Healthy Recipes/ Recipes/ Vegan/ Vegetables

Sesame Soy Green Beans

A wildly addictive + simple and satisfying vegetable side dish recipe of sesame soy green beans.

I dare you to make these and refrain from eating every single green bean out of the pan, before you even put them on a plate.

That may sound weird, considering this is essentially a vegetable side dish, but trust. My friend’s mom is Filipino, and she would make these green beans for us while we were in high school and college. She’d place the pan on the table and we’d gather around, eating every last sesame-soy glazed green bean straight out of the pan; there was never a need for a plate. My friend eventually taught me the recipe, and it’s morphed over the years into this one, though I love it just the same as her mom’s version. It’s actually a miracle that they made it onto a plate for these photos…

I tend to get really excited about veggie-centric recipes that require little effort (one pan), include only real ingredients, and can be made super quickly for a snack or a speedy meal.. this one has it all.

This is a very simple recipe, which allows each of the ingredients to shine. These green beans are a fantastic side dish, and they’re also satisfying enough to be served over rice as a meal – but good luck getting that far.

Sesame Soy Green Beans

Print Recipe

Serves: 2-4 Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb (0.45 kg) green beans
1 tbsp (15 mL) chili oil (or coconut oil, or your cooking oil of choice)*
1/4 cup (60 mL) water
1/4 cup (60 mL) soy sauce or tamari
1 tbsp (15 mL) lime juice
1 tsp (5 mL) honey
1 tbsp (15 mL) toasted sesame oil
Sesame seeds

Instructions

Trim the ends of the green beans and rinse them thoroughly. Set aside to drain in a colander, or on a clean dish towel.

In a small bowl, whisk soy sauce, lime juice, and honey.

Add oil to a large skillet and heat over medium.

Once the oil is hot, add the green beans and allow them to crisp up a bit, tossing them around.

Pour in 1/4 cup water and allow the green beans to steam for 3 minutes, uncovered. Most of the water should evaporate out of the pan.

Add the soy sauce, lime juice, and honey mixture and cook until the sauce thickens a bit and glazes the green beans, about 2-3 minutes.

Drizzle with sesame oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and enjoy!

Notes

*If you don't have chili oil, you can add a sprinkle of spicy red pepper flakes to the pan. You can also add Sriracha if you wish. Serving suggestions: over brown rice, as a side dish, or straight out of the pan