Natalie McLaury considers herself a bit of a hoarder when it comes to magazines. Never one to pass up a good deal on a subscription, it’s to the point where she now finds herself receiving a magazine in the mail several times a week. Most of the time, she rips out pages of recipes but fails to actually create the recipe in her kitchen. Not anymore! Join Natalie as she cooks the magazines.
By Natalie McLaury
I’ve said it many times before, but I have a bad habit of overlooking side dishes, especially when I’m only cooking for Ryan and I. I get too caught up in the main dish and am likely already anticipating my nightly dessert, that I usually depend on super easy sides (shout out for my beloved kale chips!) or omit them altogether. However, ever since making the raisin and pine nut asparagus out of Cooking Light, I’ve paid a little more attention to their featured side dish each month.
The July issue of Cooking Light featured green beans and offered four different variations, everything from citrus-nut to peppery-bacon. They all sounded good, but I opted to make the sesame-soy green beans, since I had all of the ingredients on hand. 
I liked that this side dish wasn’t particularly time consuming or complicated, meaning it wasn’t too difficult to make alongside of my main dish (a pasta dish, that evening). My slight mishap with burnt sesame seeds can be blamed on my inability to read the labels on my stove correctly, not the complexity of the recipe! Be warned, these green beans carry a bit of heat from the crushed red pepper. Omit or reduce if you’re sensitive to spice!
Sesame Soy Green Beans
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
A spicy, Asian-flavored green bean side dish
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) green beans, trimmed
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) dark sesame oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 tsp (1 ml) crushed red pepper
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lower-sodium soy sauce
- 1/8 tsp (.5 ml) salt
- 1/2 tsp (2 ml) toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add beans and cook for 5 minutes. Plunge beans in ice water and drain.
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat sesame oil with minced garlic and crushed red pepper. Saute for 30 seconds. Add green beans, soy sauce, and salt. Cook for 2 minutes, tossing frequently.
- Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Notes
- from Cooking Light July 2011
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: Asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 80
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Frequently Asked Questions
How spicy are these green beans?
The recipe uses 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, and the author specifically warns that the beans carry a noticeable kick. She recommends omitting or reducing the crushed red pepper if you’re sensitive to heat, while keeping the rest of the sesame-soy flavor profile intact.
Why do I blanch the green beans before sautéing them?
Boiling the 1 lb green beans for 5 minutes then plunging them into ice water cooks them through and locks in their color, so the final sauté (2 minutes in sesame oil with garlic, red pepper, and soy sauce) is just for flavor and heat — not to cook them through from raw.
These look and sound delicious.
This looks delicious! I love green beans with sesame, which I grew to love thanks to my favourite local Japanese restaurant.