A simple side dish, these Sautéed Green Beans with Cherry Tomatoes are a great way to add veggies to your menu. So fresh and full of flavor!
Buy some extra green beans for green bean side dishes all week long! Because after you try these Sauteed Green Beans with Cherry Tomatoes, you’ll also want to try these Sesame Green Beans as well as this Fresh Green Bean Salad with Asian Dressing.
I often think that coming up with side dishes is harder than the actual main dish. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to complicate things. So easy is always better.
These Sauteed Green Beans with Cherry Tomatoes are fast, delicious – and most of all, EASY! This is not a side dish that you’ll get overwhelmed by as you are trying to pull together everything else for dinner.
What You Need
- Fresh Green Beans – luckily, you can usually find these year round these days. See my notes below about substitutions.
- Butter – I use unsalted butter, and add in salt. If you use salted butter, skip the extra salt and just add it to taste.
- Sugar – I know this isn’t a typical ingredient for a vegetable side dish, but the sugar brings out the slight sweetness from the vegetables, especially the tomatoes. If your tomatoes are extra sweet, you could probably skip this.
- Garlic Powder – you could definitely use fresh, minced garlic instead, but the garlic powder is easy.
- Salt and Pepper – amounts are included, but I always like to add to taste.
- Cherry Tomatoes – you could also use grape tomatoes, which is what I usually use if using store bought tomatoes. You could technically dice a tomato and use that, as well, but it might get mushy on you.
- Basil – this adds a bit of freshness at the end. Feel free to use parsley, or any other fresh herb of your choice.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Do you have to trim green beans?
When you buy fresh green beans, there will be one end – the stem end – that is rough. You’ll want to trim this off before starting the recipe. It’s really easy – I just line up a few beans at a time and slice them all at the same time.
Can you use frozen green beans instead of fresh?
One of the things I love the most about this recipe is that the green beans are still crisp, but cooked at the same time. If you use frozen green beans, you’ll lose most of that fresh snap from the beans. So technically, you can, but I would definitely suggest fresh green beans. And I wouldn’t suggest canned green beans at all.
Do I have to add the tomatoes?
No! I love the burst of flavor, but if tomatoes aren’t your jam, or if you don’t have them, this recipe is great without them, as well.
More Easy Side Dishes
Glazed Carrots – this one is a family favorite!
Roasted Asparagus – you can never go wrong with roasted vegetables, and this Roasted Asparagus is no exception.
Creamy Baked Asparagus – a little different than the asparagus recipe above, but full of flavor.
Avocado and Tomato Salad – if you are a tomato lover, this one is for you. I love the different textures, and this just has so much flavor!
Herbed Tomato Salad – maybe the fastest side dish on this list, this is one that requires no cooking and is full of fresh flavor.
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Sautéed Green Beans with Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs fresh green beans trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 10 oz cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Place green beans in a large saucepan and cover with water. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer until the green beans are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain off the water and set aside.1 1/2 lbs fresh green beans
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the sugar, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are soft. Stir the green beans into the tomatoes and heat for another minute or two, until the beans are heated through. Stir in the basil and serve immediately.1/4 cup butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 10 oz cherry tomatoes, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Robin says
Thanks! This is a great healthy string bean recipe only I may try it with monkfruit instead of regular sugar
Deborah says
Thanks for the review, Robin – I’m glad you loved it!