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
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 while it’s perfect for Thanksgiving, it’s a great side dish for any occasion. 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!
What You’ll Need
This easy Thanksgiving side dish is made with just 6 ingredients!
- Green beans – This recipe is made with fresh, not canned, green beans.
- Turkey or chicken stock – You can also use water to keep this vegetarian but the stock adds more flavor.
- Dry white wine – Any variety of dry white wine will work. Choose something you enjoy drinking.
- Garlic
- French fried onions
- Salted butter
- Salt and pepper
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!
Recommended Kitchen Tools
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Serving Suggestions
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.
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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!
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.
Notes
* If your beans are really skinny or if your flame is set too low, less of the cooking liquid will evaporate during the initial cook time. If more than a quarter cup of cooking liquid remains at the end of step 1, carefully drain it off, so that there is about a quarter cup left in the pan, then pick up with step 2.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 231Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 573mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 4gSugar: 7gProtein: 6g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Nutritionix and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.
For the step by step version of this recipe, check out the How to Make Garlicky Green Beans with Fried Onions Story.