Can you grill green beans? The answer is yes. These easy Grilled Green Beans are topped with Grilled Lemon adding a great twist for any grilled side dish.
I grew up on green bean casserole during the holidays. You know, made with canned green beans and a can of condensed mushroom soup. That heavy dish is not really my thing anymore. Instead I prefer fresh green beans cooked simply. And it doesn’t get much easier than grilling and keeping them fresh with some grilled lemon.
This is a great use for those summer garden green beans or and easy side dish for your holiday meals.
How to Grill Green Beans
Grilling green beans is very simple. You need a direct heat source (hot), and you need to stand by the grill to be sure they don’t burn. No need to blanch them first in water. The details:
- Prepare – Remove any stem that still exists on the green beans and then rinse. Be sure the green beans are dry before seasoning.
- Season – Coat the green beans in extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle kosher salt and coarse or freshly cracked pepper.
- Use Direct Heat – Place the green beans directly over the heat source. Because green beans are so narrow, place them perpendicular to the grill grates with long tongs. Alternatively you can add foil over the grate or use a specialized vegetable grilling basket (like this). These prevent the beans from falling through the grates.
- Added Flavor – Grill a lemon, halved, at the same time and squeeze over the finished beans as an added flavor element. Top with a small bit of finishing salt and serve.
How Long do you Grill Green Beans?
About 10 minutes tops – Stay by the grill and flip once after about 5 minutes making sure they don’t fall through the grates. Grill another 3 – 5 minutes and remove. That’s it for a flavorful easy grilled vegetable side dish.
Why Grill Your Vegetables?
This is the perfect side dish because you don’t need the oven or stovetop. You can cook them on the grill, leaving the oven for other things. And if you are already preparing other dishes on the grill, then it’s easy to add a little more to your grill.
Grilled Green Beans with Grilled Lemon Recipe
Grilled Green Beans with Grilled Lemon
Equipment
- Optional: Vegetable Grilling Tray
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans, stems removed and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
- 1 lemon halved
- 1 teaspoon Maldon finishing salt
Instructions
- Prepare grill for direct cooking using lump charcoal. Or for a gas grill, prepare two burners at medium high heat.
- On a large sheet tray, lay out green beans and coat in olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. Toss.
- Place green beans perpendicular to grate over direct heat for 5 to 6 minutes or until a slight char and then flip. Cook over direct heat another 3 – 5 minutes and remove.
- At the same time as green beans, place the two halves of lemon flesh side down over the direct heat and grill for 10 minutes or until slightly charred.
- Squeeze the lemon over the green beans, and the finishing salt. Toss and then serve with your favorite dish.
What to serve these vegetables with
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