This frozen green beans recipe makes a restaurant quality side dish with just a few staple ingredients. Your whole family will love this quick and easy side dish that’s fast enough to make on busy nights and delicious enough for holidays!
Frozen Green Beans Recipe
These frozen green beans are simply and deliciously seasoned with fresh garlic, Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Then they’re cooked on the stove top just long enough to create a juicy and tender bean with a slight crunch. Once they’re done cooking, they’re finished off with a little lemon juice and Parmesan cheese to add some depth of flavor.
This is one of my favorite easy side dishes. It’s yummy enough for Thanksgiving (or really any holiday meal), but also quick and simple enough to serve with a weeknight dinner. My family says this is the best string beans recipe, and they love it when I serve this side dish on busy weeknights.
Ingredients
Olive Oil: This is the fat that we’re using to saute the green beans. Feel free to swap this with your favorite neutral flavored cooking oil.
Green Beans: Frozen green beans are so easy and convenient to cook with. I look for haricot verts, because the thinner green beans have a better finished texture and are easier to cook evenly from frozen.
Garlic: This aromatic adds a ton of flavor quickly and easily.
Italian Seasoning & Onion Powder: Italian seasoning blend adds layers of different aromatic flavors, and onion powder adds a subtle sweetness.
Red Pepper Flakes: This optional ingredient adds just a hint of heat, without overpowering the other flavors in this dish.
Salt & Pepper: Salt enhances all of the other flavors in this dish, and the slight heat of pepper balances out the savory flavors.
Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice adds a bright, fresh flavor, and the acid balances out the more savory, aromatic flavors in this dish.
Parmesan Cheese: This cheese adds a savory, salty, and umami flavor that rounds out the flavor profile of this recipe.
Alternative Ingredients
To make the flavor richer, cook the green beans in half olive oil and half butter. For a delicious crunch, stir in some toasted sliced almonds at the end. If you like a bit of heat, swap the Italian seasoning and onion powder with Cajun seasoning.
How To Make Frozen Green Beans
Saute Garlic: Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes (if using), stirring until aromatic. (See the recipe card below for the full printable instructions.)
Add Green Beans and Seasoning: Add frozen green beans and stir to coat in the oil. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, and black pepper, stirring to mix the seasonings evenly.
Saute Green Beans: Increase the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the green beans are tender and slightly browned.
Garnish: Turn off the heat, drizzle with lemon juice (if using), and toss with grated parmesan until evenly coated. See the recipe card below for the full written instructions, including ingredient amounts, cooking times, and helpful tips, etc.
Should I Thaw Frozen Green Beans Before Cooking?
No, that’s the best part, you don’t need to thaw green beans before cooking them! It’s actually better to cook them from frozen, because thawing them first can cause them to have a mushy texture.
What Can I Add To Green Beans For Flavor?
Using a fat, like oil or butter, adds richness to green beans. Seasoning green beans with your favorite seasoning blend, like Italian seasoning, Cajun seasoning, or seasoning salt, is a quick and easy way to add tons of flavor.
How Do You Keep Frozen Green Beans From Getting Mushy?
To stop frozen green beans from getting mushy when you cook them, be sure to cook them from frozen instead of thawing them first. It’s also important to use a large enough pan so that they aren’t overcrowded, which can cause them to steam instead of saute.
How to Make Frozen Green Beans Crispy
The key to making frozen green beans crispy is cooking them at a high heat. There are a few methods you can try – roasting in the oven, air frying, and sauteing all work well as long as you’re using a high heat. You can also add crispy toppings, like toasted nuts or breadcrumbs, to add an extra crunch.
Flavor Variations To Try
Green beans are super versatile and take on different flavor profiles so well. Some of my favorites are:
- Asian-Inspired: Try using a mixture of soy sauce, sriracha (optional for a bit of heat), sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds.
- Balsamic Glazed: Drizzle sauteed green beans with a homemade balsamic glaze for a sweeter flavor profile. To make a balsamic glaze, whisk together 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar and 3 Tablespoons of honey together, then saute it until it reduces by half.
- Lemon: To increase the fresh flavor in this dish, you can add in lemon zest, fresh thyme, and diced fresh parsley.
- Bacon: Bacon bits add a delicious smoky flavor and a great texture variation with that crunch.
What To Serve With Frozen Green Beans
These make the perfect easy and delicious side dish for any occasion. You can serve these green beans for a holiday or a quick weeknight dinner – they’re so versatile. I love pairing them with this air fryer ham, a delicious Instant Pot pork loin, or our popular bottom round roast for special occasions. For an easy weeknight dinner, I love serving these with Crockpot chicken and noodles, some of this crispy panko chicken, or this popular garlic chicken pasta.
Storing And Reheating Leftovers
Let them cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, saute on the stove on medium heat until warmed through.
Keep In Touch
I’d love to hear what you thought of this recipe in the comments or on Instagram! @KeyToMyLime #KeyToMyLime
Side Dish Recipes
If you like this recipe, be sure to check out all of our other side dishes. Some reader favorites are:
- Green Bean Casserole with Bacon
- Microwave Baked Potato
- Mashed Potatoes without Milk
- Crockpot Green Beans
- Southern Green Beans
- Cajun Rice
- Velveeta Mac and Cheese
- Green Beans and Potatoes
BEST Frozen Green Bean Recipe
This frozen green beans recipe makes a restaurant quality dish with just a few staple ingredients. Your family will love this easy side dish!
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 pound frozen green beans
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)
- 2 Tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes (if using). Stir frequently while sauteing until aromatic (about 1 minute).
- Add the frozen green beans to the skillet and mix to coat them in the oil. Sprinkle in the Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until the green beans are evenly coated in the seasonings.
- Increase the heat to medium-high. Continue to cook and stir the green beans for another 7-10 minutes or until they are tender and slightly browned.
- Turn off the heat and drizzle the lemon juice over the cooked green beans. Add the grated parmesan, tossing everything together until the green beans are well coated.
- Taste and adjust seasonings with additional salt and black pepper if needed.
- Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1/6Amount Per Serving: Calories: 77Total Fat: 5.3gCarbohydrates: 6.5gFiber: 2.4gSugar: 1.8gProtein: 2.2g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
I hope you love this pan fried frozen green beans recipe as much as I do! It’s such an easy way to get a quick side dish on the table.
