Worcestershire green beans are fresh green beans sauteed to a perfect tender crisp and wrapped in a flavor packed Worcestershire and shallot sauce. These green beans make a delicious side dish that is as versatile as is it easy. It comes together quickly enough for an average summer meal, but with a flavor that is perfect for your Thanksgiving dinner. If you are like me, they even make a delicious lunch all on their own. Read on for a few tips and tricks, or head to the recipe to try them yourself.
Originally appearing on the blog in November 2015, the recipe was last updated in August 2019.
Fresh green beans are a staple in many American homes year round. Whether you pick them from the garden in July or find them in a grocery store for your Thanksgiving menu, they are a familiar green veggie that can get boring at times.
I’m here to tell you that these worcestershire green beans are anything but boring. They are packed with flavor and should definitely be added to your dinner menu rotation.
The combination of worcestershire sauce, with its tangy, slightly sweet, umami flavor and the mild spic of shallot gives these worcestershire green beans a flavor combination that makes them almost addicting.
Making Fresh Green Beans
In my kitchen, there is no substitution for fresh green beans. They are easy to find and easy to prepare. Simply snap off the end that was attached to the bush and give them a light wash. If you prefer, you can go one step further and cut them into one inch pieces.
Once prepped, my favorite way to cook green beans is to saute them, while building a flavorful sauce in the same pan. I use this method for both this recipe and my Screaming Skillet Green Beans.
Worcestershire Sauce
For me, worcestershire sauce is one of those often overlooked, but oh so versatile pantry staples. It has the bite of vinegar, the sweetness of molasses, and the depth of fish sauce. I used to think it was just for party mix at the holidays, but my British husband has taught me that it’s for so much more!
I know now that it’s the perfect accompaniment for my Classic Lamb Shepherd’s Pie, a dash in Slow Cooker Bone Broth creates a deeper flavor, and I love it to energize a standard vinaigrette dressing. Using it with fresh green vegetables has become pretty standard around our house. These fresh green beans are no exception.
Shallots
If you aren’t familiar with shallots, it’s a vegetable in the allium family, similar to onion, garlic, and leak. It is much milder than a white onion and adds a mild garlic/onion flavor with a hint of sweetness.
Like onion, it will make your eyes burn and hands smell. To get rid of the smell, wet your hands and run them on stainless steel. The flat of your chef knife works well. I don’t know how it works, I just know that it does.
You can swap out for onion with a bit of garlic, but make sure to adjust the amount and finely mince so that it will cook quickly. A standard onion is between 2 – 3 times larger than a shallot, so use less than 1/4 of a small onion and a clove of garlic.
Tips and Tricks
In order to get that perfect tender crisp result, you should be using fresh green beans and a frying pan with a properly fitted lid. My favorite is my cast iron 12″ Everyday Pan by Lodge. Stainless steel works too. Try not to go smaller than a 10 1/2″ pan or the beans will be crowded, which can make them mushy.
The lid is important, because it traps the steam to helps the beans cook thoroughly. Once your beans are the desired degree of tenderness, remove the lid and turn up the heat to thicken the sauce. When done, the sauce should have a thick syrupy consistency that helps the shallots stick to the beans.
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Worcestershire Green Beans Recipe
Take your fresh green beans to a whole new flavor level with worcestershire green beans. Cooked to the perfect tender crisp texture and wrapped in a flavor packed Worcestershire and shallot sauce. An easy side dish ready in 20 minutes.
Try them with my Grilled Maple Mustard Chicken, Pork Chops with Mustard Shallot Gravy, a my Bacon Avocado Burger. For more great side dishes, check out my side dish collection.
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Worcestershire Green Beans
Worcestershire green beans are fresh green beans sauteed to a perfect tender crisp in a flavor packed worcestershire and shallot sauce. An easy side dish recipe ready in 20 minutes for a weeknight, but impressive enough for a celebratory meal.
Ingredients
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 1 small shallot
- 1 lb fresh green beans - washed and trimmed
- 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
- 3 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt*
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Mince shallot. Clean beans and trim ends.
- Heat a lidded skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and allow to heat for one minute.
- Add minced shallots, salt, and pepper. Cook 1 - 2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add green beans, Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, *salt, and pepper. Toss to mix, then cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until beans reach the desired degree of tenderness, about 12 - 14 minutes.
- Uncover, turn up heat and allow to cook 1 - 2 additional minutes to reduce the sauce. The sauce should become syrupy, coating the green beans and making the shallots stick.
Notes
If using a full sodium chicken stock or homemade with added salt, wait and add the salt at the end. You may not need any additional salt, depending on how much is in your stock of choice.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 135Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 510mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 4g
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.
Hi, can I substitute low sodium beef broth? I want to serve with a new York strip roast and fearful that chicken broth may be an odd flavor to go with beef.
Hi Beth!
You can substitute it, but your green beans will taste more like beef than green beans. Chicken broth has a less intense flavor than most beef broths, which can be overpowering to the green beans. You could cut the beef broth with half water to lessen its intensity or try a vegetable broth, which I would also cut with water as most of them have a tomato base that can be more prominent. If those aren’t appealing, you can swap the broth completely for water.
Personally, I’d do it with the chicken broth. I serve these beans with tri-tip and steaks all the time and most people can’t discern any chicken flavor in the beans.
Whatever you choose to do, I’d love to hear how they turn out with your alterations!
Renee
@Renee N Gardner, hi Renee I am going to go ahead and make with the chicken broth. I am no making them until December 11th (planning ahead for a dinner party). Will let you know afterwards how they turned out, thank you!
This looks like the perfect side dish!
Thank you Sues!
Yum! The green beans look amazing! I’ve never heard adding Worchestshire sauce on green beans, just on hamburgers. What a great idea!
Thanks Pam! I used to use it on just party mix at the holidays, but my British husband encouraged me to branch out and I’m so glad I did! It makes a really great sub for balsamic in salad dressing too!
Made these for Thanksgiving dinner. Had 17 people for dinner and everyone loved the flavor and texture. Received rave reviews! Filed this with favorite recipes.
I’m so glad to hear that everyone loved it!!
Has anyone made this with frozen green beans?
I have not, but I would image that they would work fine. The texture will be a bit different and you may need to adjust the cooking time, but if you are familiar with cooking frozen beans you can definitely use them in this recipe.
Now THIS is MY kind of recipe… Fast, Fresh and Full of Flavor! I make a similar green bean dish, but I excited to give the Worcestershire a try for a fun new twist.
What a lovely alternative to plain steamed beans! Worstershire sauce is such a flavour booster.
I certainly love Worcestershire sauce and have it handy in my pantry so I am sure I will love this delicious grean beans dish! Looks so very tasty!
It’s become a staple in my pantry. It’s one of those sauces that cannot be duplicated at home – I have tried and failed.
Renee, this recipe looks delicious. I cannot wait for my husband to cook it (I don’t cook). And I hop to meet you when you are in Kentucky over Christmas.
Karen,
Haha! I love that your husband will cook the recipes you find. I hope to meet you too! I’m sure I’ll be spending most of my time with Sarah and her babies, but who knows what else she will have planned.
These look great! My husband LOVES Worcestershire sauce on anything, so he’s bound to enjoy these 🙂
Haha! My boyfriend does too. He blames it on being British, but I think that’s just an excuse.
These look DELICIOUS! I needed this recipe last weekend when I was cooking green beans for a potluck. Recipe printed. I can’t wait to try this!
– Liz @ Downtown Demure
Sorry I missed it! Glad you saved it for next time.
I’ve never thought to add Worcestershire to green beans but imagine the taste is phenomenal. I will have to keep this on file for the future. Love it. Thanks.
Yes. Phenomenal is a fairly good word for it!
Oh Yum. I love green beans…. and Worcestershire sauce. But never had them together. I’m going to have to try this.
Let me know how they work out for you!
These look delicious and really easy! Might have to make an appearance this Thanksgiving!
I could probably eat just these for Thanksgiving.
Oooooh, YUM!! I love green beans cooked to the perfect crispness with a bit of flavor added. These look delish.
They have to have a crispiness to them! No canned beans here!
Have never been a fan of green beans but these look delicious & might make me a green bean eater!
These definitely have the power to convert. Just don’t use canned beans!
Oh these look delicious! I’m not sure if I like the taste of Worcestershire sauce, but I”m definitely willing to give it a try based on these pictures!
Shannon
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Thanks! Let me know how they turn out!