These lemon garlic green beans look as good as they taste. Brightly coloured, crisp yet tender green beans are served in a buttery garlic sauce that takes just minutes to cook. The whole thing is topped with crispy Italian breadcrumbs called pangrattato.
They’re light, a little bit tangy, and loaded with flavour, perfect for a weeknight dinner side or alongside a holiday meal. And they’re not just any old green bean recipe; what makes these garlic and lemon green beans extra special is the flavourful crunchy breadcrumbs on top.
You’ll want to eat the breadcrumbs straight off the spoon — they are so good I usually add them to my hasselback butternut squash too. Try that side dish recipe next!
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Ingredients you’ll need
Jump to the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.
- Green beans: The star of your garlic lemon green beans — choose brightly coloured fresh green beans that are firm to the touch, with no blemishes, for the best flavour and texture.
- Oil: Used to sauté the garlic to create a flavourful base for the sauce. You can use olive oil, vegetable oil, or whatever you usually use.
- Garlic: The pungent flavour of minced garlic complements the beans perfectly.
- Chilli flakes: For a subtle heat that balances out the richness of the butter in the sauce. Feel free to adjust the quantity used to your taste.
- Salted butter: Adds flavour and a creamy texture to the lemon garlic sauce. I like salted here so I only need to add a pinch of sea salt before serving.
- Lemon zest from fresh lemons brings a bright and citrusy taste that cuts through the richness of the butter and garlic. You won’t need the lemon juice.
- Sea salt flakes: Enhances the overall flavour of the lemon garlic green beans and pangrattato topping.
- Pangrattato: These crispy homemade Italian breadcrumbs with garlic pair so well with the beans. It comes together with stale bread, garlic, oil, sea salt, and fresh parsley.
How to make lemon garlic green beans
From start to finish it will only take you about 15 minutes to make garlic and lemon green beans. Once you get the beans going, you can work on the pangrattato while you wait. The sauce should only take a few minutes more, then all that’s left to do is assemble.
Jump to the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.
1. Cook the beans
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the beans and cook for 3 minutes, allowing the water to come back to a boil.
While waiting for the water to boil, make the pangrattato topping if you haven’t already, and prepare a bowl of ice and very cold water.
2. Cool
After 3 minutes, add the cooked beans to the ice water to shock them and stop the cooking process. Let them sit for a few minutes then drain and set aside.
3. Make the sauce
Using the same pot, heat the oil over medium then add the garlic. Cook for about a minute and stir in the butter and chilli flakes. Add the beans and lemon zest. Toss together and heat until warmed through. Transfer your lemon garlic green beans to a serving dish, top with the pangrattato, and enjoy!
Tips and tricks
- Timing is crucial for perfectly blanched green beans. Don’t overcook them as they can go from tender-crisp to mushy very quickly. The goal is a bright green colour and crisp texture — they should ideally still have a bite to them.
- When sautéing the garlic, be careful not to burn it as this can make the sauce bitter. There are so few ingredients needed to make these garlic lemon green beans, so any bitterness will be noticeable. Add the butter and chilli flakes as soon as it becomes fragrant to prevent this!
- The entire dish can easily be made ahead. The blanched green beans and sauce will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days, just be sure to store the sauce in a separate container. You can also store the pangrattato in a third container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Then, it’s a simple matter of heating the green beans with garlic and lemon sauce together until hot throughout, then scattering over the pangrattato and serving.
Storage
You can store any leftover lemon garlic green beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For the best texture, store the pangrattato and beans separately.
I typically avoid using the microwave to reheat these as the high temperature dries them out. Try gently reheating them in a saucepan over low heat on the stovetop instead.
The texture of the sauce will change if frozen and then thawed — not in a good way. Because this garlic lemon green beans recipe is incredibly quick and easy, I recommend simply making it fresh whenever a craving hits.
FAQs
Yes, you can substitute the pangrattato with regular breadcrumbs. You could try panko breadcrumbs with some melted butter and parmesan cheese mixed through.
The key is to blanch the beans until they are tender-crisp. Be sure not to overcook them! Once they turn bright green, immediately shock them in the ice water to stop the cooking process.
No. I like a bit of heat in my lemon garlic green beans (and find it works really well with the rich sauce) but understand that not everyone likes spicy food. You can omit it completely if you’d like, or adjust the quantity and use less. I suggest tasting as you go to determine whether it suits your preferences.
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Ingredients
- 450 g beans
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 42 g salted butter 3 tablespoons
- 3 teaspoons lemon zest
- pinch sea salt flakes
PANGRATTATO
- 65 g stale bread crumbs
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons oil
- pinch sea salt flakes
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- Deep large saucepan
- Frying pan / skillet
Instructions
- Bring a large pot, half filled with water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice and cold water.
- Meanwhile cook the pangrattato: Add the bread crumbs, garlic and oil to a small frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Cook stirring, for 4-5 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
- Stir in a good pinch of flaky sea salt, then immediately tip the crumbs out onto a plate to stop them cooking further. Wait a few minutes before stirring in the parsley. Set aside.
- Back to the beans: Once the water is boiling, add the beans and cook for 3 minutes, allowing it to come back to a boil again during that time.
- Transfer the beans to the ice water to shock them – this will halt the cooking process and keep their bright colour. After a couple of minutes, drain them.
- For the sauce: Wipe out the pot and add the 1 Tbsp of oil. Heat over medium heat for a minute, then add the garlic and cook for 45-60 seconds, stirring.
- Add the butter and chilli flakes.
- As soon as the butter has melted, add the blanched beans and lemon zest and cook for a further 3-4 minutes or until warmed through and cooked to your liking. Add a pinch of sea salt flakes and stir well.
- Transfer the beans and the lemon garlic butter sauce to a serving dish and scatter over the pangrattato. Serve immediately.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- Don’t add the pangrattato to your beans until you’re ready to serve. So, if you’re cooking the beans ahead of time, wait until serving to add the breacrumbs.
- Nutrition details are approximate only – scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
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