How do you cook green beans?
Well, there quite a few ways, really: You can definitely steam them and serve them with potatoes or with a niçoise salad. Or serve them with trofie pasta and pesto – that’s always a winner! But the real question is – have you tried frying them? Sure, it’s a little unusual. But why not switch things up a little for fun?
The perfect vegetarian snack
Fried green beans are an easy idea for making a finger food for an aperitivo or a side dish for dinner. In fact, it’s an excellent way to get the kids to eat their veggies! In this case, the green beans don’t need to be steamed beforehand. Just bread them and fry them in hot oil to cook through. Obviously, fried green beans are delicious served hot – with just a little salt. Here’s our recipe along with some tips and tricks for making them to perfection!
Our recipe for fagiolini fritti (fried green beans)
Ingredients:
300 g green beans, 200 g water, 150 g flour, 150 g breadcrumbs, Peanut oil for frying
Method:
First wash the green beans carefully, dry and remove the ends using your hands or a small knife. Separately, prepare the batter by adding the water to the flour little by little, stirring continuously with a whisk to keep lumps from forming. (The water must be very cold and if you want a tempura-style fry, use sparkling water.) Bread the green beans first in the batter, followed by the breadcrumbs. Fry in hot peanut oil until golden-brown. Drain on paper towels and salt. Serve immediately. (Otherwise, the green beans lose their consistency.)
What to do if you have leftover fried green beans
If you make fried green beans and you have leftovers, just store them in the refrigerator in a container with a lid for up to two days. Use them in a salad to make it tastier and if you want to heat them up, put them in the oven for a few minutes on grill mode for some extra crunch. You can also use them to make a sort of fake parmigiana by alternating layers of fried green beans with tomato sauce, parmesan cheese and mozzarella. Then bake everything in a static oven at 390°F (200°C) for about 30 minutes.
Pairing tasty dips
To accompany the fried green beans, we suggest a classic mayonnaise, a delicate mustard or one of these ten creative ideas! Vegan mayonnaise is great, too – made without eggs using soy milk instead. Or perhaps a classic tzatziki sauce with greek yogurt!
Fried green beans
In this recipe, the green beans don’t need to be steamed before frying. Just clean, trim, bread and fry!
Breadcrumbs make fried green beans golden and crunchy.
The batter makes for a kind of tempura – just more crumbly, delicate and less crunchy.
You can make fried green beans without the batter by frying them simply in a pan with oil, but the result won’t be quite as tasty.
It's always fun to serve fried snacks with a variety of sauces!