Extra parsley in your fridge? Not sure what to make for a healthy, gluten and meat-free meal? These Parsley Pesto Green Beans are so easy to prepare and are a great way to use up the parsley while eating a healthy, unique meal!
This is a blast from the past, friends! This is a dish that we first made back in 2014 and have making and loving since. It's healthy. It's gluten-free. It's meat-less. And it's so so so easy, delicious, and a great way to switch up a normal lunch or light dinner!
Ingredients Needed
- Green Beans - This is one of my favorite ways to use up some of those fresh garden green beans - or if you've made a green bean dish but still have some stragglers left. You could totally just use half or even less needed in the recipe.
- Parsley - While we love a great classic pesto from basil, I also absolutely love a pesto from another green (like fennel fronds), or parsley - especially when we buy parsley for something else but then have a ton leftover!
- Almonds - The nut for the pesto. White a traditional pesto uses pine nuts, um ho expensive are pine nuts?! So we love to use other nuts - almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts are some of our pesto favorites.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Like if you're making a vinaigrette, using a high-quality olive oil is so important for any time you're using the oil raw - or not cooking it. We love this Italian olive oil.
- Garlic - Fresh of course is our preferred, but you could also use garlic powder if that's all you have.
- Lemon Juice - Fresh again is best, but bottled works just as well to add a little acidity to your pesto.
- Parmesan Cheese - Just a touch to add to the pesto and to top to finish. But if you're looking to keep this vegan, you could omit it.
- Salt - Of course.
- Eggs - Topped with a perfectly poached egg and it makes it a meal!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make your pesto.
We love our little mini food processor for a small batch pesto like this. You could also use a regular sized food processor or blender, but for small batches like this, we love this mini - which I totally snagged from my mom's house.
How to Blanch Green Beans
Step 2: An important one (2nd to the poaching of the eggs) is blanching your green beans.
Blanching is a cooking process when the food (usually a vegetable or fruit) is cooked in boiling water for just a few minutes and then placed under cold running water (or given an ice bath) to halt the cooking process.
The result is a bright green, cooked green bean that's still perfectly crunchy and delightful.
Here's another way we love to use some fresh blanched green beans!
Step 3: Take those perfectly blanched green beans and top them with some of the pesto.
Step 4: Poach an egg and top it on your green beans.
There is so much about poaching eggs. I am the worst at it and always have my husband do it. Check out our Sausage Hash n' Eggs to learn more about our thoughts and techniques for poaching eggs.
But once you have your delightfully poached egg, top that beauty on your eggs...
...and your meal is served!
It's the perfect easy, healthy, gluten-free meal. We absolutely love this dish and it's one of my husband's favorites.
Our Other Favorite Healthy Egg Dishes
- Turmeric Spinach and Eggs
- Homemade Shakshouka
- Spinach and Feta Egg Cups
- Crustless Spinach and Feta Quiche
- Simmered Eggs and Kale
- Portabello Baked Eggs
- Avocado Baked Eggs
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
If you want to see more, be sure to sign up for my 5 Easy Ways to Start Cooking From Scratch!
Parsley Pesto Green Beans and Egg
Ingredients
- 1 lb Fresh green beans - a handful or 12-15 beans
- 2 eggs
- Parmesan cheese
- splash white vinegar
Parsley Pesto
- 1 cup fresh parsley packed
- 2 small garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon sliced almonds or pine nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Add parsley, garlic, almonds, parm, lemon juice, salt, water, and oil to a mini prep processor and blend (or double and make in normal food processor to store and use later). Add additional oil if looser consistency is desired.
- Clean and trim beans and blanch for 2-3 minutes. Remove from pot with tongs, shaking excess water off and put on a plate.
- Stir the same pot of hot water and add splash of white vinegar. When water has returned to a boil, stir water again and add egg in the middle of the spinning water (it will help prevent the white from 'feathering' out) and remove from heat. Cover and let sit for 4- 5 minutes.
- Add pesto to beans and mix so the beans are all coated. Add more shredded parm cheese if desired.
- When eggs are done, gently place on top of beans and enjoy!
Jere Cassidy
What a great green bean recipe that actually makes them the main course. That poached egg on top is genius.
Tracy
Thank you so much, Jere!
Shihoko
This looks delicious and healthy!
milkandbun
Looks so good, Tracy! 🙂 Love your pesto!
Patty Nguyen
That. Egg. Ommmmm.
Tracy
Haha thanks, Patty! I'm a sucker for a runny yummy yolk, too! 🙂
Stephanie @ The Cozy Cook
Oh this looks SOOO good and I applaud your pic, I tried something similar except it was a poached egg on top of blackened asparagus. Note how it never made it on to my blog, the pic was soooo not like what I'm seeing here! Nice work as always, and this sounds delicious!
Tracy
Thank you, as always 😉 Oooh asparagus would be soooo good!
Sue
Yum! I too love the use of hazelnuts in pesto, they are so much "nuttier" than other nuts . . . know what I mean? But toasting the almonds was clever! As for the poached eggs, they are my nemesis I just don't have the patience or whatever it takes to pull a Thomas Keller technique (swirling the water, etc) for each and every precious egg . . . I just dunk the eggs in and hope for the best. As long as I get some delicious yolk I don't really care what they look like! Delicious recipe, Mrs. Koslicki!
Tracy
Thank you so much, Sue! I totally know what you mean! Although I may be a bit biased - hazelnuts are my all time favorite nut. I hear you with the egg poaching - it's all about the yolk 🙂 xo
Sue
I'm still hazelnut hungover from my trip to Oregon we kinda binged on them