Teriyaki Green Beans have all the flavor of your favorite take-out food, but you get to control the amount of sugar and salt that goes in.
Most people look at me like I have three heads when I tell them I don’t eat Chinese food. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it; I too am a sucker for savory/sweet foods swimming in sauce. And fried rice. And noodles. What I really mean when I say that I don’t eat Chinese food is that I don’t eat it at restaurants.
Now, let me back up for a minute because I know teriyaki is Japanese. But the thing is, I eat Japanese food out all the time (hello miso soup, sashimi, and sushi rolls, to name just a few of my favorites). Teriyaki, with its sweet and salty sauce isn’t something I’m likely to order out (same thing with all those deliciously saucy Chinese dishes).
A while back I discovered that I’m very sensitive to MSG (a serious case of head fog and lethargy always chase me after I have something that contains it), and also, I have a pretty good inkling that those saucy dishes contain waaaaaay more sugar and salt than I’m comfortable eating in one sitting. So instead, I get my fix at home.
There’s no reason a teriyaki dish has to have meat (although you could sauté up some chicken and toss it into this green bean dish and it surely wouldn’t suffer for it). But green beans done up like this really are something special. When I make this recipe, I’m hard-pressed not to eat the entire dish of it myself and just call it dinner.
Do you have a favorite take-out dish that you want to see remade into something healthy?
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or coconut oil if you want a slight coconut flavor)
- 1 lb (450 g) green beans, stems trimmed
- 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ tablespoon fresh-grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos or tamari sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
- 1 cup (240 ml) chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, for topping
- Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add all ingredients except the sesame seeds and bring up to a boil. Cover the skillet, turn the heat down to simmer, and cook until the beans are tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Uncover the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and cook until the liquid is thickened.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.
More green bean recipes to satisfy your cravings:
- Girl and the Goat Magic Beans from Nutmeg Nanny
- Green Beans with Garlic and Golden Raisins from An Edible Mosaic
- Middle Eastern Spiced Green Beans with Olive Oil and Tomato from An Edible Mosaic
- Oven-Fried Garlic Parmesan Green Beans from Sugar-Free Mom
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
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