We’ve all been there. You’re in a mad dash to finish dinner and you reach in the freezer and grab a bag of microwave steamable veggies. You pop them in the microwave and nuke for 6 minutes, cut them open (and burn your hand on the steam), toss them in a bowl and sprinkle them with salt and serve them to your family. They’re great when you’re in a hurry to get (healthy) food on the table but…. where is the flavor? The texture is rubbery and the taste has a familiar hint of plastic. Today I’m sharing with you my favorite recipe for sprucing up that bag of green beans you have in your fridge or freezer. Plus, you can use this recipe for just about any kind of veggie you have on hand in your fridge.
Sweet & Spicy Green Beans
Let’s start with the green beans. Any kind will do but my favorite fresh green beans are Pero Family Farm’s organic green beans. They sell these at most grocery stores now and I’ve found them at Publix, SAMs and even The Pig! They’re already washed and snipped, so you waste no time prepping the green beans for cooking. What a plus!
Next, grab your ole’ trusty skillet and turn on the stove to medium-high heat. Add your butter and let it melt, then add your garlic and stir. Cook until your garlic becomes fragrant and your skillet should look something like this…
Toss in your green beans and give them a good coat in that buttery goodness! Let them cook for a couple of minutes so they can begin to soak up some of the butter-garlic flavor.
After your green beans have had a nice butter bath, add the soy sauce and crushed red pepper flakes. Remember a little goes a long way when it comes to the flakes. Here’s about how much I add just for a little bit of kick.
Close the lid, turn your beans down to medium-low heat and let your green beans simmer away for about 10 minutes. Use your digression as to how long your beans cook. If you like a crunchier green bean, cook for 8-10 minutes and remove from heat immediately to keep that crunchy texture you like. If you like your beans a little softer, cook for 10-15 minutes or until the beans reach the softness you prefer. After you’ve reached your desired green bean preference, remove from heat, plate, and serve immediately! Delish!
Sweet & Spicy Green Beans
Prep time: 0 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Ingredients
- 1 bag of fresh or frozen green beans
- 1-2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 2 tsp of garlic
- 2 tsp honey
- A pinch of red pepper flakes (As much or as little as you like)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place butter in a medium size skillet on medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
- Add the bag of green beans to the skillet stirring them to ensure they get a good coat of the garlic-butter mixture. Let the green beans cook for about 2 minutes.
- Next add the soy sauce and the red pepper flakes. Stir well and cover the skillet with a lid. Cook the green beans for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally and make sure that the skillet doesn’t run out of liquid. If the skillet looks dry, add a tablespoon of water.
- When the green beans look like they’ve softened (to your liking), add the honey and stir. Then add salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove from skillet and serve!
Kasie's Kosher Kitchen 