Sauteed Green Beans and Corn

Sauteed Green Beans and Corn make for an easy and delicious vegetable side dish. Blanch the veggies to bring out the vibrant color and amazing fresh taste.

Why this recipe works:

When summer vegetables are plentiful, they are fantastic to use in easy side dish recipes. This simple recipe is especially great because:

• Fresh green beans and corn are used but can be replaced with frozen vegetables which means this recipe can be made any time of year
• A quick blanch in boiling salted water brings out the vibrant colors, flavors, and decreases the saute time so that they remain crisp
• Parmesan, basil, and garlic add the best flavor

How to make this recipe:

1. Prepare the green beans by snapping off then ends and then snapping them in half to create bite sized pieces. Cut the corn off the cobs. Then, blanch the vegetables for only a couple minutes in salted boiling water, then immediately transfer them to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
2. Saute the green beans and corn with some fresh minced garlic in butter just long enough to add some golden brown color and heat them thru.
3. Immediately transfer the hot green beans and corn to a bowl and toss with parmesan and basil. Serve warm.

Cooking tips:

• Do not skip the blanch step. If you cook raw green beans and saute them in butter without blanching them first, they will be chewy and overcooked.  Blanching is a simple step that only takes minutes and will make the veggies bright and crisp, transforming them from raw to barely cooked so they can finish in the pan.
• If using frozen green beans and corn instead of fresh, follow the same directions to blanch them. 
• Freshly grated parmesan from a block of cheese is always best, but a package of pre-shredded parmesan will work just fine. I highly recommend using fresh basil (or other fresh herbs) over dried.
• Be sure to use a large enough pan so that you can get a nice sear on the vegetables. Over crowding will cause them to steam instead of brown.

Related recipes:

If you love vegetable side dish recipes full of fresh summer veggies, here are some tasty suggestions:

• Garlic Parmesan Oven Roasted Asparagus
• Wilted Garlic Spinach
• Marinated Tomato Cucumber Salad
• Grilled Corn and Tomato Salad
• Fresh Corn Salad with Avocado and Roasted Peppers 

Sauteed Green Beans and Corn

Sauteed Green Beans and Corn make for an easy and delicious vegetable side dish. Blanch the veggies to bring out the vibrant color and amazing fresh taste.

5 from 6 votes

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 22 minutes

Hover to scale: 4 servings

Chef: Krissy Allori

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound fresh green beans
• ▢ 2 - 3 ears of corn
• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• ▢ ½ cup fresh herbs (minced (any combination of basil, rosemary, chives, marjoram, oregano, thyme))
• ▢ ½ cup grated parmesan (minced)
• ▢ Salt and Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

• Trim green beans by discarding ends and snapping beans in half. Cut corn away from cob.
• Boil a large pot of salted water. Add green beans and corn and allow to boil for 2 minutes. Drain and then cool in large bowl of ice water. Drain and set aside.
• In large skillet over medium high heat, melt butter. Add minced garlic and blanched green beans and corn. Stir once to combine, then allow to heat through and brown slightly. Stir again to evenly heat. When everything is hot and slightly browned, which shouldn't take more than 10 minutes, remove from heat and transfer to bowl. Toss in fresh herbs and parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

Cooking tips:

• Do not skip the blanch step. If you cook raw green beans and saute them in butter without blanching them first, they will be chewy and overcooked.  Blanching is a simple step that only takes minutes and will make the veggies bright and crisp, transforming them from raw to barely cooked so they can finish in the pan.
• If using frozen green beans and corn instead of fresh, follow the same directions to blanch them. 
• Freshly grated parmesan from a block of cheese is always best, but a package of pre-shredded parmesan will work just fine. I highly recommend using fresh basil (or other fresh herbs) over dried.
• Be sure to use a large enough pan so that you can get a nice sear on the vegetables. Over crowding will cause them to steam instead of brown.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 220mg | Potassium: 609mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1908IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 195mg | Iron: 2mg

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This recipe was originally published in June 2014 and has been updated with helpful information and recipe tips. Don't worry - the recipe hasn't changed!