Balsamic Braised Green Beans are a quick, easy, and healthy side dish. For this braised green beans recipe, fresh green beans are seasoned with thyme, braised with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, onion, black olives, and topped with toasted pine nuts.
These balsamic braised green beans are a nutritious, flavorful twist on a classic holiday side dish! Seasoned with Mediterranean-inspired herbs and spices, they’re ready with minimal prep time and a total time of under an hour.
Plus, they’re crisp, crunchy, and so tasty your guests will forget they’re actually good for them, too! Prepare them for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or simple weeknight meals.
What Does It Mean to Braise Green Beans?
How to Make the Best Braised Green Beans
What You’ll Need
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – This is used to sauté the veggies, enhancing their flavor and adding a boost of healthy omega fats.
- Aromatics – Minced garlic cloves and onions add a sweet, pungent taste.
- Water – This helps steam and soften the ingredients as they cook. Vegetable or chicken broth or chicken stock would also work!
- Oranges – Use both the juice and slices.
- Balsamic Vinegar – Adds a rich, sweetness.
- Maple Syrup – Technically optional, this enhances the sweetness of the balsamic and orange juice.
- Black Olives – Kalamata olives work, too. Or, feel free to omit them if you’re not a fan.
- Green Beans – Fresh green beans are best! Frozen varieties can also be used. Just make sure they’re thawed first, and note that their texture may be slightly different than fresh varieties.
- Herbs and Spices – Kosher salt, black pepper, and fresh thyme enhance the savoriness.
- Toasted Pine Nuts – We toast them ourselves, but you could also use pre-toasted pine nuts.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Sauté. Heat the oil in a large pot or saucepan or saute pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the garlic and onion just until fragrant.
- Caramelize. Add the orange juice and maple syrup (if using), and continue to cook for an additional few minutes.
- Add the veggies. Add the olives to the pan along with the water, and cook until the olives begin to soften. Then, add the green beans, salt, pepper, balsamic, and an extra ½ cup water or so.
- Cook. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the green beans are tender.
- Toast the pine nuts. In the meantime, toast the pine nuts in an oven or toaster oven just until they’re golden brown. Be careful not to burn!
- Serve. Garnish the green beans with fresh thyme, orange slices, and toasted pine nuts, and enjoy warm.
How to Store and Reheat
- Store: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container, and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Warm your green beans in a skillet over medium heat. Or, transfer them to the oven, and warm them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-10 minutes or just until heated through. Be careful not to let them burn!
Common Questions About This Braised Green Beans Recipe
Boiling or braising is typically the best way to prevent green beans from becoming stringy as the cooking process is fast.
Some people prefer to soak green beans a few hours before cooking to speed up the process, but it’s not necessary!
You can if you want, but it’s not necessary as the stem ends are completely edible. Trimmed green beans are often simply more visually appealing!
This recipe pairs wonderfully with a variety of main courses such as roasted turkey, whole chicken, shredded chicken, lamb chops, or air fryer salmon.
More of Our Favorite
Gluten-Free Side Dish Recipes
Balsamic Braised Green Beans
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Upgrade a classic side dish with this Mediterranean-inspired, sweet and savory balsamic braised green beans recipe in less than an hour!
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup light olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup water
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
- 1 cup whole black olives
- 1 cup water, divided
- 1 lb green beans, trimmed
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 to 4 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme
- Fresh orange slices
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add the garlic and onion and cook until tender or 4 to 6 minutes. - Pour the orange juice and optional maple syrup into the pot. Cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes
- Place the olives and water in the pot and cook for 5 minutes on medium-high heat until the olives begin to soften.
- Add the green beans, kosher salt, black pepper, balsamic vinegar, and ½ cup more of purified water. Cover and reduce heat to medium until green beans are tender or about 18 to 22 minutes.
- While the green beans are cooking, toast the pine nuts. Preheat the oven to 400F and place aluminum foil on a baking sheet. Place the nuts evenly on the prepared pan and toast in the oven for a few minutes or until golden brown (be careful not to burn). Set aside.
- Once the beans are cooked, place them in a serving dish or keep in the pot.
If serving in a dish, add about ½ cup of the sauce from the pan and the olives. - Garnish with fresh thyme, orange slices, and toasted pine nuts before serving.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition per serving with the braised sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 143
- Sugar: 4 g
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Fiber: 2.5 g
- Protein: 1.6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Delicious. The recipe is easy to make; yet, the dish looks like you spent all day making it. I loved the flavors and it was a great side dish to my Thanksgiving meal. Thank you!
Oh I’m so glad you thought so too! Thanks for the feedback Tina 💕
Green beans aren’t just for the fall–I eat them all the time! They are so delicious and nutritious! You can’t beat that!
YUM!!!!
These green beans looks so delicious!! Great for Thanksgiving too!
Thanks Tieghan!
I love Mediterranean flavors and YOU!
Also, I am so green beaned out because of the CSA and the twenty pounds in my fridge and yet, I want to try this recipe. I love the idea of braising the veggies and the addition of olives and pine nuts: sheer genius.
Dammit, why don’t you live next door? This is a travesty.
Dammit it right. If you were my neighbor, I’d sprinkle some feta on top and bring it over with a bottle of wine. ?
I want these with every meal!
I shall deliver!
Wow, looking really reallllly good!
Looks delish…love the combo of textures and flavors AND it’s pretty. DO have a question, what kind of black olives?
I just used whole black olives. But you could use marinated if you want even more flavor. Does that make sense?
I quite enjoy a green bean . . .or plate full. Would have never thought to do olives and balsamic — you’re so creative!
I’ll serve you a plate full any day!
Wow, this recipe looks great!
Thanks friend.
Green beans are my fave!
Likewise my foodie twin!
I am loving the idea of eating these green beans on Thanksgiving instead of that icky casserole. I’m just not a fan of that! Loving your new photos!
I love amping up traditional dishes into something new. I hear ya on being far away from the family. I didn’t see mine during the holidays last year which was especially hard just coming out of a major surgery. It’s hard being far away, but we make the best of it and send our love through good food!
These sound so delicious!! I could eat the whole bowl myself!
This would be a perfect side dish for the holidays!
Vegas would LOVE this! She loves her some green beans, and is basically an olive whore.
Also, I think we should hang out and bring our moms. It sounds like we’d all be BFFs… and be super well-fed.
These green beans will be the perfect addition to our Thanksgiving table Lindsay! I love your combination of ingredients here. I caught your IG story with the bear!! YIKES!
Thanks Mary Ann! Hope you enjoy them. <3