Ever see those skinny little green beans in the market? They’re a French variety of green bean, also known as haricot vert, or filet beans. Haricot verts are more delicate than regular green beans and cook up more quickly. This is a simple recipe in which you blanch the beans first, and then sauté them quickly in a little butter with onions and fresh garden herbs. If you can’t find haricot verts, you can use regular fresh green beans, just boil them a little longer.
Do you have a method of preparing haricot verts? Please let us know about it in the comments.
French Green Beans with Butter and Herbs Recipe
Use fresh herbs if available. If not, you can used dried, but use a quarter as much.
Add to shopping list
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound thin green beans (haricot vert), trimmed
- 1/4 cup red onion, chopped fine
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped fine
- 2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 Tbsp tarragon or basil, chopped fine
- 2 Tbsp chives, chopped fine
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Lemon wedges
METHOD
1 Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Boil the beans for 2 minutes. Plunge them into the ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. Drain the beans and pat dry on a cloth or paper towel.
2 Heat the butter over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan. Cook the onions until translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
3 Add the green beans and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
4 Add all the herbs and some salt and pepper and toss to combine. Cook for 1 minute more.
Serve hot or at room temperature, with lemon wedges.