Roast them quickly in the oven tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Or grill them the same way. They don't take long.

Or do like Ina does (and I have made these many times) and blanch them in a large pot of boiled salted water for a couple of mins. Drain and immerse in ice water. In a sauce pan heat some olive oil & butter and saute shallots on med. heat for 5 to 10 mins. until lightly browned. Drain the beans and add to the shallots with some salt & pepper, tossing well. Heat only until the beans are hot.

Or as Ina does with Brocollini but you could do it with beans too. Blanch as above and then in a skillet heat butter and add some lemon zest and garlic. Add your beans to the skillet and some juice from the lemon.

Stir fry quickly in a wok with Oyster sauce or teriyaki and sliced onions.

My family loves this recipe.
Serves 6

Lemon pepper green beans
1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed and trimmed
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 teaspoons lemon pepper

DIRECTIONS
Place green beans in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water. Cover, and cook until tender but still firm, about 10 minutes; drain.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute almonds until lightly browned. Season with lemon pepper. Stir in green beans, and toss to coat.

Haven't tried this one, but sure sounds good.
Serves 4

Lemon green beans with walnuts
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 lemon, juiced and zested
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Arrange nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast in the preheated oven until lightly browned, approximately 5 to 10 minutes.
Place green beans in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover. Steam for 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender, but still bright green.
Place cooked beans in a large bowl, and toss with butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer beans to a serving dish, and sprinkle with toasted walnuts. Serve immediately.

Page 3 this forum...other Thanksgiving sides...I posted a delicious green bean and roasted onion recipe.

I should add if using Oyster Sauce that you could mix with Housin Sauce for a thicker sauce or soy sauce w/a little cornstarch to thicken and make a nice brown sauce.

I only have one oven, and it's usually occupied by Big Bird. So roasting green things is out of the question for me because when the turkey comes out of the oven I put the carbs in to cook and/or re-heat (dressing, squash, potatoes, scalloped turnips, dinner rolls, etc...)

This is a great recipe posted by Linda C

make a dressing...
a clove of crushed garlic,
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil
2 T finely chopped red onion
2 teaspoons mixed fresh herbs ( dill weed, oregano, rosemary, tarragon, thyme....pick 3)
Wash and stem and tail a pound of small fresh green beans . Bring about 1 1/2 qts water to a boil and dump in the beans. Leave for 3 minures, drain and plunge the beans into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain.
Toss with the dressing and chill for 2 hours.

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I don't add the bacon/chopped egg she originally posted, and I serve these slightly warm/room temp and they're awesome (Thank you Linda C!). My favorite herb combo always includes the fresh dill.

seagrass

Here is another that we really like:

Marinated Green Beans

From Best Ever Recipes vol.II

3/4 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
1/4c finely chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1-1/2 T olive oil
3/4tsp salt
3 T lemon juice

Cook green beans in pot of lightly salted water until crisp-tender. Drain beans but do not rinse them

Transfer beans to medium size bowl, toss with onion, garlic, oil and salt. Marinate at room temp for 1 hour, tossing occasionally.
Just before serving, remove the garlic and discard. Add the lemon juice and toss to coat the beans. Serves 4

Linda

Here's a great green bean recipe with a Thanksgiving flair. The cider reduction gives it a great tangy/sweet taste and the carmelized onions add depth. It's a Rachel Ray recipe.

1 (16-ounce) bags whole frozen green beans
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow skinned onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup apple cider
Salt and pepper

Put the beans in a large microwave safe bowl, loosely cover bowl with plastic food storage wrap and microwave on high 5 minutes. Uncover and stir the beans, then cover and microwave on high 4 to 7 minutes more, until desired doneness, from still-crisp to tender, but with a bite.
Heat a small skillet over medium low heat. Add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and the onions and cook until beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the cider, raise the heat to medium high and cook until liquid is reduced and syrupy, about 5 minutes.

Remove the beans from microwave. Season the beans with salt and pepper, to taste, and add to the pan with the onions and cider. Toss evenly to coat the beans and keep warm until ready to serve.

Gardenlad's Green Beans with Poppy Seed Dressing

1 1/2 lbs green beans, tipped, tailed, and stringed if necessary.
2 tsp poppy seeds
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbls white wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
2 tbls minced shallot
Salt & pepper to taste.

Lightly steam beans until just tender. Set aside.
Heat small skillet over medium low heat. Add poppy seeds and toast, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
Add the oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, shallot, salt & pepper to the poppy seeds. Whisk until well blended.
Warm dressing in a large skillet over medium heat. Add beans and toss to coat. Cook until beans are warmed through.
from: Eating Well

Seagrass--could Linda's recipe be made the day ahead? I'm definitely looking to do a lot on Wed.

I'm making this one ahead of time. Just assembling before dinner.

Green Beans With Caramelized Onions And Almonds -posted by chase
Kosher salt
3 Lb green beans trimmed of stem end
1/2 Cup sliced almonds
3 Tbl unsalted butter
5 Tbl extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions sliced thin
2 Tbl chopped fresh thyme leaves
Freshly ground black pepper

Fill a large high sided skillet with some water, adding enough to be just shy of the rim of the pan by about 1 inch. Place over high heat and bring up to boil; add a big pinch of salt and the green beans. Cook for about 5 minutes, the beans should still be crisp. Drain the beans and then run them under some cold water to stop them from cooking. Reserve the beans while you start the onions.
Return the skillet you cooked the beans in to the cook top over medium heat. Add the almonds and toast stirring every now and then until golden,about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the almonds from the skillet and reserve.
Return the skillet to the heat and add the butter and olive oil and heat until the butter has melted. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper,and cook stirring frequently until the onions caramelize, 20 to 25 minutes. Add the thyme, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the cooked cooled green beans and almonds, and stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

My daughter makes a great green bean dish that has become a staple at our dinners. She takes boiled or steamed greenbeans (fresh, not frozen), and makes a mix of TOASTED pecans, 1-2 Tbls. brown sugar, 1 shallot sauteed in butter, and mixes it all together.

I have 5 people on weight watches this year so the creamy mushroom beans are out. I plan to try this one.

Green beans with onion - Rachael Ray
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1 to 1 1/4 pounds trimmed green beans
Salt

To a medium pan over medium heat add extra-virgin olive oil and butter and onion. Saute onion 3 minutes, add broth and bring to a boil. Add beans, season with salt and cover pan and simmer 8 minutes, until tender.

I absolutely love green beans with browned butter and lemon zest.....just brown the butter over medium heat - watch carefully - until nut brown....toss with freshly cooked green beans along with a generous amount of freshly grated lemon zest, salt and pepper - so simple, fresh and delicious.