Garlicky Green Beans with Fried Onions
A simple side dish that’s impressive enough for a holiday table, these Garlicky Green Beans with Fried Onions are a great alternative to green bean casserole. Made with tender fresh green beans, crispy french fried onions, and buttery garlic, it’s a side dish that is hard to resist!
An Easy Thanksgiving Side Dish in just 20 Minutes
Green bean casserole with creamy mushroom soup is a staple on many Thanksgiving tables. But what about those of us who aren’t a fan of mushrooms or want a lighter alternative to a creamy soup casserole?
These Garlicky Green Beans with Fried Onions are the answer! They’re a much lighter version of green bean casserole, with no creamy soup or mushrooms in sight. Instead, this recipe focuses on a delicious garlic butter sauce made with stock and white wine and classic crispy fried onions to finish it all off.
This recipe comes together in just 20 minutes so it’s perfect for Thanksgiving. It is a great addition to my Thanksgiving side dish spread, alongside classics like creamy mashed potatoes (or sweet potato fritters if you prefer a pan-seared version), my famous cranberry apple stuffing served as a casserole or used to stuff your turkey, and my roasted brussels sprouts with almonds and feta (because we all like to pretend we’re eating healthy over the holidays)!
Besides Thanksgiving, I’ve found myself whipping these up when I was in need of a vegetable side dish because I almost always have all the ingredients on hand. When I claim a recipe is easy, I mean it! Basically, all you need to do is grab your pan, fry the green beans until cooked, then add your crispy onions. Make sure to add the fried onions, butter, and garlic just before the beans are fully cooked. Season to your liking, and dinner is served.
What You’ll Need for My Roasted Green Beans Casserole
This easy Thanksgiving side dish is made with just 6 ingredients!
I recommend using fresh green beans, but frozen green beans can also be used—just be sure to thaw and pat them dry before cooking. Use a combination of turkey or chicken stock with dry white wine. The wine adds depth, so choose a variety you enjoy drinking. Garlic and salted butter bring richness, while crunchy fried onions add a crunchy contrast. Check out my guide for cutting onions like a pro! Remember to season with salt and pepper to your liking.
Recommended Kitchen Tools
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Check out my Amazon shop to see all of my recommended kitchen tools.
- 12-inch cast iron pan with lid.
- Liquid measuring cup.
- Dry measuring cup.
- Measuring spoons.
- Cutting board and chef’s knife.
How to Make Garlicky Green Beans with Fried Onions
This easy side dish is ready in just 20 minutes!
- Cook the green beans. Add the green beans, stock and wine to a frying pan, cover and simmer for 8-12 minutes. The green beans should be just shy of the desired doneness.
- Cook off the remaining liquid. Remove the lid and turn up the heat to cook off the remaining liquid.
- Add the other ingredients. Reduce the flame back to medium. Move the beans to the edge of the pan and add butter to the center. Once melted, add the garlic and cook for a minute. Then add the fried onions and toss everything to combine.
- Serve. Season as desired with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Tips for Success
If this is your first time making garlicky green beans, here are a few tips to keep in mind.
- Use water or vegetable stock to keep it vegetarian. If you’re looking for a strictly vegetarian side dish or will have vegetarians at your Thanksgiving meal, be sure to use water or vegetable broth instead of turkey or chicken stock so it’s truly a vegetarian dish.
- Drain off any excess water. While I usually have just a quarter cup of water left by the time the beans are almost ready, if your beans are skinny or the flame is too low, you may have more. If you have more than a quarter cup left, carefully drain it so that there’s just a quarter cup left in the pan when you begin step 2.
- Don’t forget the salt and pepper. With so few ingredients and seasonings, this isn’t a recipe you want to skip adding salt and pepper too!
- Don’t cook the beans too long. If you sauteed the beans too long before adding the fried onions, you might overcook the beans and they will be soggy and dull.
Serving Suggestions for My Favorite Green Bean Casserole
The most important thing is to serve these garlicky green beans fresh and hot. They’re obviously perfect for Thanksgiving, next to your turkey, but since they’re ready in just under 20 minutes, I love them for weeknight dinners, too. Garlicky green beans pair well with everything from grilled chicken to pork chops, so you can add them to any meal that needs a vegetable side dish in a pinch!
How to Store
While these garlicky green beans are best enjoyed fresh from the skillet, if you have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. You may need to add some extra butter to prevent them from drying out.
Like this recipe?
Help us reach more readers like you by giving it a FIVE-STAR rating, leaving a comment, and/or sharing it on your favorite social channel!
Garlicky Green Beans with Fried Onions
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh green beans
- 2 cups turkey or chicken stock (or water)
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/2 cup french fried onions
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a lidded frying pan combine bean, stock, and wine. Cover and simmer over a medium low flame 8 – 12 minutes, until green beans are tender crisp, or just shy of desired doneness.
- Remove lid and increase the flame to cook off the remaining quarter cup or so of cooking liquid.*
- Reduce flame back to medium. Move the beans to the outer edge of the pan. Add butter to the center and allow to melt. Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute. Add fried onions, then toss everything to combine.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve while hot.
Recommended Kitchen Tools
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Check out my Amazon shop to see all of my recommended kitchen tools.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.
This is a lot like my own version of the green bean casserole: one pound each of fresh whole green beans and fresh sliced (or rehydrated) wild mushrooms, 1/2 cup white wine, 1/4 cup butter, 2 to 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 french fried yellow onion. Melt the butter in a heavy frying pan (I use cast iron) over medium heat, stir in the white wine (or sake or rice vinegar), add the green beans and mushrooms in layers, cover and cook for fifteen minutes. Remove lid and stir in the minced garlic, cook uncovered for an additional 5 minutes. Sprinkle the fried onion on top and give it a quick toss before placing it in a serving bowl. Enjoy! By the way, you can use half the amount of mushrooms if you prefer. AND Green bean casserole was never served at our house!
This recipe sounds awesome but I can’t use wine. What can I substitute?
Hi Joan! The best substitute for the wine is an equal part of veggie stock with a splash of white wine vinegar. I especially like champagne or white balsamic vinegar for this one. It will give it a boost of flavor with a bit of acid, that makes the beans taste so good. Hope you enjoy it!
– Renee
Different and delicious. The soupy greenbeans with onions are just too much with a Thanksgiving meal. This breaks up the “sauciness” of gravy and creamy foods.
Would it be possible to make this with olive oil instead of butter?
Yes, the flavor will be slightly different, but if you typically cook with olive oil instead it should be an okay swap in this recipe.
Renee
Im going to try thich receipe for Thamksgiving it sound delucious Fresh green beans and frebch omions looking tjank you for your recipr
This was extremely delicious! I’m writing this one down. I used very old champagne instead of white wine cus I didn’t have any and also ready made green beans which meant they came out a little soggy but it was still so good. Will be remaking with raw green beans next time!
Can’t wait to make these tomorrow – I was trying to imagine how I could have green beans and those yummy onions without such a heavy base. Voila!
My beans are actually frozen, instead of fresh, and I typically thaw them and then heat and season so they still have some slight crunch. I’m wondering if I should just reduce the stock/wine in a pan as not to cook the life out of my beans. If you see this and have any suggestions, I would love to know your thoughts!
Hi Kristin,
So sorry I didn’t see this before the holiday. I haven’t done this recipe with frozen beans, but I believe your intuition to reduce the stock/wine and the cooking time for your beans would be correct. How did they turn out?
Renee
I’m in my kitchen right now in Massachusetts making this recipe with my electric stovetop. No open flames. Started out with the 3 total cups of liquid between the wine and the stock, and after 10 minutes it seemed to have only cooked down to maybe 2.5 cups rather than the projected 1/4 cup. This was on medium heat. I kicked it up a bit and added 10 more minutes and there’s still quite a bit of liquid in there. The beans seem to still be firm so i haven’t ruined it yet. Are you on call?? lol
Oh no! Kelly, I definitely wasn’t on call, but I feel I should apologize as I just found this message in the junk folder. My first instinct was that your flame wasn’t high enough or your pan was too narrow to allow the steam to escape quickly. Were you able to rescue it?
Renee
Just tried this recipe, and seriously, where have they been all my life? It’s like the anti-green bean casserole, in the best way possible! No creamy soup, no mushrooms – just a killer garlic butter sauce with stock and white wine. And can we talk about those crispy fried onions on top?! Thanks for the flavorful upgrade!
You are so welcome!! As a kid I remember picking the fried onions out and eating only those. I hated the rest of it. This one was definitely created as an “anti-green bean casserole”!