Slow Simmered Green Beans

Slow simmered green beans cook low and slow until they are super tender and soft. They make a great hands-off veggie side dish!

 

Green beans always make me think of my grandmother, who we called Jamma.

We would wash and trim green beans together and then sit side by side with a big bowl between us and snap them. It was rhythmic and repetitive, simple and almost soothing.

And every time I see a show or a movie where people are snapping green beans, I think of her and smile.

Today, with her in mind, I'm sharing these very simple slow simmered green beans.

They are a Southern style green beans recipe that we are "cooking to death," as some of my relatives like to say about their vegetables. 

These green beans are very hands off and very forgiving.

They can simmer for 20 minutes or 30 minutes, whatever works for the dinner you’re making. Or turn them down to low and keep them warm for even longer.

And you just need the green beans, a little butter or olive oil (or both) and some salt and pepper. 

I'm pretty sure most every kitchen has those things on hand, so if you need a simple green beans side dish, you should be able to make this any ole time.

Plus, it's really quick to prep and so simple to make.

Just trim the ends of the green beans to get them ready for cooking. If yours are especially long, you can also cut them in half - or snap them.

Then we're just going to throw them in a large pan with some water and let them simmer while you go about your business and work on the rest of the meal.

At the end, drain the water from the pan, add a little butter or olive oil (or both) to melt and coat the green beans, and season them with salt and pepper.

Ta-da! That's it. Hands off and oh so easy.

They come out so tender and so delicious, too. Sometimes you don’t need to do much to your vegetables to make them sing.

But if you've got company coming or are looking for a stepped-up green beans recipe for the holidays or just a special Sunday supper, check out these Southern green beans with bacon and buttery breadcrumbs. Swoon!

We also love green beans with mustard sauce for a quick, sassy side dish. (Those are more crisp-tender than super soft like these green beans here. Same with this green beans and mushrooms recipe.)

And at Thanksgiving, only the classic green bean casserole will do. At least for my dad.

But back to today's recipe, I've got just a couple more tips to share.

Tips and Tricks:

• Green Beans: Be sure to use regular fresh green beans, not the thin French style green beans, for this recipe.
• Butter/oil: You can use either butter or oil, or some of both, to flavor the green beans at the end once they are soft and tender.
• Seasoning: Feel free to add different or additional seasonings to your green beans to change up the flavor.
• Toppings: You can also add any optional toppings you'd like for your green beans, from lemon zest to chopped fresh herbs to cooked, crumbled bacon.

I hope you give these a try soon for some simple veggie goodness.

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn