Green Beans with a Mountain of Panko is my latest statement side dish invention! Blanched beans smothered in a billowy tahini yogurt sauce piled high with a mountain of crunchy parmesan panko breadcrumbs. Easy. Make-ahead. Snack-worthy!
My latest green bean side dish invention
Todayโs dish has me deep in the throes of a green-bean-munching obsession. Itโs supposed to be a vegetable side, but to me itโs an enormous pile of snacking-worthy food that you literally cannot stop eating once you start.
Let me paint the picture for you.
Thereโs a good amount of unremarkable looking blanched green beans. (Nobody is jumping up and down at this stage.)
Theyโre smothered with a generous amount of billowy tahini yogurt sauce (people start to perk up). Then an enormous mound of golden salty parmesan panko is piled on top (people start gathering).
Then said people dig in. And they quickly realise that the sauce acts as a glue so you get a generous amount of parmesan-panko crunch with every bite of green beanโฆโฆ
If every vegetable side dish was this amazing, EVERYBODY would eat their greens!!!
Ingredients
Hereโs what you need to make your new favourite green beans recipe!
Green beans
Yes! You need green beans for this recipe!! ๐
whipped tahini yogurt sauce
This is my current favourite sauce that Iโve been using excessively on โeverythingโ, such as the recent Sweet Potato Steaks and Pan Fried Eggplant. โWhippedโ sounds fancy for a sauce that takes 20 seconds to whisk!! ๐ I use the name as a clue of the texture which is more light and fluffy than a basic yogurt sauce. Itโs almost like soft whipped cream.
Plain yoghurtย โ Not sweetened, and not flavoured.ย
Tahini โย Paste made with sesame seeds. Usually found in the health food aisle at grocery stores. Use hulled tahini (more common), not un-hulled which is darker and more bitter. The jar label will specify which it is. Use Chinese sesame paste as a sub if you have leftovers from other recipes Iโve shared, like thisย oneย or thisย one!
Lemonย โ For tangy lemon flavour.
Garlic โย Because it makes it tastier. Finely grate it using a microplane so you donโt have big lumps in the sauce.
CRUNCHY TOPPING
Parmesan and panko breadcrumbs fried up in olive oil until golden and crunchy. You know itโs gonna be good!
Panko breadcrumbs โ A Japanese breadcrumb favoured for the extra-crispy coating it gives crumbed foods. You can buy it at most big supermarkets (Coles, Woolworths) in the Asian foods section and Asian stores. Substitute with regular breadcrumbs if you canโt find it.
Parmesan โ Grate your own (better flavour) or use store bought pre-grated (the sandy type).
Olive oil โ For pan frying until golden.
How to make Green Beans with a Mountain of Panko
The recipe in my working files is articulately written up as:
Beans โ Boil, drain, cool, toss.
Tahini sauce โ Whisk, microwave 20 sec, whisk again.
Panko โ Mix, pan fry.
I did promise you easy! ๐ Here are step photos (and a few more words on each of those steps!).
Preparing & cooking green beans
Obviously pros should blow right past this section (or read it and share your opinions in the comments section below!).
Trimming โ Only the stem end of the beans needs to be trimmed but to do this, you need all the beans lined up in the same direction which is (speaking frankly) a pain to do. I only do that for company (and recipe photos ๐). In reality, I just grab handfuls, line one end up, cut, line up the other end, cut.
Boiling โ Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the beans, let it come back up to the boil (this might take 1 to 2 minutes) then cook for 2 minutes.
NO ICE! Drain the beans in a colander then run the beans under the tap for 10 seconds to stop them cooking further. There is no need to waste your precious cocktail ice on this step. Tap water is all you need!
Dry โ Spread the beans out on a tea towel and pat dry. Or, if you have the time, just leave them to air dry. We need to dry them else the oil wonโt stick and they will taste watery.
Season โ Put the beans in a bowl and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Temperature โ The beans can be used warm or at room temperature in this recipe, but not piping hot (else it makes the sauce melt).
Everything else
Golden panko โ Mix the panko, parmesan and olive oil in a bowl. Then toast in a non-stick pan for 4 to 5 minutes until golden. Let it cool before using.
Whipped tahini yogurt sauce โ Whisk the ingredients in a heatproof bowl just to combine. Microwave for 20 seconds on high, then whisk again. Watch as it transforms into almost like a softly whipped cream consistency! This can be used immediately, or set aside for a while (just microwave/whisk again if needed to loosen).
No microwave? Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with 1โณ/2.5 cm of simmering water. Then whisk โ as the mixture warms up slightly, it will transform into the whipped cream texture.
Assembling โ Pile the green beans on a large plate. Pour the Whipped Tahini Yogurt Sauce over then pile the panko on top. Then serve!
Proof of tastiness โ Look how happy I am!
Make-ahead dream
As mentioned from the outset, this dish came about because I was after a new green bean side dish that could be prepared ahead but with an element of โwowโ factor. Itโs coming up to holiday season, we can do better than plain steamed beans!! ๐
So the beauty of this recipe is that it can be entirely prepared ahead then assembled in a matter of minutes. Itโs a dish that is intended to be served at room temperature, so thereโs no reheating to be done.
Hereโs how to make ahead:
Beans โ Cook today, refrigerate overnight. Take out of the fridge and bring to room temperature, then toss in oil, salt and pepper just prior to serving (once tossed the oil starts to dull the vibrant green colour of the skin).
Whipped tahini sauce โ Mix together, donโt microwave. Refrigerate overnight. Then do the microwave and finally whisk prior to serving. This sauce will lose the soft whipped texture the longer it sits out.
Parmesan panko topping โ Make this the day before, let it fully cool then store in a container in the fridge overnight. Bring to room temperature before using.
Assembling โ Then this part is really nice and quick. No fiddling, just spread the beans on a plate, smother with sauce and pile on the panko. Done!
Serve as a vegetable side dish. Though as I mentioned earlier, make it once, and youโll see the snacking potential as everyone grabs the beans and munches on them like french fries! โ Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Green Beans with a Mountain of Panko
Ingredients
Beans:
- 700 g/1.4lb green beans , ends trimmed (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Whipped Tahini Yogurt:
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 2 1/2 tbsp tahini (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice (sub 1 tbsp clear vinegar)
- 1 garlic clove , finely grated
- 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
Parmesan Panko Mountain:
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (Note 3)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1/4 cup parmesan , finely grated (tightly packed cup)
Instructions
Shortform recipe:
- Toss blanched beans with oil, salt and pepper. Whisk Tahini ingredients, microwave 20 seconds, whisk again. Toast Panko mix on stove. Assemble โ beans, sauce then panko. Attack!
Full directions:
- Cook beans โ Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add beans, let it come back to the boil, cook for 2 minutes, then drain in a colander. Rinse under cold running water for 10 seconds to stop cooking (there is NO NEED to use ice!).
- Season โ Spread beans on a tea towel then dry with a 2nd tea towel. Transfer into bowl, toss with the oil, salt and pepper.
- Panko Mountain โ Mix the ingredients in a bowl. Preheat a large non-stick pan on medium high. Add the panko mixture and stir for 4 โ 5 minutes until golden brown. Transfer back into the bowl then let it cool.
- Whipped Tahini Yogurt โ Whisk ingredients in a heat-proof bowl just to combine. Microwave for just 20 seconds on high, then whisk again for 10 seconds โ it will resemble softly whipped cream. (Note 4) Use immediately or at room temperature.
- Assemble โ Spread green beans on plate. Pour over sauce, pile on panko. Attack!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More green bean recipes
Had no idea I had so many green bean recipes!!
Life of Dozer
Dozer being measured for something specialโฆ.NOT an outfit!!! Stay tunedโฆ
Delicious. I made the full amount of tahini yoghurt and breadcrumbs for two people cos I was rushing and didnโt reduce the amounts!! I had already made a small amount for myself recently but this time I had to make it gf for hubby who also liked it. Used up the crumbs on an entire lemon chicken dinner with chips and have lots of leftover tahini yoghurt to use on wraps tomorrow. Thanks Nagi.๐๐
I made this the first week you posted it since then made numerous times with Asparagus, snow peas baby spinach and bok choy. It also made a great dip for vegetable dippingโฆ
Lindi, do you mean you mix asparagus, snow peas, baby spinach etc with the green beans for this dish? Or are you just using the topping on these different vegetables?
Iโm keen to try this
Will do this for Thanksgiving. A nice alternative to the classic Casserole ๐
Made this fabulous tahini yogurt sauce and added some lemon zest and thinned it with a little water. LOVED IT
I am addicted to this. Simple and super tasty. Donโt be put off by the tahini โ itโs a subtle undertone not a crazy whack you in the face tahini taste.
Had a glut of beans and wanted to try something new. Wow, just wow, why have I not tried this before. On rotation in our house now.
Made today for my husband who doesnโt eat parboiled anything and he LOVED it (as did I). Thanks Nagi.
We made this dish last night and it was absolutely sensational. Definitely a 5/5 star dish! So so tasty!
Iโm growing broadbeans (and eventually snow peas) and can imagine assembling these vegetables with the tahini and Panko topping.
First time โposterโ.
Can I substitute frozen green beans, the fresh are looking pretty awful near me.
Yes you can! I used frozen beans both times when I made it.will definitely be making it again.
I have been following you & Dozer for years! Yummy years! Iโve just made this yogurt and tahini sauce (the one for green beans & Pank0) โ OMG, so good!! Keep up the good work,
cheers from Canada
Trimming beans is easy. Try this=
Grab a handful of beans, even up the stem ends and cut off with large knife continue for how many you need. Flip over if you donโt want the tail ends.
Made this tonight with our steak, and wow. So good! I didnโt make quite as much of the sauce because I was afraid it would be too much, but I wish I had more! I also didnโt have parmesan, so next time I will make more and be sure to add parmesan. We were even dipping our steak into the sauce and panko. We absolutely loved this! Bravo.
Love this video, especially having more of Dozer in it! Canโt wait to try this recipe too โ it looks delicious and easy to put together. Always appreciate your super helpful notes.
Cannot wait to make Green Beans with a Mountain of Panko, as a side with christmas lunch. I am nearly drooling as I write, and am sure I can smell the delicious crumbs sauteing.
Fabulous sauce and topping!! In future Iโll just wash and dry market fresh beans, forget the blanching. Will use as a huge delicious dip for baby carrots etc crudites, sooo healthy and delicious. Thanks so much for inspiration xx
Right!! I forgot to mention that ie about using other crudite-shaped vegetables. Thanks for the reminder!! N xx
Definitely will try this. I am thinking of using it on Brussels Sprouts instead of beans. ALSO I think that a moderate amount of Panko crumbs cooked this way could be great booster for many pasta recipes, especially pasta and broccoli.
Hello
Love the items in this recipe
Can I use sesame seeds crushed in water and use the same as the product of tahini Thanks a lot for your response. Carolyn
This looks so delicious. Loved the video and canโt wait to try this Nagi!
No need to redo the video Nagi, itโs perfect, especially you trying to discipline dear Dozer๐คฃ! Great recipe. Hope Iโve speltโฆspelledโฆeverything correctly. Tough audience๐!
Cooking fresh green beans for only two minutes reminds me of one of the early scenes in Wargames, where Matthew Broderickโs dad is at the dinner table. He bites into an ear of corn and says (Iโm paraphrasing) โWhat did you do to the corn?โ Mom says (again paraphrasing) โIsnโt it great? I only cooked it two minutes!โ Dad: โGreat? Itโs RAW!!!โ
I donโt like my green beans two-minutesโ crisp. I donโt have enough teeth left in my mouth to handle them that crisp! I really like the recipe, but Iโll cook the beans at least 4-5 minutes. I asked Google and got answers from 5-15 minutes!
I also like the beans cut in half across the equator so theyโre half as long. I watched you take a bite, Nagi, and you bit off half the length while leaving the rest of the forkful still on the fork. I donโt like being stuck with my fork occupied when I might want to use it for a mouthful of something else!
Thereโs only me at the table, so I donโt want to pile everything on all at once. The Parmesan-panko topping will get soggy where itโs on the sauce. Iโd rather dish out what I want of the beans on my plate, then ditto with the whipped yogurt-tahini sauce and finally with the P-p crumbs. The dish will last me longer that way.
Thanks for including bain-marie instructions for those of us who donโt have (or want) microwaves.
Thereโs lemon juice in the sauce, but I think Iโd like to add about 1-2 t. lemon zest to the P-p crumbs. Do you think I should add the zest before or after the crumbs are cooked? Do you think 1-2 t. is enough? Too much?
This made me chuckle. I like to cook the crap out of my green beans because I donโt care for the chlorophyll taste. Now when I have guests, I will prepare them to be green and crunchy because I want everyone to know Iโm civilized, but my internal voice will be complaining the whole time Iโm eating them. I think Nagiโs special toppings might just satisfy my internal voice.
Iโm making a Chef John recipe for Truffle Cauliflower Gratin that also calls for parboiled cauliflower florets. So I think Iโll pull an Ottolenghi and just roast both veggies on sheet pans before assembling. That ought to do it.
He he he that is SO funny!!! I am like that with broccoli. I know raw broccoli is a โthingโ but I just canโt get on board with it!! N cc
You two are hilarious! So Iโll add another layer to this thread. I do blanch my beans but then I freeze them. I love, absolutely love frozen green beans for a snack. You can have then cooked but Iโll take my frozen! ๐คฃ๐คฃ