Green Beans with Lemon and Feta | with video! Recipe - Rachel Cooks® (2024)

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By: Rachel GurkPosted: 03/25/2015

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These green beans with lemon and feta are a refreshing, flavorful side dish but also make a great lunch on their own!

One of the things I look forward to most during the spring and summer months is heading to the farmers market or to local farms to pick up great fresh produce.In Grand Rapids, Michigan where I grew up, there are two amazing (huge!) farmers markets with endless amounts of whatever kinds of fruits and vegetables you could ever want. Breads, cheeses, and local honey also populate the farmers market in Grand Rapids. Where I live now on the other side of the state, I don’t have anything like that nearby. There’s Eastern Market in Detroit, but that’s a hike from where I live. There’s a smaller farmers market in my city but it has very limited hours and very few vendors. Thankfully, there are a few great farms nearby who sell freshly picked produce. One of which we can even walk to from our house!

One of my favorite things to buy from a farmers market is green beans.They just taste better when you buy them fresh from the market (I suppose most things do!). I don’t know what it is about green beans but when you buy them from a farmers market they always have a faint taste of dill. I just love that.

Lightly steamed, roasted or boiled, I don’t really care. The key is just barely cooking them so they’re nice and crisp still. The last thing you want is soggy green beans, especially when they are farm fresh.

These green beans with lemon and feta are honestly an amazing lunch, but they’re a great side dish too. They taste great hot, warm or cold, and are unbelievably easy to prepare.

Green bean fan? Make sure to check out my popular roasted green beans with Parmesan and basil or my green bean casserole!

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Green Beans with Lemon and Feta | with video! Recipe - Rachel Cooks® (4)

Recipe

Get the Recipe: Green Beans with Lemon and Feta

4.66 from 20 votes

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 10 minutes mins

4 servings

Print Rate Recipe

These green beans with lemon and feta are a refreshing, flavorful side dish or a great lunch!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh green beans, stem end snipped off
  • cup crumbled feta cheese (or to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper. to taste

Instructions

  • Put about ½ inch of water into a medium-sized sauté pan. Place over high heat and bring to a boil.

  • Add beans, cover and continue to cook on medium-high for 4 to 5 minutes or until fork tender but still crisp. Drain and return the beans to the pan.

  • Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil and toss to coat. Place green beans on a plate and sprinkle with feta and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  • Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 87kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 149mg, Potassium: 251mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 835IU, Vitamin C: 15mg, Calcium: 104mg, Iron: 1mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk

Looking for more vegetable recipes?Try: Marsala Roasted Mushrooms, Pesto and Cheese Stuffed Zucchini, Roasted Radishes with Lemon and Honey, Roasted Carrots with Thyme and Nutmeg, Sriracha Orange Glazed Green Beans from Simply Recipes, or Garlic Roasted Kale from Jeanette’s Healthy Living.

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Reader Interactions

Leave a Review

  1. Annie says

    These were divine ! I could have eaten the whole tray by myself. I had friends come to lunch and as life is chaotic at the moment I bought an easy cook kleftico lamb ( Waitrose just bung in oven!) These potatoes were delicious and so easy. I only used three large cloves of garlic. I covered with foil for first 45 minutes and uncovered for the second. Served with green beans and feta . Will definitely repeat the whole meal but especially the potatoes!

    Reply

    • Rachel Gurk says

      Yay! So glad you liked them! The whole meal sounds amazing!

      Reply

  2. amanda mcmahon says

    Green beans are super healthy and very versatileYea. I like what you did here.

    Reply

  3. Joanne says

    I am ALWAYS looking for new ways to eat green beans! This simple preparation with lemon and feta sounds so good!

    Reply

  4. Shawn Ann says

    I’m not a huge green bean eater, but that looks delicious! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  5. Ashleigh @Being Cheap is Easy says

    YUM! I can’t wait to hit up the Fulton St market again. We love green beans too. My little ones always sneak them out of the bag raw while we are grocery shopping. This would be perfect for Easter!

    Reply

  6. melissa says

    oh yum! i happen to have the ingredients in my fridge! i’m making this tonight!!!

    Reply

  7. Mary says

    This looks delish! I love feta cheese!

    Reply

  8. Malinda @countrysidecravings says

    These look great!! I agree that fresh green beans taste better and I too prefer them barely cooked and with a lot of crunch. Great recipe!!

    Reply

Older Comments

Green Beans with Lemon and Feta | with video! Recipe - Rachel Cooks® (2024)

FAQs

How to make Paula Deen green beans? ›

Add green beans to pan and sauté over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add boiling water to pan and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes, just until beans are tender. Add vinegar, butter and salt and pepper and stir.

Is it better to steam or boil fresh green beans? ›

Steaming is a simple way to cook vegetables, and it leaves the flavor and much of the nutrients intact. It's slightly healthier than boiling since fewer nutrients end up in the water. Plus, steaming requires little time and attention. A steamer basket is a great kitchen tool to have on hand.

How long does it take to cook green beans? ›

The key to the best beans is to master how long to boil green beans. Cook the green beans, covered, in a small amount of boiling salted water until crisp-tender: 10 to 15 minutes for whole or cut green beans. 5 to 10 minutes for french-cut green beans.

What is Paula Deen seasoning? ›

The ingredients listed in order are: "sea salt, granulated garlic, black pepper, granulated onion, ground cumin, and other spices". I have used the recipe listed on this site and included equal amounts of garlic powder and onion powder.

What to add to a can of green beans to make them taste better? ›

Pour the green beans and the reserved half of the canning liquid into a skillet. Add butter, onion powder, salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until almost all of the cooking liquid has evaporated. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Why add baking soda to water when cooking green beans? ›

Your Beans Will Cook Faster

Well, creating an alkaline (or basic) environment by adding a small amount (about 1 teaspoon per cup of dry beans) of baking soda to your soaking/cooking water can actually help your beans cook faster.

How to cook green beans Jamie Oliver? ›

Put a pan of salted water on to boil. Meanwhile, trim the the beans. Once the water is boiling, steam or boil the beans until tender. Drain well, then tip the cooked beans into the bowl with your dressing and toss everything together, making sure all the beans get coated.

Should you rinse canned green beans before cooking? ›

Even if you are not concerned about sodium, in most cases it's a good idea to rinse canned beans. Rinsing beans can improve the flavor and texture of the final dish and can help cut down on how much gas they produce.

Why are my steamed green beans tough? ›

It is usually a problem with beans that have been stored for a long time, or which have not been stored in ideal conditions (too hot, etc.), most often because of their age, so most simply call it 'old beans.

Why do green beans turn brown when steamed? ›

As the veggies hit the boiling water, volatile acids are released into the water and are carried away in the steam. When the pot is covered, the steam and the acids it contains are forced back into the water. Once there, the acids react with the chlorophyll in the vegetables, turning them an unsightly shade of brown.

Do I take the stems off green beans before boiling? ›

Before cooking, snap off the stem end of the vegetable. Some green beans come with this end already detached. If yours still have it, just snap off the very end of the stem of each bean—a great task for any helping hands in the kitchen.

How do you know when green beans are done cooking? ›

Cook covered until the beans are bright green and crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve.

Can you overcook green beans? ›

When properly cooked, green beans should still have a crisp texture, and a vibrant, bright green color. As discussed above, overcooked green beans can be identified by their drab, olive-green color and their mushy texture. Overcooking can also cause nutrient loss.

Do you season green beans before or after cooking? ›

After the green beans are boiled, remove them from the pot and strain them through a colander and then immediately pour them into your buttered pan. Season the green beans with salt and pepper.

How do I jazz up green beans? ›

The vegetable can be simply seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, or any of your favorite herbs and spices for additional flavor. Or you can go all out and create a healthier twist on the classic french fry by coating the string beans in a parmesan breadcrumb mixture.

Do fresh green beans need to be soaked before cooking? ›

Should I Soak Green Beans Before Cooking? Fresh green beans do not need to be soaked. To help tenderize the beans, blanch them in a large pot of salted water.

Should you soak green beans in water before cooking? ›

Here's a secret you may not know: You don't actually have to soak your beans at all. Just add them to your pot and plan on cooking your recipe for another hour or two beyond the usual cooking time. Keep an eye on the level of liquid, adding more water, broth or stock if the pot looks dry.

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