Forget Steamed Green Beans: Cook Them This Way For Better Flavor And Texture

Let's be honest: sometimes green vegetables can be pretty boring. Maybe it's just a matter of convenience or the basic need to get vegetables in the diet without much effort, but too often veggies are just an afterthought. Steam them, microwave them in a bag, or throw them in a pot of hot, boiling water with a touch of salt and call it a day. But there's no reason you can't be just as creative with veggies as you are with any other side dish.

To that point, green beans are a vegetable that absolutely beg for creativity. Sure, green beans can be boiled, steamed in a microwave bag, or simply sauteed with garlic and clarified butter (the best kind of butter for sauteing veggies) in a hot pan. But there are so many other ways to add flavor without sacrificing this tasty vegetable's nutritional value. Roasting the beans is one great option, but another excellent way to cook them is by broiling them to add a smoky and charred flavor.

This process is actually quite simple. You just need to toss the beans with oil and salt, spread them on a baking sheet, and place that under the broiler for around a couple of minutes. Make sure to flip them halfway through and broil for another couple of minutes so they are evenly blistered, charred, and slightly crispy (but not burnt). 

If broiling is not an option, there is another method that can create a similar charred, smoky effect. This is a two-step process of blanching first followed by grilling. To blanch, drop the green beans in a pot of boiling salted water and let cook for a few minutes. You'll want to place the par-cooked green beans into an ice bath to stop the cooking process after. The beans can then go on a hot grill or cast iron pan until charred — this takes no more than a couple of minutes. You'll get the same charred and delicious result with a different method to get there.

Whether you broil or grill, know that it's not just the process, though. Seasoning really takes charred green beans up a notch. Consider a soy-based sauce with brown sugar and garlic, maybe adding some chili sauce and hot peppers to recreate P.F. Chang's popular green bean side dish. You can even go an extra step and top the beans with crispy onions when finished. Pair the blistered green beans with a side of lemon yogurt — a combination of Greek yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, and a basic mix of salt and pepper. Another option is to prepare a classic green beans almondine with blistered green beans and almonds toasted in butter. You can even wrap green beans with a bacon sash to really go one step further. Green beans are a simple enough side on their own, but the small amount of extra work it takes to broil them is totally worth your time to take this basic vegetable to a whole new level.