30 Perfect Green Bean Recipes That Will Upstage the Bird This Thanksgiving
Roasted Green Beans with Garlic, Lemon and Pine Nuts
As we head into Thanksgiving, so many of us are leaning even more toward the classics: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and green beans. We want to be all about food that comforts us, and it just doesn't feel like a Thanksgiving table without a green bean side dish.
Related: How Many Bags of Green Beans Will You Need for Thanksgiving Dinner?
These 30 green bean recipes for Thanksgiving cover all of the bases, from simple green bean sautés with honey and mustard (or maybe a chervil vinaigrette), to creamy green bean casseroles (a fresh take on the old-school green bean casserole with mushrooms and crispy shallots on top! Other green bean dishes are a bit of a departure from the traditional. Miso green beans anyone? And you can't decide between green beans and Brussels sprouts, maybe roast up a combo of the two—there's nothing wrong with veggies on top of veggies!
Related: 101+ Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes
You can use regular green beans with any of these recipes or Haricots Verts, which are also called French green beans. Haricot is French for bean, and vert translates to green. Haricots Verts are a bit slimmer and more tender than everyday string beans, and worth checking out for their elegant presentation. They will cook a little more quickly than their thicker cousins, but feel free to use whichever beans you like!
And if you're looking for a kitchen task to give to a kid or a willing helper, snapping or cutting the ends off of string beans is simple enough for little hands and can be done while chatting away, making memories this Thanksgiving.
30 Best Green Bean Recipes for Thanksgiving
AltonBrown.com
Perhaps the most famous green bean dish in the world is that quintessential green bean casserole that shows up on Thanksgiving and other holiday tables all across this great land during the last months of the year. This is a fresh and elevated take on the topic.
Get the recipe: Fresh Green Bean Casserole
Related: Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes
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Just four ingredients transform green beans into a sweet-and-salty delight that can be made from start to finish on a baking sheet.
Get the Recipe: Maple Roasted Green Beans with Sausage
Courtesy of Katie Workman
For this dish you make some simply sautéed green beans with a touch of garlic and then have the choice of leaving them plain and straightforward, or making a quick but very flavorful gremolata, which is a combo of citrus zest and herbs for a bright finishing touch.
Get the recipe: Green Beans Two Ways
Courtesy of Katie Workman
The flavor of the herb chervil is like a milder cross-pollination of tarragon (a tiny bit licoricey/anisey) and parsley (just fresh and clean). Nice as a counterpoint to heavier holiday foods.
Get the recipe: Green Beans with Chervil Vinaigrette
Courtesy of Katie Workman
Haricot verts are slender French green beans, a bit more tender than their standard green bean cousins. The added medley of shallots and red onions makes these a step up from plain green beans. You can add a simple tangy citrusy dressing after they are cooked, and some feta, or leave them as is—up to you.
Get the recipe: Sautéed Haricot Verts with Red Onions and Shallots
Courtesy of Katie Workman
Honey, mustard and vinegar lend high notes to green beans. You can serve these warm or at room temperature, and this all comes together in less 10 minutes. 10 minutes!
Get the recipe: Honey Mustard Green Beans
Courtesy of Katie Workman
This green bean salad is easy, it’s colorful and it has an intriguing mix of tastes and textures. The beans can be cooked and tossed with the dressing up to two days ahead of time. Add the oranges and the feta just before serving.
Get the recipe: Green Bean Salad with Clementine Oranges and Feta
Courtesy of Katie Workman
When green beans are at their freshest, you only need to cook them lightly with simple seasonings to make them perfect.
Get the Recipe: Sautéed Green Beans with Thyme Butter
Courtesy of Katie Workman
Sautéed green beans and mushrooms belong on pretty much any holiday table.
Get the Recipe: Green Beans and Mushrooms with Shallots
Courtesy of Katie Workman
A simple miso-infused butter turns a pile of fresh green beans into an umami bomb.
Get the Recipe: Blistered Green Beans with Miso Butter
Courtesy of Katie Workman
The dressing is bright and bracing and adds an extra layer of flavor to this simple green bean side dish.
Get the Recipe: Green Beans with Tarragon Vinaigrette
Courtesy of Katie Workman
Capers, shallots, Dijon, olives, sherry vinegar, fresh herbs—it’s really the ultimate vinaigrette.
Get the Recipe: Green Bean Nicoise Salad
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The unexpected addition of smoked almonds kicks this healthy side dish up a notch.
Get the Recipe: Smoky Green Beans
Related: 17 of the Best Vegan Thanksgiving Main Dish Recipes
Courtesy of Clair Gallam
A bold combination of flavors makes this a green bean recipe to remember.
Get the Recipe: Blue Cheese Walnut Green Beans
Courtesy of Claire Gallam
A nutty take on a simple green bean side.
Get the Recipe: Orange Almond Green Beans
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Bacon bits liven up this simple veggie side dish.
Get the Recipe: Green Beans and Bacon
Courtesy of Devin Alexander
This fun, easy appetizer is a perfect example of what you might consider making the next time a bacon craving strikes.
Get the Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Green bean Bundles
Courtesy of Vanessa Lachey
Vanessa Lachey makes this Italian herbed green bean skillet with a crunchy crumb topping for her husband Nick Lachey and the kids on Thanksgiving.
Get the Recipe: Italian Herbed Green Bean Skillet with Crunchy Crumb Topping
Courtesy of Lidia Bastianich
This fresh green bean recipe comes from famed Italian chef Lidia Bastianich’s cookbook Lidia’s Commonsense Italian Cooking.
Get the recipe: Mint String Beans
Courtesy of onceuponachef.com
What makes the dish so good is the combination of flavors and textures: tender, caramelized roasted beans, mellowed chunks of garlic, crunchy pine nuts and nutty Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Get the recipe: Roasted Green Beans with Garlic, Lemon and Pine Nuts
Courtesy of healthyseasonalrecipes.com
These simple skillet green beans are a perfect healthy side dish. All you need is a pile of fresh string beans, one pot, garlic, olive oil and a little spice!
Get the recipe: Simple Skillet Green Beans
Courtesy of SpicySouthernKitchen.com
Southern-Style Green Beans are cooked long and slow until they become melt in your mouth tender. Flavored with lots of bacon.
Get the recipe: Southern-Style Green Beans
Courtesy of cleanfoodcrush.com
You probably have all of these ingredients on hand, just pull that package of green beans out of the freezer, and get these garlic-herb creamy green beans on your Thanksgiving dinner table.
Get the recipe: Garlic Herb Creamy Green Beans
Courtesy of skinnytaste.com
Only five ingredients and 20 minutes to make!
Get the recipe: Roasted Green Beans with Parmesan
Courtesy of fifteenspatulas.com
This simple green bean side dish is prepared with shallots, garlic and fresh thyme, for an easy and delicious vegetable with lots of flavor. It’s great for Thanksgiving or any weeknight dinner!
Get the Recipe: Thanksgiving Green Beans
Related: 100+ Best Thanksgiving Desserts
Courtesy of anitalianinmykitchen.com
This recipe is very simple, with a hint of garlic and optional balsamic vinegar.
Get the recipe: Italian Green Beans
Courtesy of natashaskitchen.com
The addition of dried fruit adds beautiful color and fun texture to this green bean dish.
Get the recipe: Green Beans with Cranberries
Courtesy of paleoglutenfreeguy.com
If you can't decide between green beans and Brussels sprouts, maybe roast up a combo of the two!
Get the recipe: Roasted Green Beans and Brussels Sprouts
Courtesy of peasandcrayons.com
These cheesy green beans are a quick, easy, and totally delicious side dish—you can use a combo of cheddar and mozzarella, or any other cheese you love.
Get the recipe: Cheesy Green Beans
Courtesy of ohmyveggies.com
Green Bean Almondine (green beans and almonds) is a classic combination, so try this twist with a pesto made with almonds.
Get the recipe: Green Beans with Lemon Almond Pesto
