These garlicky green beans with toasted breadcrumbs make a great weeknight and holiday side dish.
Every week I get green beans from Rodney Kawano Farm for our weekly salad and meals. Green beans aren’t known for their versatility but they make a great salad, sautee, and side dishes. With the holidays right around the corner, I want to share a staple, our garlic aioli green beans with toasted breadcrumbs. The tender green beans are smothered in a garlicky sauce then topped with toasted breadcrumbs for a wonderful textural contrast.
Ingredient Notes
- Green beans: also known as string beans or haricots verts, are in season from May to November. Look for fresh green beans that have a nice snap when broken in half. Pick green beans that vibrant, free of blemishes and mold and the pod should not be hard or dried out. Fresh green beans taste way better but feel free to use frozen. Avoid canned ones!
- Aromatics: I love using a combination of fresh garlic and shallot to bring more flavor to the sauce.
- Garlic aioli: I use a homemade garlic aioli and always keep a jar in the fridge. Feel free to substitute with store bought aioli or creme fraiche. Do add in about 4 more cloves of garlic if you use creme fraiche.
- Breadcrumbs: use plain breadcrumbs without any seasonings. You can use store bought breadcrumbs or make your own.
How to Make Breadcrumbs
Use 3-4 day old bread. To make fresh breadcrumbs, tear about 4 slices of white bread into small pieces. Add them to the food processor and pulse until you get desired size. They will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a week.
How to Bake the Breadcrumbs
Toss breadcrumbs with olive olive. Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F 10 minutes on the middle rack. Every oven works differently. Keep an eye on it and take it out at 8 minutes if they have browned too much.
How to Cook the Green Beans
- Blanch the green beans in salted boiling water until they’re just tender, about 7-8 minutes. Depending on the size and shape of your green beans, blanching cook times can vary a bit. Then shock them in iced water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
- Make the sauce by sauteing shallot with olive oil until fragrant. Add garlic and let it cook for another 2 minutes. Whisk in garlic aioli and cook for another 5 minutes until reduced.
- Toss in the green beans and season with sea salt to taste.
What to Serve Green Beans With
When ready to serve, transfer the green beans to a serving plate and top with toasted breadcrumbs. These green beans with toasted breadcrumbs go great with chicken, turkey, and salmon.
Make Ahead and Storage
- You can make the green beans a day ahead. Warm them up and top with toasted breadcrumbs right before serving so the breadcrumbs don't taste soggy.
- Refrigerate any leftover green beans in an airtight container for 2 days. Rewarm them in the microwave or in a skillet over medium heat for a few minutes.
For more holiday side inspiration: gluten free corn pudding, honey roasted hasselback butternut squash, harissa roasted carrots.
Garlic Aioli Green Beans With Toasted Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
- ½ cup breadcrumbs, blitzed to smaller crumbs
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound green beans, washed and trimmed
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ cup garlic aioli
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Garlic Aioli
- 1 large organic egg, room temp
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup canola oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Toss the breadcrumbs with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Spread breadcrumbs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the breadcrumbs for 10 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Add the green beans and cook for 7-8 minutes until tender. Remove the green beans and shock them in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
- In a large frying pan, add the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add shallot and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add garlic aioli and cook for 3 minutes until reduced.
- Add drained green beans and sea salt. Toss to mix well. Taste and season with additional salt.
- Transfer green bean mixture to a serving platter. Garnish with pepper. Top with toasted breadcrumbs. Serve immediately.
Garlic Aioli
- Put egg, garlic, lemon juice, and salt in a food processor. Process for 10 seconds until you get a yellow mixture.
- With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the canola oil through the feed tube in a steady stream, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Adjust seasoning to taste. Store aioli in airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
- You can make the green beans a day ahead. Warm them up and top with toasted breadcrumbs right before serving so the breadcrumbs don't taste soggy.
- Refrigerate any leftover green beans in an airtight container for 2 days. Rewarm them in the microwave or in a skillet over medium heat for a few minutes.
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