Skillet Charred Green Beans with Goat Cheese Chipotle Butter
Updated Jul 14, 2021, Published Aug 04, 2018
Jump to RecipeThis Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read My Disclosure
Skillet Charred Green Beans with Goat Cheese Chipotle Butter takes green beans to a whole new flavorful level! Skillet charring is easier and faster than roasting! The perfect side dish for Grilled Tilapia with Tomato-Avocado Salsa.
The inspiration behind this recipe:
I’ve got a new way to prepare green beans for you that you’re going to love!
Remember how we all grew up on boiled vegetables? My mother boiled all the vegetables. All. The. Vegetables. To death. It’s a wonder any of us from that generation can even look at or eat a green vegetable.
We all got a little savvier over time about nutrition so began steaming vegetables because we learned too many nutrients leach into the cooking water when boiled and end up down the drain.
Then, we all got our gourmet on and roasting vegetables was all the rage. How life-changing was that to enjoy a roasted vegetable for the first time?
Meet the next level of vegetable preparation: Charring! More specifically, skillet charring!
How is charring different from stir-frying or roasting?
With charring, the vegetables are pan-seared at a high temperature with fairly dry heat and without moving them for a while until blackened in places. Just like this! Slightly caramelized with a smoky edge for green bean perfection!
Charring will occur during roasting, but skillet charring is faster and easier! Best of all, you don’t have to turn your oven on!
How to make Skillet Charred Green Beans with Goat Cheese Chipotle Butter:
- First, make the Goat Cheese Chipotle Butter. Silky, tangy, smoky goodness!
- Simply combine butter, goat cheese and chipotle powder in a mini food processor and blend away until it’s nice, smooth and slightly “whipped.”
- Wash and trim a pound of green beans. Be sure to dry them off the best you can. Water hitting hot oil will cause spattering.
- Then, char those babies! Heat a pan over high heat, add a little oil and add the beans.
- Spread them out as much as you can in a single layer so you’ve got plenty of green beans touching the super-hot surface of the skillet.
- Stir, add the garlic, reduce the heat a tad (charred garlic is never good) and cook a little while longer until they’re crisp-tender.
- Add the Goat Cheese Chipotle Butter… As much as you want, of course!
- Let that butter melt over the beans, stir and get at ’em!
Be sure to check out my other green bean recipes!
- Thai Sweet Chili Green Beans
- Roasted Green Beans with Tomato – Caper Relish
- Mediterranean Braised Green Beans with Tomatoes
- Greek Green Beans
Skillet Charred Green Beans with Goat Cheese Chipotle Butter
Ingredients
Goat Cheese Chipotle Butter
- 1 stick butter, salted or unsalted, softened to room temperature
- 2 ounces goat cheese, 1/2 of a 4-ounce log
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, if using unsalted butter
Green Beans
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound green beans, trimmed
- 3 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, or to taste
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Goat Cheese Chipotle Butter
- Combine ingredients in a mini food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Set aside.
Green Beans
- Heat a cast-iron skillet or saute pan over high heat for 2 minutes.
- Add the oil, heat to shimmering and add the green beans. Spread them out into a single layer, reduce heat to medium-high and cook 2 minutes without stirring or until beans begin to char.
- Stir, add the garlic, then cook 5 more minutes or until crisp-tender and evenly charred, tossing occasionally.
- Give the beans a light splash of the red wine vinegar and season to taste with salt and black pepper, to taste.
- Toss with the butter and stir until melty soft. Serve immediately.
Notes
- The Goat Cheese – Chipotle Butter can be made 2-3 days ahead of time.
- The butter can be made ahead and frozen. Wrap securely and freeze for up to 2-3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I don’t see where you used the red wine vinegar. Please explain.
Hi, Sue, Thanks so much for your question. Somehow one whole line of my instructions disappeared! At any rate, add a bit of vinegar at the very end. Do it to taste–some may not like a whole tablespoon of vinegar but I think it makes the beans pop. You can leave it out, too if you like. Thanks so much and sorry about that!