Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, is the Queen of making the most flavorful dishes that are approachable and crowd favorites. This Green Bean Gremolata became my signature side dish through the holiday season. Green beans are a safe vegetable to serve as they pair with almost every dish and most people like them. Her preparation gives the beans a special elegance and blast of fresh lemon flavor with the earthiness of the pine nuts.

Ina’s recipe calls for heating the beans on a skillet just before serving, and then mixing in the gremolata. I sometimes will do this step, but often I will just boil the beans until tender, drain & pat them lightly dry, drizzle with olive oil and mix in the gremolata. Both ways are delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 lb French Green Beans, trimmed
• 2 tsp Garlic, minced (2 cloves)
• 2 tbsp grated Lemon Zest (2 lemons)
• 3 tbsp Fresh Flat-leaf Parsley, minced
• 3 tbsp Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
• 2 tbsp Pine Nuts, toasted
• 2 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper

To make the gremolata, toss the garlic, lemon zest, parsley, Parmesan, and pine nuts in a small bowl and set aside. This step can be done in advance and refrigerated.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the green beans and blanch them for 2 to 3 minutes, until tender but still crisp. Drain the beans in a colander and immediately put them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and preserve their bright green color. The beans can be cooked in advance but will need to be heated as per below.

When ready to serve, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Drain the beans and pat them dry. Add the beans to the pan and sauté, turning frequently, for 2 minutes, until coated with olive oil and heated through. Off the heat, add the gremolata and toss well. Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste and serve hot.