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).

Yield: 4 servings

Green beans with mustard butter sauce

Print

Green beans with mustard butter sauce is a quick and easy side dish with only 5 ingredients!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon coarse grain mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• juice 1/2 lemon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

1. Cook green beans in boiling, salted water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
2. In the meantime, combine the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and stir to combine.
3. Drain the green beans, then add to the bowl and toss with the mustard sauce to coat. Serve immediately.

Notes

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.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 125Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 269mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 4gSugar: 11gProtein: 3g