Cajun Green Beans (quick & spicy)

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These Cajun green beans are a delicious, spicy alternative to your average ho-hum green beans recipe. And this recipe is super simple and quick to make. Plus, you can tone down the heat or turn it up based on what your family likes.

I would say that the heat in this recipe is medium to hot. I used smoked paprika, so that made it hotter. You can use sweet paprika, alternately, if you want your green beans less spicy.

If in question, try it milder, as you can always spice it up more if you decide you want more heat.

This recipe calls for canned green beans, which makes it super quick (15-20 minutes from start to finish).

If you use fresh or frozen green beans, it will take about 20 minutes longer. Will still be delicious this way, but this recipe was designed to be extra quick and easy for busy days.

What You'll Need

2 Tablespoons oil

1 Tablespoon garlic, minced (about 3 large cloves)

1 small onion, chopped

1 teaspoon dry oregano

1 teaspoon dry marjoram

2 cans green beans (14.5 ounces each), drained (or one pound fresh)

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon paprika (smoked or sweet)

1 cup chicken or beef broth (used only if using fresh or frozen green beans)

salt to taste (should only need salt if using fresh or frozen green beans)

How to Make

Preheat a heavy Dutch oven or pot to low-medium heat. Add oil, garlic, onion, oregano, and marjoram and cook until onion begins to soften, stirring often (5-10 minutes). Take care not to scorch the garlic.

Turn heat down to low and add green beans, cayenne pepper, and paprika. Mix together, cover and heat through for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

If using fresh or frozen green beans, add beans after sauteing the first five ingredients. Include one cup of chicken or beef broth along with the cayenne pepper and paprika.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low-medium. Cover the pot and simmer on low-medium heat for 20 minutes or until green beans are tender. Taste and add salt as needed.

Tips

This recipe calls for canned green beans, as that's what I had on hand. If you have access to fresh, all the better. One pound of fresh beans is what you'll need.

Just break them up into bite-sized pieces and wash them. You'll need more cooking time versus the canned beans (which only need to heat up), but the results will be delicious.

Likewise, if you choose to use frozen green beans. The recipe will take longer but will be equally delicious.

To cook the fresh (or frozen) green beans, simply follow the directions fully and add 1 cup of chicken or beef broth.

Then, instead of simply heating the green beans, you will bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes or until beans are tender. Salt as needed after tasting.

If you like lots of spice, you may want to add more cayenne and/or paprika. If you want less spice, opt for sweet paprika instead of smoked. You can also leave out the cayenne pepper until tasting and add a bit at the end if desired.

What to Serve with Cajun Green Beans

Serve these spicy green beans with chicken, pork, or beef dishes. Goes great with dirty rice (try my Bojangles Dirty Rice) and corn recipes as well (try this Cream Style Corn recipe of mine).

Due to their intense flavor, you don't need to serve with other spicy foods, but you certainly can.

Other great pairings are my Sweetcorn Bake Corn Casserole or my Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta.

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I hope that you and your family love this flavorful green bean recipe! Please don't forget to share, pin to Pinterest, and print for making soon.

Then, let me know in the comments below how yours turned out, how spicy you like yours, and whether you used canned, frozen, or fresh green beans.

Don't Forget to Pin for Later!