Fresh haricot verts, skinny green beans boiled, drained, then sautéed in butter with onions, tarragon, thyme, parsley, and chives.
Ever see those skinny little green beans in the market?
They’re a French variety of green bean, also known as haricot vert, or filet beans. Haricot verts are more delicate than regular green beans and cook up more quickly.
This is a simple recipe in which you blanch the beans first, and then sauté them quickly in a little butter with onions and fresh garden herbs.
If you can’t find haricot verts, you can use regular fresh green beans, just boil them a little longer.
Do you have a method of preparing haricot verts? Please let us know about it in the comments.
French Green Beans with Butter and Herbs Recipe
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 10 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Use fresh herbs if available. If not, you can used dried, but use a quarter as much.
Ingredients
- 1 pound thin green beans (haricot vert), trimmed
- 1/4 cup red onion, chopped fine
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped fine
- 2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 Tbsp tarragon or basil, chopped fine
- 2 Tbsp chives, chopped fine
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Lemon wedges
Method
1 Blanch the green beans: Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Boil the beans for 2 minutes.
Plunge them into the ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. Drain the beans and pat dry on a cloth or paper towel.
2 Sauté onions: Heat the butter over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan. Cook the onions until translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
3 Add green beans: Add the green beans and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
4 Add seasonings: Add all the herbs and some salt and pepper and toss to combine. Cook for 1 minute more.
Serve hot or at room temperature, with lemon wedges.
