Green Beans With Lime and Red Onions

Name: Green Beans With Lime and Red Onions
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 pound green beans, stem ends trimmed; 3 tablespoons water; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling; 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 1 1/4 teaspoons ground coriander; 1/2 teaspoon fine sea or table salt, more to taste; Pinch of crushed red pepper; Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime; 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced; 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, parsley or mint

By Melissa Clark

Updated Nov. 21, 2024

Green Beans With Lime and Red Onions — Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Total Time: 20 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Rating: 5(132)
Comments: Read comments

Snappy and bright, these green beans are ready in minutes and full of tangy lime, garlic and coriander. The streamlined technique makes these very easy to do in one pan. Just add the beans and a little water to the skillet to steam them. Then, after the water cooks off, add the oil and aromatics and sauté until the garlic turns golden at the edges and the beans absorb all of the flavors. These beans are great both warm and at room temperature, so feel free to make them a few hours ahead, and garnish with herbs and onions just before serving.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

1pound green beans, stem ends trimmed
3tablespoons water
2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
4garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1¼teaspoons ground coriander
½teaspoon fine sea or table salt, more to taste
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
½red onion, thinly sliced
½cup chopped cilantro, parsley or mint

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Combine green beans and water in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring and shaking the pan, until the beans are bright green and the water has evaporated from the skillet, 3 to 6 minutes.
Step 2
Raise the heat to high and add the olive oil, garlic, ground coriander, salt and crushed red pepper. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the green beans are just cooked through but still crisp-tender.
Step 3
Stir in the lime zest and the juice of ½ lime. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or lime juice, as needed.
Step 4
Slide the green beans onto a platter and top with red onion and cilantro. Drizzle with more olive oil. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Ratings

5 out of 5

132 user ratings

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Comments

Kyle7 months ago

It was fine. I'd recommend adding the onions to the pot with the beans right before the end, instead of just putting them on top raw.

Chris B.7 months ago

Put the sliced red onions in a bowl with salted water to soften their bite before adding to the beans.

Anne from CT7 months ago

You could prep the beans ahead of time - trim the beans, then steam to al dente, plunge into ice water and drain until dry. Then proceed with the recipe from step 2. As red onions can be either sweet or blow your head apart strong, slice them VERY thinly ahead of time with a mandolin.

JH12 hours ago

I blanched the beans separately, and then finished cooking by sautéing all ingredients together. Absolutely delicious. Never thought that a simple green bean dish could be as zesty and flavorful as this! I think using freshly ground coriander made a huge impact.

Scott1 day ago

Pickled red onions!!

tracy morgan5 months ago

I needed more time with the my beans in the water and more water too.

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