Pesto Green Beans
A delicious and nutritious two ingredient summer side dish recipe. Pesto green beans are so quick and easy to make, they can be on the table within ten minutes. Serve alongside your favourite main course, or enjoy as a light and healthy lunch or supper on their own.
I do love summer vegetables and fresh green beans are one of my favourites. Although it’s not quite summer yet, I found some green beans in my last veg box. So here’s a slightly out of season recipe to whet your appetite. The plus side is, that when green beans are in season, you’ll know exactly what to do with them.
Why Make Green Beans With Pesto?
Green beans are one of the easiest summer vegetables to prepare. A quick wash and trim, plunge them into some boiling water and job more or less done. Here are some reasons why you might want to add pesto.
- Delicious Flavour – Pesto is a flavoursome sauce with a creamy mouthfeel. It’s made with fresh herbs, nuts, garlic and optional cheese. When combined with freshly prepared and cooked green beans, it creates a savoury and appetising side dish.
- Easy To Make – Pesto green beans is a quick and simple recipe that you can make in less than ten minutes. All you need to do is lightly boil the beans, toss them with the pesto and serve.
- Eye-Catching – The bright green colour of the green beans and the specks of herbs and nuts in the pesto make for an appealing and colourful dish.
- Nutritious – Green beans are low in calories and high in fibre and other essential nutrients. By adding pesto to the dish, you’re adding protein and additional healthy fats and nutrients from the nuts and herbs.
- Versatile – You can serve pesto green beans alongside many main courses. However, they also work as a salad ingredient, added to pasta dishes for extra flavour and nutrition or as part of a buffet or potluck. Or why not try them on their own as a light lunch?
Green Beans
Green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are a type of vegetable that belong to the legume family. They’re native to Central and South America but are now widely grown and consumed throughout the world.
There are many types of green beans, over 130 varieties to be more precise. In the UK, the two most common ones are runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) and French beans (haricots verts). They’re typically green in colour, although you can get yellow and purple varieties.
Other common ones are American string beans aka snap beans and Italian flat beans aka Romano beans. In Southeast Asia, yard-long beans are a good substitute.
Green beans are usually harvested when they are young and tender, before the seeds inside have grown. They’re long, narrow and have a crisp, crunchy texture when raw. Try to get stringless ones if you can.
Green beans are a low-calorie and nutrient-dense food. They’re rich in fibre, folate, various minerals and vitamins A, C and K. Although you can eat them raw, they’re generally nicer and better for you when cooked. For best results, lightly boil or steam. They work well as a side dish, but are also popular as an ingredient in salads, stir-fries and casseroles.
Pesto Green Beans
Pesto green beans are pretty much what you’d expect from the name. Fresh green beans are lightly boiled or blanched to a tender, but still crisp texture. They’re then tossed into a green pesto sauce. The result is a vibrant and flavoursome side dish that’s perfect for nearly any occasion.
Make sure you use fresh green beans for this recipe. I’ve never tried any frozen ones that give you that lovely bite whilst still being tender. They tend to go either soft and mushy or tough and chewy.
Homemade pesto is the best, of course, but use whatever you have to hand. In case you need one, I have a lot of pesto recipes on this site – both vegetarian and vegan. If you’re catering for anyone with a dairy intolerance, make sure you use a vegan pesto.
I sometimes add a squeeze of lemon at the end, depending on what we’re accompanying the beans with. But it doesn’t really need it and more often than not I forget anyway.
The beans don’t freeze well, but you can keep them in the fridge for a couple of days. Just place in an airtight container and eat at room temperature or add to salads.
Pesto Recipes
- Basil & walnut pesto (vegan)
- Carrot top pistou with lemon (vegan)
- Garden weed pesto
- Parsley & almond pesto
- Watercress pesto
- Wild garlic pesto: two ways
How To Make Pesto Green Beans
This is such an easy dish to make, it doesn’t really need a great deal in terms of instructions. However, I’ve given them, just in case. This recipe for green beans serves four people as a side dish and two people as a light lunch or supper.
Step 1. Prepare Beans
Start by rinsing the green beans under cold water. Then drain in a colander.
Take a handful of green beans and line them up so that the stem ends are all facing the same direction. Using a sharp knife, cut off the stem end of the green beans, but don’t worry about taking the tails off. It’s quite trendy nowadays to keep them on.
Cut the beans in half, if liked. I prefer to keep French beans whole, but cut runner beans. Repeat with the remaining beans.
Step 2. Cook Beans
Pour enough water into a large lidded pot to give about a 3-4 cm (1 ½ inch) depth. Add the salt, then bring the water to the boil.
Once boiling add the beans. Place the lid on the pot, turn down to a simmer and cook for 4-8 minutes. How long you cook them will depend on the type and size of the bean. For French beans, they should be cooked through, but still retaining a bit of crunch. Runner beans are nicer if they’re a bit softer. Taste for texture and once satisfied drain the beans, but hang on to the cooking water.
Top Tip
The bean cooking water is sweet and nutritious. Avoid waste and don’t throw it away. Save it for soups, stews and sauces. Alternatively, just drink it.
Step 3. Make Sauce
Put two tablespoons of the cooking water back in the pot, which should still retain its heat. If not place over a low heat. Stir in the pesto until it’s thoroughly combined and you have a thick sauce. Add a little more water if needed.
Return the drained beans to the pan and carefully toss in the warm sauce, so as not to break them. Dish the beans up and eat whilst still warm or at room temperature.
Enjoy your delicious and nutritious green bean pesto.
Other Green Bean Recipes You Might Like
- Cypriot vegetable stew
- Gado gado: Indonesian vegetable salad
- Green beans with almonds & crème fraîche
- Korean glass noodles
- Spicy peanut butter noodles with green beans
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these pesto green beans, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or advice for preparing green beans?
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If you’d like more side dish recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Pesto Green Beans. PIN IT.
Pesto Green Beans
Ingredients
- 250 g green beans (9 oz) French beans or tender young runner beans
- 2 tbsp green pesto bought or homemade
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 squeeze lemon optional
Instructions
- Trim the stem ends of the beans, but don’t worry about taking the tails off. It’s quite trendy nowadays to keep them on. Rinse the beans and cut in half, if liked. I prefer to keep French beans whole, but cut runner beans.250 g green beans
- Pour water into a large lidded pot to about a 3-4 cm (1 ½ inch) depth. Add the salt, then bring the water to the boil.½ tsp sea salt
- Once boiling add the beans. Place the lid on the pot, turn down to a simmer and cook for 4-8 minutes. How long you cook them will depend on the type and size of the bean. For French beans, they should be cooked through, but still retaining a bit of crunch. Runner beans are nicer if they’re a bit softer. Taste for texture and once satisfied drain the beans, but hang on to the cooking water.
- Put two tablespoons of the cooking water back in the pot, which should still retain its heat. If not place over a low heat. Stir in the pesto until it’s thoroughly combined and you have a thick sauce. Add a little more water if needed.2 tbsp green pesto
- Return the drained beans to the pan and carefully toss in the warm sauce, so as not to break them. Squeeze in a little lemon juice, if liked. Dish the beans up and eat whilst still warm or at room temperature.1 squeeze lemon
These pesto green beans have quickly become a favorite. They are super flavorful and so easy to make. I love bringing them as a healthy side to Sunday night dinner with my family.
Thanks Katie. Glad you enjoyed the recipe. It’s my favourite way to eat green beans when they’re in season.
Wow! The pesto takes the green beans to a totally different level! So delicious and flavorful!
Yes, that pesto makes such a difference. It’s a simple recipe, but a good one.
So fresh and versatile! I used good quality store bought pesto but will make my own next time.
That’s the beauty of recipes like this Holly, you can make it super quick and easy or extra tasty by making your own pesto. Glad you liked it.
I recently tried the Vegan Pesto Green Beans and they were absolutely delicious! The green beans were perfectly cooked and had a nice crisp texture, while the pesto added an incredible burst of flavor that elevated the dish to a whole new level. I love that this recipe is vegan, yet still so flavorful and satisfying.
I do like a nice simple recipe that’s full of flavour. So glad you liked it Tavo and thanks for letting us know.
We loved this GREEN side dish, thank you!
Good to hear you enjoyed the pesto beans Jenn. Thanks for letting us know.