Green beans are super affordable. Green bean recipes are great because you can use canned green beans that last for a really long time. They’re shelf-stable so you don’t need to worry about keeping them cold or even heating them up when you want a snack. To top it all off, green beans are good for you!
Tired of just canned green beans with a little salt? We’ve got some great green bean recipes for you!
Keep it simple with these basic recipes.
Green beans with a nutty and butter sauce is simple to make and comes together quickly. The recipe is simple enough you can make it as a side with other food. It’s also filling enough you could eat it on its own.
Green beans? Check! Garlic? Check! Butter? Check! You only need these few ingredients to have silky garlicky green beans for dinner tonight! You don’t even really have to use butter- any oil will do. Drain a can of green beans really well, heat them up with some butter (or oil) and garlic powder (or fresh minced) and simmer for about 15 minutes.
When you mix green beans and cucumber, you get a variety of flavors. While this isn’t one of the green bean recipes you’ll see everywhere, it is a great recipe. The miso dressing is simple to make and you can serve this one cold in the summer!
Some people are so intimidated by hollandaise sauce they don’t even realize a packet of “hollandaise mix” is only around a dollar. Find it in the spice aisle. Make your green beans like you normally would and top with hollandaise sauce for a super simple recipe that tastes like it took hours!
Parmesan green beans are a hit with the kids. These come together just like garlic butter green beans. Add in the parmesan instead of the garlic or add garlic in too for another flavor!
Add some protein with these green bean recipes!
Green bean gratin is one of our favorite green bean recipes because it’s so simple. All you need is green beans and your favorite cheese. Really any cheese works with this dish because green beans are so versatile. Make sure you drain your beans well or use fresh ones so you don’t end up with a slimy mess!
The Pork-and-Green Bean Stir-Fry is so simple yet so filling. It tastes like takeout without the high price tag. Bonus? Pork is often one of the cheapest meats you can buy!
Whoever thought of Green Bean Lasagna is a genius! The recipe includes green beans, cheese and other veggies for added flavor. If you’re watching your carb count, this is the recipe for you!
Put chicken in a pan. Add green beans. Add cherry tomatoes sliced in half. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Cook until chicken is done. It couldn’t get simpler. This one-pan dish includes everything you need for a flavor explosion. Try one of our rice recipes to round out your whole dinner!
Southern green beans and small potatoes are cheap, simple and healthy. The dish makes a great side dish but can function as dinner when you need it too (when you’ve got too much month left at the end of your money).
It costs more to cool your house down when you have to turn the oven on in the summer. Still want to eat those green beans? Fire up the grill! With a little foil, you can cook your green beans right on the grill. Add some chips or liquid smoke to give them that extra grilled taste. Find a cheap steak on sale (the Dollar Tree has them!) and you’re good to go!
Try these fancy green bean recipes!
Pasta’s cheap, green beans are cheap and lemons are cheap. The Lemony Green Bean Pasta Salad feels like it isn’t cheap, though. The recipe puts a unique twist on your favorite picnic dish. It’s easy to make and you can make tons of it if you need to save some for later!
Try the Penne with Green Beans and Tomatoes if you want to make your pasta go a little further. Penne is a cheap pasta and you can often find tomatoes on sale. Bonus: since you’re cooking the tomatoes, they don’t need to be fresh to get the best flavor.
Green beans and shallots taste wonderful together. Put your green beans in a pan, add some oil and shallots and cook! You can adjust this recipe with any seasonings you like to add different flavors.
by MyRecipes
Balsamic Green Beans are one of our favorite green bean recipes because of how easy they are to make. You can make them from scratch or just use some store-bought balsamic vinaigrette.
Green beans with vinegar and hearts of palm is a truly fancy dish. The recipe looks and feels like you’re eating something expensive. Bonus: you can keep all the ingredients in your pantry!
Skillet Green Beans are simple but look and taste like you had to work hard on the recipe. You can create this basic recipe easily or you can DIY it to make it suit your tastes.
Feed a crowd for cheap with these green bean recipes!
Green Beans with Tomato Sauce offer you a side dish to pair with Italian food. Skip the costly salad and add a little tomato sauce to your green beans. Keep the ingredients in your pantry so you’re ready to make it even if you have unexpected guests coming over.
How could we forget one of the most beloved Thanksgiving green bean recipes? Green Bean Casserole isn’t just for November anymore! It’s an affordable recipe and is so easy to double or triple. In fact, it’s so popular that most grocery stores keep all the ingredients closeby. No more searching high and low for those crunchy onions!
The Green Beans with Citrus and Pecans dish might seem like it came from a gourmet chef, but it’s actually right from your kitchen. While the pecans are a little more expensive than most other ingredients on the list, citrus is affordable if you buy it during the right season. This can be a go-to summer picnic recipe everyone will be begging you for!
Martha Stewart knows how to do green beans (and just about everything else). Pickle green beans when you can get them fresh in season and you’ll have a crunchy snack all year long.
Mom on Timeout knows her nana is famous for her green beans. This recipe is unlike any other and will have your crowds coming back for more. Try this recipe the regular way the first time, but know that you’ll have to make doubles the next time you bring it to a family gathering!
That’s not all you can do with green beans!
Most people wouldn’t expect grapes and green beans in a pasta salad and that’s what makes this one of the most unique green bean recipes. It’s a quick recipe and is great for bringing a cold dish to a potluck!
Hamburger Helper is one of those things that you can keep around to make when you need a quick dinner. It’s an easy box dinner for you and your kiddos. Make it even better by adding some green beans. With any luck, they won’t even notice ‘em!
Add green beans to your potato salad. It bulks up the salad and makes more of it for everyone!
Remember when we got rid of those Ramen packets while jazzing up the Ramen? Save them. Mix your green beans with them for great flavors!
If you have fresh green beans, you can bake these cheesy green beans. The recipe is simple because it’s a one-pan recipe and it tastes like you had to put a lot more effort into it.
If you’re making homemade Chinese while trying to avoid takeout, add these green beans. They have a lot of kick to them but they also have a lot of real Chinese flavor!
Here’s how to get cheap green beans!
Even though buying green beans in the can is really affordable, there might be times when you just want fresh green beans. Some of our green bean recipes call for fresh green beans, but we’ll help you figure out how to do that on the cheap!
Green beans are one of the easiest plants to grow. They grow in many different areas and are ready for harvest quickly. Just a few seeds will get you so many yields! Consider container gardening with green beans if you want to grow them in the winter or you live in an apartment!
The best part? You can buy seeds with food stamps!
