Green Bean Recipes - Quick Dinner Recipes - HelloFres

French beans: If we're totally honest, it can be hard to tell French beans and string beans apart. It helps if you look at them side by side. French beans are a little longer and thinner, and they have a slightly different flavour.

Both are sweet, but French beans are somewhat milder than their cousins. This means they may be more suitable for kids who aren't keen on veggies.

Runner beans: Runner beans have a coarser texture and stronger flavour than other green beans. They're a bit more of an acquired taste, so leave them for the grown-ups.

Some runner bean recipes will ask you to take the beans out of their pods, and you'll find that they're a surprising shade of purple

Purple beans: You might find these at farmers' markets or fancy greengrocers. Don't be fooled by the purple colour, as they're the same as regular green beans in terms of flavour and nutrition! They certainly look good on the 'gram, though.

Don't overcook them: This is the number one mistake, not just for green beans but for all kinds of veggies and vegetarian recipes!

It's nice to have a little bit of snap to your green beans, so don't boil them for too long. In fact, you might want to try steaming rather than boiling to preserve those all-important nutrients better.

Give them a cold shower: As soon as you've finished boiling or steaming your green beans, run them under the cold tap. This may seem like a strange step, but it will keep the bright green colour. If you don't do this, you might find that they turn a dull grey, which nobody wants on their plate!

Try them in new ways: Many of us tend to just serve a pile of green beans on the side of a plate - so why not ring the changes?

Our cal smart mushroom & green bean chickpea curry recipe is an unexpected delight, with green beans moving front and centre to make a tasty curry dish. You'll soon see these veggies in a whole new light!