Green beans with mustard butter sauce is a quick and easy side dish with rich, tangy flavor and only 5 ingredients!
T-1 day until Thanksgiving – are you ready?!
My mom and I are doing our big grocery run together this morning, then we’ll prep some things ahead today and get our game plan ready for tomorrow. We’re big planners and list makers so we like to talk it out and make sure we know what needs to happen when. 👍
Usually, we spend the morning at the turkey trot, then come on back and get the turkey going. If we’re lucky and have things well-timed, we like to step out midday to take the kids to feed the ducks or play tennis (aka running after balls) on the tennis courts nearby or even head to the playground or take a boat ride, as long as someone stays back by the oven.
(Quick side note: See that pretty towel up there in that photo 👆? My grandmother made it for me. Well, it’s my husband’s grandmother, but I count her as mine. It was a present the year after we got married and those are the flowers we had at the wedding. Isn’t that the sweetest?! ❤️)
Then my mom and M, my 5-year-old, work together to set the table. My mom is kind-of a master at tablescapes. I didn’t inherit that gift, but maybe it’ll skip a generation and M will have the knack for it.
But on to today’s recipe!
Green beans with mustard butter sauce is one of those easy go-to side dishes when you need something tasty but don’t want to fuss over another part of your dinner.
Know what I mean? You’ve looked up a recipe for your chicken, you’ve shopped for the ingredients, gotten everything prepped and now you need some sides.
Happens to me ALL. THE. TIME.
Which is why we eat a lot of microwave baked potatoes. Nothing to do but scrub, poke with a fork and cook in the microwave.
We also eat a lot of simple spinach salads and steamed broccoli. Fuss-free.
And so are these green beans with mustard butter sauce. You just cook them quickly in boiling water, whisk together your sauce, combine and serve. 10 minutes and an easy, healthy, yummy side is ready for dinner. Plus, it’s just 5 ingredients (not counting salt and pepper) so I can always whip this up without a second thought. 👍
Notes on green beans with mustard butter sauce:
- I like cooking the green beans for this dish until they are tender, but not mushy. If you want yours completely soft, just add a few more minutes of cooking time. (And check out my sautéed green beans and tomatoes, which are slow cooked until totally soft).
- I like that these green beans are a bit tangy, but you can certainly add a teaspoon or two of honey if you want to sweeten this up a little.
- You can substitute olive oil for the butter if you’re vegan or if you want the sauce to be more of a vinaigrette.
- I like the texture and flavor of the whole grain mustard, but if you don’t have any, you can use all Dijon mustard here.
These green beans would make a great addition to your Thanksgiving table tomorrow, especially for how simple they are amid all the other elaborate dishes we all tend to make for the big meal.
And really, who couldn’t use another side dish?!
(Seen here 👆 with my cranberry balsamic pork chops.)
My family and my parents always have some form of green beans as one of our veggies. This year my mom requested my green beans gremolata. (Though my dad wants green bean casserole. Hmmm.) I’ll have to make them these soon cause I bet they’ll be a new favorite. 😉
Enjoy! And to my American friends, I hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving! (I’d love to hear what you did and what you ate!)
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. I’m not going to post on Friday this week, but I’ll be back next week with some more delicious recipes! Sign up here if you would like to be added to my weekly e-newsletter (+ get my FREE e-book with 10 easy weeknight dinners).
Green beans with mustard butter sauce is a quick and easy side dish with only 5 ingredients! You can substitute olive oil for the butter if you’re vegan or if you want the sauce to be more of a vinaigrette. I like the texture and flavor of the whole grain mustard, but if you don’t have any, you can use all Dijon mustard here.Green beans with mustard butter sauce
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 125Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 269mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 4gSugar: 11gProtein: 3g 
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
That sauce sounds wonderful! Bless you for going to the store the day before a major holiday! Madhouse!
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Kathryn says
We went early Rebecca, before the crowds 😉 My mom and I split up the list and each filled a cart – in and out and now we’re cooking! Happy Thanksgiving!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
I love green beans! Looks like I found a new way to prepare them. Thanks for sharing!!!
Kathryn says
Me too! Thanks Jocelyn – I hope you love this recipe! 😊
Debra C. says
What a wonderful twist on an every day veggie, love it! I also love the towel your Grandma made – what a precious treasure!
Kathryn says
Aww, thanks so much! It is so special to me!
Carolyn Ingram says
This sounds divine!
Kathryn says
Thank you!
Tom says
Saute raw green beans in browned mustard garlic butter and skip blanching yadda yadda.
Kathryn says
Sure Tom, you could certainly make it that way instead.
Klair says
Has anyone actually tried to make this recipe before commenting? Sure, it sounds good, but it’d be nice to see at least one actual comment saying “I made these and….”
Rose Steele says
I’m not usually a fan of folks who make major changes in a recipe and then review it, pro or con, but now I’m going to be one of those people. I made the sauce and it was a little tangy for me, so I tossed in a dollop of honey and a tablespoon or so of cream sherry (really) and it was soooo good. My boyfriend has been bugging me for more every day since. It will be a regular in my repertoire and I intend to put it on asparagus, broccoli, potatoes and anything else I can think of…maybe pork chops!
Kathryn says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Rose and those sound like delicious additions!
Courtney says
This recipe looks delicious! I want to make this with chicken and baked potatoes. What flavors for chicken breast do you think would pair well with this recipe?
Kathryn says
Sounds like a yummy dinner! You could do a balsamic flavored chicken (https://www.familyfoodonthetable.com/slow-cooker-balsamic-chicken/) or a creamy or cheesy-style chicken (https://www.familyfoodonthetable.com/healthy-creamy-italian-chicken-skillet/ OR https://www.familyfoodonthetable.com/easy-mozzarella-baked-chicken-2/) Hope that helps!
Courtney says
Thank you so much. The Creamy Italian chicken was delicious! Do you think that recipe could be adapted to the instant pot?
Kathryn says
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! I’m sure it could be, but I JUST finally bought an Instant Pot myself (I know, I’m so behind), so I don’t yet know how to convert recipes.
Robbi says
Made this tonight for our Christmas Eve dinner. It was sooooo good! Really elevates the green beans to more than just a “side dish”! And can I just tell you what a compliment it is to beef tenderloin? Seriously, even if you don’t use it with the green beans, try it with beef tenderloin! So many compliments and not a drop of sauce leftover!
Kathryn Doherty says
I’m so happy to hear you all enjoyed it Robbi!! And love the idea of the sauce with some beef tenderloin – yum! 😊
Nita says
Love your recipe. I eat a lot of beans , so this is a perfect addition.
Thank you. X
Kathryn Doherty says
I’m so happy to hear that Nita! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Suzanne Wynn says
This is SO good! I’ve actually made it. Going on 3 times right now. I’ve never added any sweetener because, honestly, the idea of sweet green beans kinda weirds me out lol. My mom and husband love these too. Thanks, Kathyrn, so much for such a yummy side!
Kathryn Doherty says
I’m so glad to hear you love it Suzanne! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Rob says
i did a trial run with can green beans and didn’t have the grainy mustard. It tasted ok. I’ll be making this Thanksgiving with the correct items and thought I’d roast the green beans in the oven first.
Thank you for this recipe!
Kathryn Doherty says
You are so welcome! Hope you enjoy them and happy holidays!
Bonnie says
An amazing recipe. Green bean heaven!
Kathryn Doherty says
I’m so happy to hear you loved it Bonnie! Thank you so much for sharing! 😊