Garlic Green Beans with Cranberries
These garlic green beans with cranberries are what holiday side dish dreams are made of—bright, garlicky, with a pop of sweetness from those tart little berries. They come together in just 15 minutes, but they look like you spent way longer. Perfect for impressing guests without the stress (and delicious enough to make any time of year)!
Servings: 4 cups
Calories: 84kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans or haricot verts (French green beans)
- ½ cup dried sweetened cranberries
- 2-3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper or to your liking
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the green beans. Trim the green bean ends.
- Fill your saucepan with four quarts of water, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat.
- While waiting, measure out the cranberries, garlic, olive oil, and salt. Also, fill a large bowl with ice water for submerging the beans after boiling.
- When water is boiling, add the green beans and cook for 3-5 minutes over medium high heat. Drain well and immediately plunge the beans into a bowl of ice water. Let sit for a minute and then drain the beans again.
- Add the beans, cranberries, garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar together in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix well.
- This dish tastes delicious served either warm or cold. It’s even better the next day. Enjoy!
Notes
- Refrigerate: Store your garlic green beans with cranberries in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge. Keep ingredients separate for optimal freshness, mixing them just before serving.
- Freeze Option: Blanch the green beans and freeze them immediately in an airtight container or storage bag. They’ll stay fresh for up to 10 months. Thaw: To thaw frozen green beans, place them in the fridge overnight or leave them on the countertop until they’re fully unfrozen.
- Substitutions for Dried Cranberries - If you aren’t able to have any sugar or you’re just not a huge cranberry fan, here are other options to use in place of red berries in this recipe: small cherry tomatoes, pimentos, chopped pickled beets, tart cherries, red currants, pomegranate seeds, or raspberries.
- Savory Spice Suggestions - If you want to add more pizazz to the plate, feel free to use crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper, cracked pepper, toasted sesame seeds, or parsley with fresh lemon juice. Feel free to add as much garlic as you wish or none at all.
Nutrition
Calories: 84kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 154mg | Potassium: 293mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1019IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 2mg