Whenever I make vegetables for my family, my mom always compliments me on the seasoning. She thinks that restaurants tend to make vegetables boring and I have to completely agree. Sure lemon and parmesan always taste great on roasted vegetables but it can get monotonous. And if you've been following along on my blog, you know that I hate boring. So today I'm keeping it relatively simple with this side dish but it's anything but bland. Sauteed green beans with parmesan crisps, caramelized shallots, mustard, and sumac come together to bring one balanced and delicious side dish.
Sauteed Green Beans with Parmesan Crisps
Ingredients
Parmesan crisps
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Green beans
- 1 lb green beans trimmed
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 8 shallots thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves smashed
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon sumac
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Season parmesan with black pepper. Place spoonfuls of the parmesan onto the lined baking sheet and spread the cheese into flat discs. Bake the parmesan crisps for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- Fill a large deep pan with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and season the water with a pinch of salt. Add green beans to the pot and cook for 4-5 minutes. The green beans should still be crisp. Drain the water and run the green beans under ice-cold water.
- Return the same pan to the stove and heat over medium heat. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the pan and add sliced shallots. Season with salt, stirring to combine. Continue to saute until caramelized, about 20 minutes. If the pan gets too dry, add about 1-2 tablespoons of water.
- Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and add crushed garlic. Saute until golden brown. Add back green beans to the pan along with capers, mustard, lemon zest, and sumac. Season the green beans, tossing to coat with all of the ingredients. Saute for another 2 minutes or until the green beans are hot.
- Remove from heat and transfer green beans to a serving platter. Break the parmesan crisps into small pieces and sprinkle on top. Sprinkle extra sumac and serve immediately.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
In an effort to transform green beans into a tasty side dish, I decided to incorporate as much flavor as I could...without overpowering the vegetable. My first idea was to make parmesan crisps. They add a wow factor to the dish and well, they're just fun!
Make the parmesan crisps by combining the cheese with black pepper and placing spoonfuls of the cheese onto a lined baking sheet. Make sure to line the baking sheet either with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat so that the cheese doesn't get stuck to the pan.
Bake the cheese at 400 degrees for about 3- 4 minutes or until golden brown. You don't want the cheese to get too dark or else it'll taste burnt.
Remove the cheese from the oven and let the crisps cool completely.
Meanwhile, blanch the trimmed green beans. We're going to blanch the green beans before sauteing them so that they cook quicker later on. Simmer the vegetable in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes. They should still be crisp; we don't want them completely soft since they're going back in the pan later on.
Drain the water and run the green beans under cold water to stop the cooking process.
In the same pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and caramelize the shallots under beautifully browned. The caramelized shallots will add a touch of sweetness to the sauteed green beans with parmesan crisps. If the pan gets too dry, add a touch of water.
Add the remaining butter to the pan along with the smashed garlic and brown the garlic cloves.
Then, add back the green beans along with all of the seasonings. Toss everything together, making sure to coat the vegetable with mustard, sumac, and lemon zest. Season the green beans but go easier on the salt than you normally would. We're going to finish the dish with parmesan crisps which are salty so we want to go lighter on the salt.
Plate the sauteed green beans, break up the parmesan crisps and sprinkle them on top. Go ahead and sprinkle extra sumac on there too for extra tanginess.
These sauteed green beans with parmesan crisps combine familiar flavors into one dish to result in one delicious side. It's sure to be a winner at any dinner!
For more side dish inspiration check out this bruleed cauliflower with chorizo breadcrumbs!
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