Healthy Green Bean Recipes

Find healthy, delicious green bean recipes including steamed green beans, sautéed green beans, and green bean casserole. Healthier recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Most Popular

Vegetable Weight-Loss Soup

Rating: 4.5 stars 39
A big bowl of this veggie-packed minestrone will leave you satisfied for hours without consuming a lot of calories, which is helpful when trying to lose weight. Plus, it's an easy way to boost your vegetable servings for the day—something all of us could benefit from. Top with a dollop of pesto before devouring this delicious vegetable soup and consider serving with a hunk of toasted whole-wheat bread to help round out the meal.
Hilary Meyer
By Hilary Meyer

Chicken & Vegetable Penne with Parsley-Walnut Pesto

Rating: 4 stars 10
Homemade pesto may seem daunting, but in this quick pasta recipe you can make a simple sauce in minutes while the pasta water comes to a boil. You can substitute frozen green beans and cauliflower for fresh; in Step 4, cook the frozen vegetables according to package directions before tossing with the pasta and pesto.
Patsy Jamieson
By Patsy Jamieson

Slow-Cooker Vegetable Soup

Rating: 4 stars 17
Make this low-calorie vegetable soup recipe with ease in this load-and-go crock pot recipe. After simmering away in the slow cooker, portion it into individual serving containers and store in the fridge or freezer for fast, healthy lunches or an easy, satisfying snack. This weight-loss vegetable soup fills you up without a lot of calories, plus it's an easy way to eat more vegetables.
Eating Well Bio Page
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Veggistrone

Rating: 4.5 stars 28
This vegetable-packed minestrone soup recipe is inspired by a popular Weight Watchers vegetable soup recipe. It makes a big pot of soup, so keep some in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and freeze the rest in single-serve portions. That way you always have an easy, delicious vegetable soup to start your meal or to eat for lunch. Think of this vegetable minestrone recipe as a starting point for other healthy soup variations, too: toss in leftover chopped cooked chicken or whole-wheat pasta or brown rice to make it more satisfying.
Joyce Hendley, M.S.
By Joyce Hendley, M.S.

Slow-Cooker Vegetable Minestrone Soup

Rating: 5 stars 4
A winter classic, this crock pot version of minestrone is heavy on the vegetables and light on the pasta, keeping carbs in check while providing plenty of flavor.
By Laura Walsh

Lemon-Garlic Chicken with Green Beans

Rating: 5 stars 4
This easy lemon-garlic chicken recipe calls for cutlets, which cook in less than 10 minutes! Can't find them? Make your own from chicken breasts. Place each breast on a cutting board and, with your knife parallel to the board, slice into the skinny side of the chicken breast in a single smooth motion. The side of green beans is cooked right in the same pan as the chicken, so this 20-minute easy, healthy dinner is not just a snap to prepare--the cleanup is a cinch too.
By Adam Dolge

Steamed Fresh Green Beans

Rating: 5 stars 1
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.
Eating Well Bio Page
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Dijon Salmon with Green Bean Pilaf

Rating: 4.5 stars 21
In this quick dinner recipe, the delicious garlicky-mustardy mayo that tops baked salmon is very versatile. Make extra to use as a dip for fries or to jazz up tuna salad. Precooked brown rice helps get this healthy dinner on the table fast, but if you have other leftover whole grains, such as quinoa or farro, they work well here too.
By Carolyn Casner

Garlic Green Beans with Crispy Ground Beef

Rating: 5 stars 2
This green bean and ground beef stir-fry is seasoned with fragrant white pepper, sesame oil, ginger and garlic. Serve over rice or rice noodles.
Headshot of Adam wearing a blue button up shirt on a white background
By Adam Dolge

Mini Meatloaves with Green Beans & Potatoes

Rating: 4.5 stars 14
This healthy meatloaf recipe and side dishes are all made in the oven on two sheet pans so that everything's ready for the dinner table at the same time. The potatoes go into the oven first to start roasting while the mini meatloaves and green beans are prepped and added to the oven partway through.
A portrait of Breana Killeen, M.P.H., RD
By Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD

Vegan Weight-Loss Lentil Soup

Rating: 4.5 stars 2
This vegan weight-loss lentil soup recipe has the familiar flavors of turmeric, ginger and cumin that pair so well with lentils. Lentils, green beans and spinach give this vegan soup a healthy dose of fiber that helps you feel fuller, longer. Serve this soup with a little extra lemon and cilantro.
Julia Levy
By Julia Levy

Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

If green bean casserole is a must-have in your family at Thanksgiving but you're, well, ready for a change, give this cheesy version a whirl.
By Carolyn Malcoun
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Inspiration and Ideas

Our Favorite Healthy Green Bean Recipes for Thanksgiving
Green bean casserole has a place in our hearts, but we also love using fresh veggies in our Thanksgiving lineup. Here are some of our favorite healthy green bean recipes for Thanksgiving. Be warned: These are all so tasty you may just forget about grandma's green bean casserole.
Spicy Vegetable & Chicken Soup
Rating: Unrated 14
Who wouldn't want to eat their vegetables when they're tucked into a fragrant broth with bits of tasty chicken and spiked with a shot of fresh lime and cilantro? This healthy Southwestern chicken vegetable soup seems even richer with the smoky flavor from roasted poblano peppers and garlic. Serve this healthy chicken soup recipe with tortilla chips.
Ginger-Tahini Oven-Baked Salmon & Vegetables
Rating: 5 stars 3

The tahini sauce does double duty in this healthy salmon recipe, serving as a glaze for the fish and also as a drizzle for the entire dish at the end of cooking. The green beans are cooked just slightly in this recipe, to still be crisp. If you like your green beans tenderer, look for thinner beans or haricot verts in the grocery store; they'll cook more quickly. This sheet-pan dinner recipe is not only delicious--it also comes together with just 25 minutes of active prep time, and there's only one pan to clean up afterwards!