Healthy Green Bean Side Dish Recipes

Steaming (but not for too long!) is a foolproof way to get perfect, crisp-tender green beans, every time. This easy recipe is a great starting point for other flavors or preparations, like adding cooked green beans to a salad.

Steaming green beans in the microwave is quick and convenient, helping you to get dinner on the table in minutes. This basic recipe is a great starting point for the seasoning of your choice--a little butter, toasted nuts or a creamy sauce.

Add a little shallot and dried dill or tarragon to any mixture of frozen vegetables and have a delicious side dish on the table fast. If you'd like to make this recipe with fresh vegetables instead, cut them into bite-size pieces and add a tablespoon or two of water to the skillet when you add the vegetables; adjust the cooking time as needed.

Modern cooking may champion barely cooked, tender-crisp veggies, but the soft and luscious ones you find in many Southern kitchens, like these super-soft green beans, make a mouthwatering healthy side dish to classic Southern barbecue.

When green beans, summer squash and cherry tomatoes are plentiful in backyard gardens and farmers' markets, try this quick braise. We like the salty, nutty flavor of Parmesan, but you can use any flavorful cheese.

We love dilly beans, but using a sweet brine and dried chile peppers gives pickled green beans a unique twist.

In Minnesota, chicken, mushrooms and wild rice are often bound together in a casserole with cream of mushroom soup. We forgo the sodium-rich canned soup and make a light, creamy sauce that gets depth of flavor from dry sherry and Parmesan cheese. If you already have cooked chicken, use 4 cups and skip Step 2.

Here's a simple sauté that is well suited for a special meal and versatile enough for your everyday repertoire.

In the southern Appalachian Mountains, green beans were cooked at the back of the stove in a bacon-seasoned broth with new potatoes added in the final part of the long, slow process. The result is a vegetable dish so imbued with meaty flavor that it was regularly served as the main part of an otherwise meatless meal with slaw, fresh tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, raw onion and cornbread. Here the meaty flavor in this vegetarian green bean recipe is created without pork by using smoked Spanish paprika and olive oil. Look for smoked paprika with other spices in well-stocked supermarkets.

Like many Ethiopian dishes, this green bean side dish recipe has endless variations depending on who's cooking it. Green beans are always the star, most often along with carrots and rosemary, though it can also be served with potatoes or cabbage.

The flavor of the turkey meatballs is enhanced by the Asiago and prosciutto. We love keeping this turkey meatball recipe on hand for meal prep, since meatballs can be used in sandwiches, salads, pasta and more.

After a few minutes in a super-hot oven, these roasted green beans are delightfully browned but still tender. This simple sheet-pan vegetable side dish is great with grilled or roasted meats.