Green beans gremolata – slightly charred green beans topped with pine nuts and a garlicy, zesty gremolata; an elegantly simple side for any dinner.
Green beans really are the unsung side of the vegetable world. I know when I need a quick side or there’s not enough green on my plate, I’ll just blanch some green beans, squeeze over some lemon and there you go.
But with just a handful of extra ingredients, you can do so much with green beans, including smothering them in a quick, homemade gremolata. It’s easy and incredibly flavourful – provided you’re a fan of garlic and parsley!
What is gremolata?
Gremolata is an Italian savoury, flavour-packed condiment made from parsley, garlic and lemon zest. Traditionally a dry garnish, it was typically used to add brightness and freshness to veal dishes (think osso buco), heavier dishes, or those that just need a little lift. Though today it’s quite often turned into more of a sauce with the addition of olive oil and used as a flavour boost for fish, pasta, soups, beans and vegetables.
Cook along with me:
Here’s What You Need
Start with the green beans, all you need is four ingredients:
- Fresh green beans – Any green beans will work, but if you can get haricot verts, the thinner green beans, get them. They cook in no time and are a little more crisp, a little more green bean-y.
- Oil – You just need a little here so that the green beans don’t catch while cooking over a higher heat; we’re going for just charred, not burnt.
- Salt – Just a little seasoning to help bring out the flavours of the green beans and the gremolata (which is not salted).
- Pine nuts – There’s just something about toasted pine nuts… you know? You can totally leave them out, but they bring an earthy kind of crunch, complementing the green beans and zesty gremolata.
Now, these are good just as they are. The green beans are sauteed hot and quick, so they cook to just tender in the middle while getting just charred on the outside, making them moreish in that way where you keep picking at them straight from the pan.
But spooning over freshly made gremolata adds a punchy zest that complements the simplicity of the sauteed green beans, and makes a simple side look all the more elegant. All you need for the gremolata is another four ingredients:
- Fresh parsley – You’ll need a bunch of fresh parsley that you’ll chop finely just before you need to serve the green beans. Sorry, no pre-prep here, we want the parsley to remain a vibrant green and taste fresh.
- Garlic – We’re using raw garlic in the gremolata, so get the freshest garlic cloves you can find so that it doesn’t taste acrid or hot. Use the finest microplane or grater you have to finely grate the garlic.
- Citrus – Here’s where you can go off-script because green beans go with most citrus. You need the zest and a couple of tablespoons of juice. Lemon is the classic go to for a gremolata, but seasonal citrus like blood oranges or tangelos are tasty alternatives.
- Extra virgin olive oil – You want the gremolata to be a little chunky still so you can spoon it over the green beans, so start with two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and mix it into your parsley mixture, and then decide if you need a bit more.
How to Cook Green Beans Gremolata
For this particular green bean recipe, we want the green beans to still be satisfyingly crunchy, so no blanching or ice baths are needed. Here’s how to make it:
- Toast the pine nuts and set them aside (try not to munch on them as you prepare the rest of the ingredients)
- Wash then trim the stem end off the green beans. Sauté them with a little oil and salt.
- While the green beans are cooking, chop the parsley, grate in the garlic and citrus zest of choice, then mix in the juice and oil.
- When the green beans are bright green and just charred in spots, remove them from the heat and onto a serving plate.
- Spoon on dollops of the gremolata and scatter over some pine nuts (if there are any left).
- Serve!
Serve green beans gremolata as a side to fish, chicken, meat and potato dishes.
Looking for Other Sides? Try These:
Green Beans Gremolata
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 250 g green beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Classic gremolata
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the pine nuts and toast, stirring frequently, until golden. These only take about 2 minutes and can burn quickly so watch them carefully. Empty out into a small bowl and set aside.2 tablespoons pine nuts
- Rinse, dry and trim the stem end off the green beans. To the same skillet, add and heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the green beans and cook, stirring every now and then, until they begin to soften and start to char in spots, about 8 to 10 minutes.250 g green beans, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt
- While the green beans are cooking, make the gremolata.Classic gremolata
- When cooked, transfer the green beans to a serving dish. Top with spoonfuls of the gremolata, scatter over some pine nuts, extra zest if wanted, and serve.
