. Also, lightly toasting them in a skillet for 2-3 minutes adds to the nutty flavor. Just watch them carefully so they don't burn.
If you have any leftovers, it's best to store the gremolata mixture separately from the green beans. That way, you can rewarm the beans in the skillet or microwave and add the gremolata topping.
Definitely check this recipe out soon. It’s bound to be on the regular rotation in your house.
And you may find that you want to gremolata all the things!
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Green Beans Gremolata
Ingredients
- 1 pound French green beans, trimmed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- zest of 2 lemons
- 3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, minced
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons walnuts, toasted
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook for 2-3 minutes, until slightly tender. Drained the beans and place them in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and retain the bright green color.
- Make the gremolata: Combine the garlic, lemon zest, parsley, Parmesan cheese and walnuts in a small bowl and mix well.
- When ready to serve, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Drain the green beans, pat them dry and add to the pan.
- Saute the beans for 2 minute, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and add the gremolata. Toss well to combine and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Christine
You are right, it does sound very elegant. It´s funny because garlic and lemon are almost my go-to when I do green beans. I can´t wait to add a little parsley so I can say gremolata as I serve this!
Kathryn
Such a good combo, isn't it?! Hope you try it this way and enjoy!