Creamy Green Beans and Mushrooms

A sour cream sauce makes this light but creamy green beans and mushrooms recipe something special. It's a quick and easy side dish for busy nights.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated May 17, 2022
Elise Bauer
Creamy Green Beans with Mushrooms recipe

Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

Around holiday planning season a lot of people come to this site searching for green bean recipes. We have several, but most of them are geared to the summer, when we have a bountiful supply of fresh green beans.

I wanted to make something that would work well with fresh or frozen beans, so we could enjoy it during any season.

In this creamy green beans with mushrooms recipe, we first lightly boil green beans (I used frozen), then toss them with cremini and shiitake mushrooms and onions that have been sautéed in butter.

At the very end sour cream is added to bring everything together. If the sour cream seems odd, think of this as a stroganoff. With green beans.

Green Beans with Mushrooms with cream

Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

Okay, I'll be the first to admit it. This is not the most attractive dish I've ever made. (The photo might be pretty, but that has more to do with the lighting than anything else.) In fact, I hesitated posting it, because, well, I like my food to look appealing.

But, you know what? It tastes great! Even reheated leftovers. So, here's my advice. Sprinkle it with lots of parsley and go for it.

More Great Recipes for Green Beans

Creamy Green Beans and Mushrooms

Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 20 mins
Servings 4 to 8 servings

I used a combination of 3/4 lb of cremini and 1/4 pound of shiitake mushrooms for this recipe. The ratio of mushrooms to beans is 1:1. If you wanted, you could use all shiitake mushrooms, but use half as much, because they pack so much more flavor.

Prep mushrooms while salted water is coming to a boil in step 1.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound green beans, fresh or frozen, cut into 1-inch pieces (if fresh, remove ends, if frozen get pre-cut)

  • 1 pound mushrooms (cremini, button, shiitake), thickly sliced

  • Kosher salt

  • 1/2 cup onions, chopped

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 1/2 cup sour cream

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

Method

  1. Boil salted water:

    Put 2 quarts of water, salted with 1 tablespoon of salt, in a pot to boil while you cut the mushrooms and onions.

  2. Dry sauté the mushrooms:

    Heat a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the mushrooms to the pan and dry sauté them until they begin to release their water. Sprinkle them with a little salt. Once they have released most of their water, remove them to a bowl and set aside.

    how to sauté mushrooms

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
    sautéed mushrooms in a skillet

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
  3. Boil the green beans in salted water:

    Add the green beans to the boiling water, and time them for 5 minutes, or until just tender. (No need to defrost frozen beans.)

  4. Cook the onions:

    Add butter to the hot sauté pan. Once the butter has melted, add the onions. Cook until the onions are beginning to brown.

  5. Add the green beans and mushrooms to pan with onions:

    As soon as the green beans are cooked just tender, strain them. Add the mushrooms to the pan with the onions, then add the green beans.

    green beans and mushrooms in a skillet

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
  6. Add sour cream, salt, and pepper:

    Remove from heat. Stir in the sour cream. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed.

    sour cream added to green beans and mushrooms

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
94 Calories
6g Fat
9g Carbs
3g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 94
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g 8%
Saturated Fat 3g 17%
Cholesterol 16mg 5%
Sodium 72mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 11mg 57%
Calcium 45mg 3%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 370mg 8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.