My Spicy Garlic Ginger Green Beans have only a handful of ingredients and only take a handful of minutes to cook, so they’re an amazing last minute dinner side. I love that you can pair them with seared steak, glazed salmon or sautéed shrimp and that the recipe is truly effortless gluten-free cooking. This recipe also happens to be vegan on its own.
Being postpartum is a bit like having multiple personalities. I mean, one day you’re flying high, wearing your baby around a giant convention center and talking to the brands you’ve always wanted to work with…the next day you’re sobbing over the tone in a few rude emails you’ve received and you’re quitting your job…and then you’re ripping your husband a new one for asking you to be home in 45 minutes because there’s a basketball game on when you just wanted to meander around Trader Joe’s for hours without kids like a poser. But they’re all justified, right?
Speaking of basketball games (thought I was going to explain more about quitting my job, didn’t you?), I’m shocked “March Madness” isn’t a selection box on divorce forms. Just saying.
Anyways. Blogger me would totally have been on top of St. Patrick’s day. I have at least 3 green and minty recipes in my head dying to get out. But crazy me is going to go with “anything that has green in it counts” and give you a recipe for some extremely spicy ginger garlic green beans. We good?
Let’s talk green beans. More specifically, Spicy Ginger Garlic Green Beans. Yes, they’re a side dish. So here’s how you bulk them up into a meal:
- Over a grain with some seared salmon
- With roasted sweet potatoes and some grilled steak
- Sauteed with some shrimp
- Sauteed with chicken
- In a giant bowl with some quinoa, chickpeas and a dollop of hummus (I mean, this works for everything, right?)
So that’s a few ways off the top of my head. I’ve done it with the first two and they’re awesome.
When I say “super spicy” I mean this…they have so much flavor from fragrant garlic and ginger, and then suddenly you realize your mouth is full of heat. That spice is the Serrano pepper. You can use as much or as little of the pepper as you want, and because you add it in at the end of sautéing, you can start with a little and go up from there. But honestly, if you’re a spicy lover, you’ll be good with ½ of a small pepper.
I love these Spicy Garlic Ginger Green Beans though. A huge spritz of lime and lots of fresh cilantro really send them over the top. The more fresh, simple flavors you can layer with that heat, the better.
This recipe is really indicative of my cooking commitment at the moment: minimal. Big flavor, very little time. Almost zero effort, and can be paired with whatever else you have on hand. I hope you’re in a similar boat to me, because then you’ll truly love this too!
Ready to get cooking?
Spicy Ginger Garlic Green Beans
Recipe by Melissa @ Treats With A Twist
Serves 4 as a side
INGREDIENTS
4 cups fresh green beans (or a few large handfuls)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves
½ inch fresh ginger
½ Serrano pepper
1 lime
cilantro to serve
METHOD
In a large skillet over low heat, combine the olive oil and garlic (thinly sliced or minced) and let it get warm and fragrant (1 minute). Then use a microplane to grate in the ginger and add green beans, toss in the warm oil; put the lid on. Let the green beans steam and cook 6-8 minutes until slightly tender.
Turn up the heat a little to medium and sauté the green beans for another minute, adding your Serrano pepper (I thinly sliced mine, but you can mince it if you want) and a large pinch of Kosher salt. After this extra minute or so of sautéing, taste your green beans. If they are tender with a bit of a bite to them, then turn off the heat (otherwise sauté another couple minutes to desired doneness).
Squeeze ½ a lime over the green beans and shower with fresh cilantro.
Serve, enjoy!
NOTE
This is SPICY to me! If you like heat, then you’re good here. If you want just a hint of heat, start with just a couple slices of the Serrano pepper and adjust from there.
I love this served with some simple seared salmon! To cut the heat more, you can squeeze on more lime and serve on jasmine rice.
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