Green Beans with Caramelized Pecans

Green Beans with Caramelized Pecans is an easy and delicious way to use fresh beans.

My favorite fresh vegetable is green beans.  Ever since I was a child and it was the only vegetable I would eat, they have been at the top of my list.  We grow lots of green beans in our gardens so that we can eat them as much as we want during the summer.  We struggle to time it so that all of the beans don’t end up ready at the same time.  My husband usually ends up walking up and down the neighborhood street giving them away!

You can of course pick up fresh green beans at the grocery store or the local farmers market.  These beans come together quickly and are so delicious.  You are going to want to make them over and over again like we do!

I put the beans into boiling water for about 5 minutes first to help them get tender.  You want them tender enough but not too tender.  No soggy green beans allowed!  I like mine with just a little bit of snap still in them but not crunchy.  Tender but firm.

I have found that you can better find this tender but firm perfection in a bean by boiling them for a short period of time and then quickly running them under cold water to stop the cooking process.  Saute some red onion in  butter and add in some sugar and pecans and stir until pecans begin to caramelize a bit.  Add the  beans into the mixture and salt and pepper to taste.  So yummy!  Stir until beans are heated through, just a few minutes.

For more yummy green bean recipes try these:

Garlic Ginger Green Beans – Hazelnut Balsamic Green Beans –  Chinese Style Green Beans