The 3-Ingredient Side Dish I’m Making All Summer Long

I once found myself with a ton of leftover pesto on hand after a culinary event, and I (of course) didn’t want to waste it. I started putting pesto on everything, and it quickly became something my clients loved when I was a private chef. They told me it made it easier to get their children to eat vegetables when they were covered in pesto.

These 3-ingredient green beans are a result of that experimentation. They come together in less than 20 minutes and are the perfect springtime and early summer side dish. They’re served at room temperature, so they’re great to make ahead to take to a barbecue or to tuck into a picnic basket.

This is also a great side dish to meal prep and have on hand to add to a quick meal—I love them alongside roasted chicken or salmon. Just make sure to take the beans out of the fridge for a bit and let them come to room temperature or heat them up slightly so they aren’t too cold for serving. 

Key Ingredients for Pesto Green Beans

I love to use haricots verts for this dish because I prefer a thinner, less fibrous, and more tender green bean. But any type of green bean will do, or yellow or purple wax beans, when they’re in season.

Pesto has tons of flavor and pretty much tastes great on everything. It comes in handy when you need to add flavor to something quickly. I like to keep it handy when I’m grilling and brush it on grilled veggies or proteins. For this dish, I love the ease of using Trader Joe’s Genova Pesto, but any other basil pesto will do, including homemade.

Adding aged balsamic vinegar to the mix offers extra acidity and is slightly sweeter and thicker than regular balsamic, but again, any will do. And finishing the dish with grated or shaved Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese adds a bit of salty, nutty flavor. 

How To Make My 3-Ingredient Pesto Green Beans

To make four to six servings, you’ll need:

• Salt, for cooking water
• 1 pound green beans or haricots verts, washed, ends trimmed
• 1/3 cup basil pesto
• 1 tablespoon aged or good-quality balsamic vinegar, plus more to taste
• Grated or shaved Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, for garnish, optional

Fill a large bowl with ice water and set it aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook until bright green in color and tender, 2 to 5 minutes, depending on how thick your green beans are. Transfer the green beans to the ice water to shock and cool them, then drain and set aside to come to room temperature.

In a large serving bowl, combine the pesto and vinegar. Add the green beans and toss to coat thoroughly. Season to taste with more balsamic vinegar as desired. Top with shaved or grated cheese, if using, and serve.

Make It Your Own

To change things up with this side dish, try these easy tweaks:

• Add some crushed toasted pine nuts for extra crunch
• Fill out the dish with cherry tomatoes, ciliegine mozzarella balls, or white beans
• Swap in asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, or even carrots for the green beans using the same cooking technique

Make It a Picnic