Pesto Green Beans

By: Unknown on 9/11/2013

Share it Please

I know, I know. It might not sound good at first. In fact, even I was a little hesitant to try them when my mom said that she wanted to make pesto green beans. But, trust me, you have to give these a try. Especially if you're bored with the same old green beans.

And I was bored with green beans.

A few weeks ago, my mom, sister, and I went to an apple orchard to pick apples. Along with the apples, the orchard grows lots of other produce including green beans. You can pick your own green beans for 88 cents a pound! Needless to say, we picked a lot of green beans. Like, five pounds of them. And one can only have sautéed green beans so many times before they get tired of them.

My mom first heard of pesto green beans when she took a vacation in Texas. She had dinner one night at my uncle and aunt's house and that was where she first had them. I don't know if she thought it sounded as weird as I did, but she tried them and loved them. Now, several months later, we finally got to testing the recipe out. We even took these to a picnic and all the adults loved them. The kids didn't, because they green beans, were, well, green. And vegetables.

Anyways, I recommend using fresh pesto. We used jarred from Trader Joe's the first time and they were good, but the second time around the pesto became bitter. Hmm... Not as good. I want to try these green beans with fresh pesto, but we don't have any fresh basil. And I'm just lazy. If you're up to the challenge, by all means, make your own pesto! I'm sure it'll taste even better.

about 1 1/2 lbs. fresh or frozen green beans
1/3-1/2 c. pesto, fresh or jarred
2 T. basil or regular olive oil
salt, to taste

1. Pulse your green beans in the food processor, until they look like they're french cut green beans. Do this in two or three batches.
2. Next, heat your oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
3. Add the green beans and stir around to coat with the oil.
4. Cover and cook for a few minutes, then salt to taste.
5. Cover and let cook for a few more minutes, about 6-7. When they're soft, but not mushy, remove from heat, salt some more if desired, and add the pesto.
6. Stir the green beans around and the pesto evenly coats the green beans. They're best served warm.

Inquiry of the Day:

Have you ever tried pesto green beans?

I'm not sure if pesto green beans is a normal thing, or if I'm the only one who hasn't heard of it before. ;)