Green Beans with Lemon, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts – Kalyn’s Kitchen

Green Beans with Lemon, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts are quickly stir-fried to to turn fresh green beans into a special side dish. And the addition of lemon, Parmesan, and pine nuts turns green beans into a gourmet treat!

PIN Green Beans with Lemon, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts to try it later!

When you’re writing a home cooking blog, you’re not only sharing your recipes with the world, you’re also documenting what you’re eating. And when I first posted this recipe for Green Beans with Lemon, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts, green beans weren’t something I cooked that often.

Then I discovered those lovely thin French green beans at Costco, which not only inspired me to make this recipe but also got me started growing my own green beans in the garden. And now years later I have more than 20 Green Beans Recipes on the blog.

But even with all those options, these recipe for green beans with lemon is one of the green beans recipes I use most, and I took some new photos and to recommend it for my Friday Favorites pick this week to entice you to try it. Of course, lemon, parmesan, and PINE NUTS! How can that possibly not be good?

If you’re a gardener and have green beans planted, before long you’ll have more green beans than you ever imagined, so let me recommend this way to cook them. And be sure to look after the recipe for more delicious ideas for green beans from Kalyn’s Kitchen and some of my blogging friends.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• fresh green beans, preferably thin French green beans
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• whole garlic cloves
• lemon juice (I use my fresh-frozen lemon juice)
• lemon zest
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Pine Nuts (affiliate link)

What if you don’t have pine nuts?

Pine nuts can be pricey if you don’t buy them at Costco, and lately Costco seems to be having a shortage at times. I think slivered almonds would be a great substitute in this recipe.

Can you use thicker green beans for this green beans with lemon recipe?

You can make this recipe with thicker beans or garden beans which often tend to be the thicker type, but you might have to slightly increase the stir-frying time.

Are Green Beans with Lemon, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts low in carbs?

Not only is this an amazing way to cook green beans, but these amazing beans have only 7 net carbs per serving.

How to make Green Beans with Lemon, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Trim beans into pieces about 2 inches long (and wash if you’re using garden beans.)
2. Putgreen beans in a bowl, cover with cling wrap (or a loosely-fitting lid), and microwave for 2 minutes.
3. While beans cook in the microwave, zest the lemon and squeeze the juice. Get the garlic and Parmesan ready and toast the pine nuts in a dry pan just until they’re barely starting to brown.
4. Heat the oil in a large wok or frying pan, then add garlic and cook about 1 minute, or until fragrant; then discard the garlic. Don’t let the garlic brown. (This is called “seasoning the oil.”) 
5. Add green beans and stir-fry over high heat until they’re just starting to brown, but are still slightly crisp. Taste one to see if it’s as done as you’d like it; thicker garden beans will take slightly longer.
6. Lower heat, add the lemon juice and stir to get that flavor mixed in with the beans; then turn off heat and sprinkle the lemon zest and Parmesan over the beans. 
7. Serve hot, sprinkled with toasted pine nuts.

Make it a Meal:

These Green Beans with Lemon, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts would be great with something like Baked Swedish Meatballs,Beef and Sausage Meatballs with Tomato Sauce, or Janet’s Easy Mustard Chicken for a low-carb meal.

More Ideas for Green Beans:

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Green Beans with Lemon, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts would be a perfect side dish for any phase of the original South Beach Diet and they’re low enough in net carbs for most any low-carb diet plan.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Side Dishes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This amazing recipe for green beans was first posted in 2007 and it’s been a hit on the website ever since! The recipe was updated with better photos in 2021 and it was last updated with more information in 2024.

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