Garlic Green Beans with Crispy Prosciutto

I'm part of a supper club here in San Diego that gets together once a month. It's pretty much just a group of girls that all went to college together, that decided it would be fun to get together once a month and make new dishes to share with each other. For last weeks supper club, we decided to make extra indulgent dishes, like grown up macaroni and cheese, and cheddar and chive biscuits (just to name a few). So naturally, I decided to make my family's green bean recipe, spruced up a bit.



My family started making this recipe years ago for holiday meals at my grandma's house. In fact, I don't even remember when they started making it. The green beans are so simple and so delicious. My husband, who doesn't even like green beans, likes these. I mean, they're sauteed in garlic and butter and topped with pork, who wouldn't like them?




I changed the recipe up a bit, to add my own little touch. Normally, my parents add bacon bits to the sauteed green beans. I thought crispy prosciutto sounded better. I also used freshly chopped garlic and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top. Served with mashed potatoes or creamy polenta, these green beans won't disappoint.

In this particular recipe I use frozen green beans. You could definitely use fresh green beans, however you will need to add about 1/4 cup of water to the pan while the green beans are steaming (to prevent burning).



Ingredients: (serves 4)

4 cups frozen organic green beans
4 pieces of prosciutto, diced
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a large sautee pan on medium low heat, add olive oil and chopped proscuitto. Cook until proscuitto is crispy, moving proscuitto bits around pan so they don't burn. Remove prosciutto bits from pan and set aside.

Return pan to heat and add butter and frozen green beans. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic granules. Cover with a lid and allow to steam for 3-4 minutes. Remove lid and mix green beans around. Cover with lid and repeat until green beans are cooked through, but al dente.

Once green beans are al dente, add minced garlic and sautee for another minute or two, or until the garlic is fragrant. Transfer to serving dish and top with crispy prosciutto and parmesan cheese.