I love me some Trader Joe’s. I don’t always love the quality of their produce but it’s hard to pass up a 2 pound pack of pre-trimmed haricot verts. Tonight, I wanted to eat some buttered green beans but I didn’t want to boil water. Could I be any lazier? Don’t answer that.
Plus, Mark Bittman and Harold McGee advocate microwaving veggies over steaming because nuking veggies delivers better color, texture, and vitamin retention – provided you watch it carefully. So in the name of science (and not laziness), I nuked my green beans to test their hypothesis.
Time to make Quick Nuked (Microwaved) Green Beans!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 pound green beans, trimmed (I divided the TJ’s bag in half and vacuum sealed the other half for later consumption)
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons ghee or unsalted grass fed butter
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Lemon juice and/or vinegar (optional)
- Handful of toasted slivered almonds (optional)
I put the greens beans and water in a covered glass container and stuck it in the microwave. I nuked it for 2 minutes on high, stirred things around, and then another 2 minutes and stirred things around. After that, I zapped the beans in 1 minute intervals to get the beans to the proper doneness (total of ~8 minutes) and drained the excess liquid.
I threw in 2 tablespoons of butter (use ghee if you don’t tolerate butter) and seasoned with salt and pepper. As a variation, you can add a squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar and/or some toasted slivered almonds.
Not bad considering the green beans weren’t pristine and I didn’t have to boil water or wash a pot. Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m exceptionally lazy.
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Quick Nuked (Microwaved) Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans trimmed
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons ghee or unsalted grass fed butter
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Optional Toppings
- Lemon juice
- Splash of vinegar
- Handful of toasted slivered almonds
Instructions
- Put the greens beans and water in a covered glass container and stick it in the microwave. Nuke it for 2 minutes on high, stir things around, and then nuke for another 2 minutes and stir things around again. After that, zap the beans in 1 minute intervals to get the beans to the proper doneness (total of ~8 minutes) and drain the excess liquid.
- Throw on the butter and season with salt and pepper. You can also squeeze a bit of lemon juice, a splash of vinegar, and/or some toasted slivered almonds.
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