Spruce Up Your Green Beans This Fall With 2 Simple Ingredients

While traditional green bean dishes, like green bean casserole, are a popular fall staple, it's time to find some fresh ways to elevate these crisp, classic veggies and provide bursts of flavor and texture in every bite. Two delicious gourmet additions will surely take your green beans to the next level: pomegranates and pecans. 

Pomegranate seeds or "arils" provide a juicy punch of sweet and tart flavor. They give dishes a rich, wine-like taste with fruity notes like cranberries and grapes. Texturally speaking, each seed has a succulent burgundy exterior and is crunchy at the base. Using pomegranates in your green beans adds a vivid color and unique consistency, and the arils also lend splashes of fruit flavor into the earthy, vegetal taste.

On the other hand, pecans give dishes a sense of slightly sweet, buttery decadence. Their nutty and buttery flavor is due to their high oil content, making for a rich mouthfeel when added to a dish. Pairing pecans with green beans is an incredible way to amp up the savory butter-forward flavors in your dish, while imparting a delicate yet meaty texture.

Once you try the best way to cook tender, crispy green beans, it's time to garnish with your pomegranate and pecans. To go the easy route, place a few spoonfuls of fresh pomegranate arils on top of your beans at the end of cooking (so they don't get mushy). Or, go a step further with this seasonal fruit and make a tangy pomegranate balsamic glaze, ideal for drizzling over buttery baked green beans to boost the freshness. You only need a few ingredients like pomegranate juice, balsamic vinegar, and spices to make a pomegranate reduction that packs loads of acidic, pungent sweetness.

Don't just use pecans straight from the bag; toast them first in the oven or a skillet for a few minutes until they are browned. This process brings out their flavorful oils, creating an aromatic and extra nutty flavor and delicate crispness when added to your green beans. Bring the pecans up another notch by making a candied version (that tastes similar to pecan pie) by combining sugar, butter, and nuts in a skillet. Once this gloriously toasty, sugary trio fuses together, let the nuts cool off on a prepared baking tray. In no time, you've got caramelized pecan morsels perfect for chopping up and mixing into the warm beans for top-tier crunch and a buttery, sweet, and savory autumnal finish. You can even add smoky bacon to canned green beans to perfectly complement the sweet notes of the nuts.