If you’re on the fence with green beans, then try these delicious blistered green beans with pesto! When you blister green beans at a high temp, the beans turn crispy and caramelize, which enhances their sweetness and adds a nice smoky flavor. Fresh pesto is such a yummy compliment to these blistered green beans since it adds a bright herby and garlic flavor.
It only takes 8 minutes to blister green beans — and it's so easy to do! You simply cook the beans on on medium-high heat, while occasionally flipping, until they blister and turn tender.
Fresh, homemade pesto is so simple to prepare, too. You just pulse together fresh basil, garlic, parmesan, pine nuts, and olive oil in a food processor until somewhat smooth — and that's it. Of course, you may use your favorite store-bought pesto if you prefer, but if you ask us, it's not quite the same.
These blistered green beans with pesto are wonderful side for anytime of year. We love making when green beans are in season with fresh basil. Each serving is 4.6 net carbs.
How to Blister Green Beans
To start, you'll wash the green beans and trim the ends as necessary. It's important to completely dry the green beans since that is critical for blistering.
After, you'll heat the avocado oil in a large skillet of over medium-high heat. We recommend using avocado or coconut oil since they have a high smoke point. Once the oil is hot, you'll add the green beans and spread them about in a single layer so they are not overlapping. If it's difficult to fit all the green beans in the skillet without overlapping, then you'll need to cook the beans in two separate batches.
You'll cook the beans, without touching, for about 2 minutes, until the beans begin to blister. Then, you'll toss the green beans to blister the other sides. Simply follow the same process of letting the beans cook, undisturbed, until they begin to blister. As soon as the beans are tender and well blistered, then remove from heat. From start to finish, the beans typically are done cooking in 8 to 10 minutes.
ABOUT STORE-BOUGHT PESTO
As mentioned, you can use store-bought peso in this recipe if you prefer. That said, it can be hard to find a decent store-bought pesto, which is why we prefer to make it at home. In our experience, most store-bought pesto tastes mediocre (at best) since it can be too salty, or the flavor is off, or it may not even taste like real pesto.
But that’s not all — most store-bought pesto is made with subpar ingredients like sunflower oil, glucose syrup, potato flakes, or basil flavoring. Sunflower oil typically replaces olive oil (as it’s much cheaper) and is usually one of the first ingredients in store-bought pesto. Sunflower oil is highly processed and refined and can have higher levels of trans fat. And, when processed, the oil becomes stripped of its nutrients. Therefore, it’s best to minimize or avoid the consumption of sunflower oil when possible.
Because of this, we recommend checking the ingredients before purchasing pesto at the store. A good store-bought pesto should be made with basil, extra-virgin olive oil, cheese, garlic, pine nuts and salt. Be aware that high-quality pesto will be more expensive, but it’s definitely worth it!
Recipe FAQ
A half cup of green beans is only 3 net carbs, which makes them keto and low-carb friendly. Plus, they're full of antioxidants and high in vitamins C and K.
Homemade basil pesto is low carb and keto friendly since it's just made with olive oil, basil, garlic, pine nuts and parmesan. Most store-bought pesto is usually low in carbs, but it's best to check the net carbs and the ingredients before purchasing. As mentioned above, some pesto sauces include subpar ingredients like glucose syrup, corn starch and sunflower oil.
Absolutely! Blistered green beans and other blistered veggies go well with a variety of sauces, including Asian-inspired sauces, herby sauces (like chimichurri or salsa verde), or even cream sauces (such as an aioli or a yogurt blend).
Other Low-Carb and Keto Side Dishes
Here are other low-carb and keto side dish recipes you may enjoy:
- The Best Keto Broccoli Salad: This keto broccoli salad is the best! It's made with broccoli, almonds, red onions, cheddar cheese, bacon and a creamy dressing. Yum!
- Thai Cucumber Salad: Thai cucumber salad, known as ajad, is a quick-pickled cucumber relish that is deliciously spicy, tangy, sweet, and refreshingly crunchy. Our low-carb and keto Thai cucumber salad is similar to an authentic ajad — but with a few minor adjustments to make it low in carbs.
- 5-Minute Keto Spicy Bok Choy: This 5-minute keto spicy bok choy packs a ton of flavor and uses the microwave to steam to perfection. The spicy soy dressing is made with soy sauce, sambal, ginger and olive oil. If you haven't had sambal sauce, it's very similar to sriracha but doesn't contain sugar. It's a quick and delicious keto weeknight side dish!
Blistered Green Beans With Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 pound organic green beans washed, dried and ends trimmed
- 1 ½ cups fresh basil loosely packed
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic as desired
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil for pesto
- ⅛ cup parmesan grated
- 1 ½ tablespoons pine nuts
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- Freshly squeezed lemon to taste optional
Instructions
- Make the fresh pesto: In a food processor, pulse basil, garlic, parmesan, pine nuts and olive oil until somewhat smooth. Season with salt if desired.
- Blister the green beans: Wash and completely dry green beans. Trim ends as necessary. In a large skillet, heat avocado oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add green beans and spread about in a single layer so they're not overlapping. (If you're unable to fit all the green beans without overlapping, then you'll need to cook the beans in two separate batches). Cook the beans, without touching, for about 2 minutes, until the beans blister. Then, toss the green beans and blister the other sides (by letting them them cook, undisturbed, for a minute or so before tossing again). As soon as the beans are tender and well blistered (about 8 minutes total), then remove from heat. Repeat above blistering process if cooking the beans in batches.
- Combine and serve: Combine the fresh pesto with green beans and top with grated parmesan and freshly squeezed lemon (if desired). Serve immediately.
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