Spicy Garlic Green Beans

One of my favorite memories from visiting my grandmother when I was little, was sitting on the back porch, snapping green beans fresh from the garden, and chatting about our day. Grandma would use some of the beans for dinner and the rest would be set aside to can for the winter. Grandpa was a Master Gardener and she was a Master Preserver. Nice combination, right? While this recipe for beans isn’t going to be canned for future use, they do make a lovely and quick side dish for any weekday dinner. Lightly sautéed with olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes, these beans have a spicy kick to them. Just like my Grandma!

These beans are fast, easy, delicious, healthy and go with almost anything! You can use this same recipe for broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, zucchini, carrots and even thick slices of onions to put on burgers! You may have to adjust the cooking time a bit to accommodate different thickness of veggies, but the heat from the red pepper flakes and the lovely bite from the garlic make these one of our favorite ways to prepare beans during the summer. I think Grandma would be proud!

Spicy Garlic Green Beans

Ingredients

1/2 lb. long green beans, ends snipped

1 1/2 TBLS olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 tsp red pepper flakes (you can add more if you want more spice!)

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add red pepper flakes and garlic. This will allow the flavors to infuse as the oil heats. Watch the garlic carefully. You don’t want it to burn. It can go from toasty to burned in seconds, so keep an eye on it! When the garlic is lightly browned, remove it from the pan using a slotted spoon. When all the garlic has been removed, add the green beans to the skillet. Stir to lightly coat the beans with the oil and pepper flakes. Saute the beans, stirring occasionally, until the beans are just heated through. Approx 2-3 minutes.