How To Cook Frozen Green Beans
If you’re looking for an inexpensive side dish that is delicious, healthy, and super easy to make – frozen green beans are the best. In this post I’ll share How To Cook Frozen Green Beans on the stove that are perfectly cooked and taste delicious. This recipe is especially helpful if you’re looking for a simple way to cook green beans you have stored in your freezer from the garden.
How To Cook Frozen Green Beans
A simple side dish, these green beans cooked from frozen on the stove are so easy to make and a great way to enjoy garden produce all year long.
Ingredients
- 1 Quart Frozen Green Beans, unthawed
- 8 oz. Sliced Mushrooms, optional
- 2 Tbsp. Butter, plus 2 Tbsp. more if sautéing mushrooms
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 1 tsp. Real Salt
Instructions
- We love adding mushrooms to our green beans if we have them on hand. If you're adding mushrooms continue following instructions. If you're skipping the mushrooms, jump ahead to instruction number 3.
- In a medium sized pan add 2 Tablespoons of butter and heat on medium heat on the stove until butter is melted. Add 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms and sauté until cooked, about 10 minutes. Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside.
- In the same medium sized pan, add frozen green beans and 1/4 cup of water. Place a lid on the pan and steam the green beans on medium high heat for around 20 minutes. This will vary based on the variety of green bean you are using. Stir beans occasionally to break the frozen clumps apart. Pay attention to the amount of liquid in the pan. Add another 1/4 cup of water if needed.
- Once the green beans are no longer frozen, reduce heat to medium/medium low and continue steaming for another 10 minutes or until they reach your desired tenderness, stirring occasionally.
- After the green beans are cooked to your preference, drain off water and stir in 2 Tablespoons of butter, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the mushrooms if using. Return pan to the stove and turn heat to low to allow butter to melt and beans to stay warm.
- Serve green beans immediately with your favorite main dishes. Leftover green beans store well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The EASIEST side dish you will ever make!
We have been growing green beans in our garden for what feels like forever. When I was very little, I have lots of summer memories in the green bean row with my mom and brother picking away. The best part about growing green beans was that after picking them on a hot summer day we got to go into the cool air conditioning inside and snap beans while watching a movie. Many an episode of Little House On The Prairie was watched while snapping beans.
We continue this tradition to this day, it’s the only way to snap beans!
The only thing that has changed is the variety of green beans we grow. We started with bush beans like Blue Lake and Contender. These varieties can tend to get woody quickly so we decided to branch out and try a new variety one year. We opted for a vining variety called Vortex and it is now the only green bean we grow. A filet bean, Vortex is tender and freezes well. We put up close to 50 or more quarts every year and they make the best side dish for winter months when you need a fresh vegetable.
Key features that make frozen green beans delicious:
- Always FRESH! The taste of summer- especially if they are green beans from your own garden!
- Because they are fresh they are also crisp! I don’t know about you, but we actually prefer a slightly crisp green bean over the mushy ones in the can.
- Super customizable- We of course always add butter but we also love to add garlic, mushrooms, or bacon.
- An easy, healthy side dish especially for busy nights. Green beans go with almost any main dish so they’re simple to pull out of the freezer and make something everyone will love.
- Green beans are easy to grow too! Any gardener, no matter the space you have, can grow green beans. They are also easy to preserve by simply blanching and freezing them.
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Ingredients needed to cook frozen green beans-
- 1 Quart Frozen Green Beans (do not thaw!)
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 teaspoon Real Salt
- Optional: 2 Tablespoons Butter + 8 oz. Sliced Mushrooms
Step-by-Step instructions to cook frozen green beans on the stove:
We love adding sautéed mushrooms to our frozen green beans, so if you’re adding mushrooms it’s a good idea to sauté those before cooking the green beans. Begin by heating 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium sized sauce pan on medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add sliced mushrooms and sauté until tender. Once cooked, remove mushrooms from the pan and set aside.
Next add a 1 quart bag of unthawed green beans and 1/4 cup of water to the same pan. Place a lid on the pan and steam beans on medium to medium high heat for around 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to break up the frozen green beans and to make sure there is plenty of water in the pan so that the beans do not burn. Reduce heat to low and steam for another 5-10 minutes or until the green beans have reached the desired tenderness.
Once the frozen green beans are cooked, drain off excess water and stir in 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 teaspoon of salt. This would be a good time to stir in the mushrooms you previously sautéed or any other variations you choose to include. Serve green beans immediately with your favorite main dishes (like our Scalloped Potatoes And Ham pictured below!).
