Side dish

Easy Shrimp and Green Beans with Coconut Milk

Delicious juicy shrimp and green beans cooked in a creamy coconut milk sauce. This can be a side dish or a main course, either way, you'll love it!!

To recipe
Shrimp with green beans and coconut milk
Recipe insights & TIPS

Delicious green beans and shrimp tossed in a creamy coconut milk sauce.

Shrimp with green beans and coconut milk

Eat more vegetables! It's something we hear a lot, right? But it's easier said than done, my method is usually drizzling my veggie of choice for dinner that night and throwing it in the oven to get crispy and caramelized, simple and effective. I'm not complaining because this roasted broccoli with chili lime is a steady favorite but lately I've been trying to be a little more adventurous with my veggies. So here's what happens when you buy a big bag of green beans at the store because they were dirt cheap. I cooked these in a wok over a high heat, you can use any pan but I love my wok because you can cram a whole bunch of stuff in there without it overflowing and be able to toss it around like a pro. Remember, green beans are vegetables and can be eaten completely raw so there's no need to cook these for a long time. I watch for them starting to blister and then add the rest of the ingredients. They only take a few minutes.

Spicy shrimp with green beans

Can I add anything else other than shrimp?

Adding shrimp is totally optional and could be left out if you prefer, I used them for some extra protein and because shrimp and coconut milk go together so well, almost taking things in a Thai curry sort of direction. I'd say that was where the inspiration came from for this dish. The recipe has a bit of a spicy kick to it, which I'm all about if you know me well but you're in charge of the cooking, so feel free to cut back on the chipotle powder and cayenne, just a pinch would be enough to still capture the flavor. Other add-in's? Try ground chicken or turkey, tofu or big thick slices of Portobello mushrooms. OMG, I need to try the mushrooms darn it! And just like that, we went from a side dish to an easy main course! This recipe is Whole 30 compliant and Paleo if you're following either of those programs. And if you're not, it's just straight up tasty!

Green beans with shrimp
Green beans and Shrimp
A white, fluffy chef's hat with an orange band, logo of Foodness Gracious.

Recipe

A tasty stir-fry type of recipe with green beans tossed in spicy creamy coconut milk.

Course:
Side dish
COOKing TIME:
7 minutes
Total TIME:
22 minutes
CUISINE:
American
PREP TIME:
15 minutes
SERVINGS:
2

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound large shrimp shelled and deveined
  • 1/4 tsp chipotle powder
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 pound green beans ends trimmed
  • 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 pinch black pepper
  • 1 cup coconut milk shaken
  • 1/4 cup chopped almonds

Ingredient Swaps

Instructions

  1. Place the shrimp in a bowl and add the chipotle and cayenne seasonings.
  2. Toss the shrimp making sure they get well coated in the spices. Set aside.
  3. Add the coconut oil to a wok or large nonstick pan over a high heat.
  4. Add the green beans, red onion slices, and minced garlic and cook quickly using tongs or a spatula to move them around until you see the skin start to turn brown or blistered about 3-4 minutes
  5. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Add the shrimp and continue to cook until the shrimp are pink and no longer opaque.
  7. Make sure to shake the can of coconut milk before you open it as it usually separates.
  8. Add the coconut milk and continue cooking over a high heat until the milk starts to bubble around the edges.
  9. Serve the green beans at once and garnish with some of the chopped almonds.

A white, fluffy chef's hat with an orange band, logo of Foodness Gracious.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @foodnessgracious on Instagram and hashtag it #foodnessgracious so we can see all the deliciousness!