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This simple, elegant recipe is a regular part of our Thanksgiving feast, but it's equally at home on a regular weeknight. Haricots verts are a slim, delicate variety of green beans that make this dish extra-special, but you can use regular green beans instead if you like.
Why we love this recipe
This simple, elegant side dish is a family favorite. It:
- Comes together in 15 easy minutes
- Goes with practically everything
- Feels special enough for the holidays, but is definitely doable anytime
What you'll need
Here's a glance at the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe.
- Haricots verts are slim, delicate, French-style green beans. They're available in lots of supermarkets, but if you can't find them, you can 100% use regular green beans.
- Sherry vinegar has a more complex taste than red wine vinegar, but you can use red wine vinegar instead if you like.
How to make it
Here's what you'll do to make this recipe. You can see all the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get the details in the recipe card below.
- Snap the tough ends off the green beans.
- Cook the beans in well-salted water until tender.
- While the haricots verts cook, mix up the vinaigrette right in the serving bowl.
- Toss it all together while warm, and serve!
Expert tips and FAQs
Haricots verts are just a slim, delicate variety of green beans. They're more nuanced in a lot of ways, from texture to flavor. They're worth seeking out for an elegant dish like this one — but it's fine to use regular green beans in this recipe if you can't find them.
Yes! You've got a couple of options.
(1) You can pop off the coarse end of each bean a day or two in advance, after which they cook up in just a few minutes. Make the vinaigrette up to a day in advance and leave at room temperature. Toss everything together just before serving.
(2) Or you can prepare the whole dish earlier in the day, leave it covered on the countertop, and serve it at room temperature.
Store any leftovers tightly sealed in the fridge for up to a week.
How to serve them
We love to serve this dish as part of our Thanksgiving feast (whether vegetarian or otherwise), but it's also great with main dishes like:
- Roast chicken (try this one, this one, or this one)
- Slow-roasted salmon
- Steak
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French Green Beans (Haricots Verts) with Shallot Vinaigrette
Haricots verts are thin, delicate French green beans, and they're worth seeking out for a simple, elegant side dish like this one. We love to serve these green beans at the holidays, but they're great anytime. They serve 12 at the holidays when there's a lot of other food around, but make the whole amount for a smaller crowd if they're a bigger part of the meal.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds (680 grams) green beans/haricots verts
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- A few good grinds black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Trim the coarse end from each green bean.
- Meanwhile, fill a wide, lidded pot or pan with 1 inch of water and two teaspoons of and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the trimmed beans, replace lid and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes.
- While the water comes to a boil, place the minced shallot in a wide, shallow serving bowl large enough to accommodate the green beans and pour in the vinegar. Stir to combine. Wait five minutes for the vinegar to take the bite out of the shallots. Then whisk in the mustard, salt, pepper and olive oil until well combined.
- Drain green beans and add to the serving bowl. Toss to coat green beans with dressing and serve warm.
Notes
- Haricots verts are just a slim, delicate variety of green beans. They’re more nuanced in a lot of ways, from texture to flavor. They’re worth seeking out for an elegant dish like this one — but it’s fine to use regular green beans in this recipe if you can’t find them.
- To make this recipe in advance, you've got two options. (1) You can pop off the coarse end of each bean a day or two in advance, after which they cook up in just a few minutes. Make the vinaigrette up to a day in advance and leave at room temperature. Toss everything together just before serving.(2) Or you can prepare the whole dish earlier in the day, leave it covered on the countertop, and serve it at room temperature.
- Store any leftovers tightly sealed in the fridge for up to a week.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 39Total Fat: 2.5gCarbohydrates: 4.1gFiber: 1.6gProtein: 1.1g
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