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Simple ingredients come together to elevate a vegetarian side dish. These green beans with parmesan crisps and caramelized shallots, are tossed in a caper mustard sauce for a savory and delicious side.
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What makes this dish special
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. Serve it alongside a classic toad in the hole, savory beer risotto with sausage and gouda, or preserved lemon roasted chicken.
Ingredients
- Green beans: Also known as string beans or snap beans. You can also use haricot verts, wax beans, asparagus, or Brussels sprouts.
- Parmesan: Adds a savory, umami character to the green beans while adding a salty element.
- Shallots: A type of small onion with a mild flavor, which becomes sweeter once caramelized. You can also use regular onions if you prefer, using one small onion to replace the shallots.
- Capers: Add a tangy, salty flavor to the sauce.
- Stone ground mustard: A type of mustard that is coarsely ground, giving it a textured and rustic appearance. Dijon mustard or whole-grain mustard can be used as an alternative.
- Sumac: A reddish-purple spice with a tangy flavor, adding a citrusy note. If you can't find sumac, omit the spice.
Recipe
Sauteed Green Beans with Parmesan Crisps
Ingredients
Parmesan crisps
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Green beans
- 1 pound green beans trimmed
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 8 shallots thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon sumac
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 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 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. Finish with lemon juice, tossing to combine.
- 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 if desired and serve immediately.
Notes
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Bake parmesan crisps
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.
Step 2: Prepare green beans
Meanwhile, blanch the trimmed green beans. We're going to blanch the green beans before sauteing them so that they cook quickly later on.
Simmer the vegetables 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 vegetables 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 a delicious side. It's sure to be a winner at any dinner!
Make-ahead and storage
- Make-ahead: The parmesan crisps can be prepared the day before. Let them cool completely and store them in an airtight container overnight. You can also prepare the caramelized shallots the day before.
- Store: Keep leftover green beans in an airtight container in the refridgerator for up to 3 days. If possible, store parmesan crisps in a separate container to avoid getting soggy.
Frequently asked questions
While fresh green beans are recommended for this recipe, you can use frozen green beans in a pinch. However, the texture might differ slightly.
Yes, if you're not a fan of capers, you can omit them. The dish will still have plenty of flavor from other ingredients.
Serving suggestions
These sauteed green beans with parmesan crisps are simple enough to easily pair with many other main entrees. Here are some of my favorite meals to serve with the side dish:
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