Growing up, I can remember spending a fair amount of my summers at the kitchen table snapping green beans. Everyone was required to help because green beans seemed to flourish in our garden every year.

In the vegetable world, green beans are too much like the too-familiar-cousin to get much fanfare — except for that much-loved green bean casserole for the holidays. But they’re actually a great vegetable to discover again.

While they may not be the darling that Brussels sprouts are at the moment, green beans are heart healthy, a good source of vitamins and minerals, and a good source of fiber, especially when cooked. A cup of raw green beans has just 31 calories, virtually no fat, 2 grams of protein and only 3.6 grams of (natural) sugar — good news for those watching their waistline.

The list of vitamins and minerals in green beans includes folate (which helps prevent birth defects), vitamin C (an antioxidant that boosts your immune system), vitamin A (important for your eyes) and minerals including manganese (for metabolism) and calcium (for strong bones).

In addition, they are versatile. You can blanch or steam fresh green beans and toss them with grape tomatoes and balsamic vinegar; toss them in olive oil, fresh ground pepper and freshly grated Parmesan cheese and roast them or cook them in an air fryer; add them to a green salad; saute them in olive oil, garlic and lemon juice; or dip them into hummus or plain low-fat yogurt flavored with fresh herbs.

Green beans go great with grilled meats like steak, chicken, fish or pork chops, and meat loaf.

My husband prefers Firecracker Green Beans and Country Green Beans (cooked so they don’t squeak) with bacon, onion and garlic. It doesn’t take a lot of bacon — just enough for flavor. The Firecracker Green Beans are seasoned with a garlic chipotle seasoning. My favorite recipe is Best Grilled Green Beans, similar to doing asparagus on the grill.

Here are the recipes, adapted from allrecipes.com, and the recipe for Firecracker Green Beans from our family.

Firecracker Green Beans

1 pound fresh green beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic chipotle seasoning

In a bowl, mix snapped, washed green beans, olive oil and seasoning. Preheat a grill to 375 to 400 degrees F. Place beans on a hot grill and grill until marks appear on the beans, five to 10 minutes. Serve warm or cold with a Ranch-type dip. Serves four for an appetizer.

Country Green Beans

¼ cup chopped uncooked bacon
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup butter
¼ cup chicken broth
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ lemon

Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. (Even easier, cook in the microwave on a paper plate lined with a paper towel until crispy). Drain bacon on paper towels. Combine bacon, green beans, onion, butter, chicken broth, garlic, salt and pepper in a saucepan. Cover and simmer on medium heat until beans are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Just before serving, squeeze half a lemon over the beans. It brightens the flavors. Serves four.

Per serving: 162 calories, 3.7 grams protein, 9.5 grams carbohydrates, 13.2 grams fat, 34.7 milligrams cholesterol, 520.7 milligrams sodium

Best Grilled Green Beans

1 pound fresh green beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
Fresh ground black pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat a grill to medium-high heat (375 to 450 degrees F). Wash and trim the green beans. Pat them dry with a paper towel. In a bowl, mix the green beans with the olive oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper and paprika. Place the green beans directly on the grill grates and grill for four to five minutes per side (eight to 10 minutes total), until charred and tender. For a less charred result, you can cook them in a grill basket for 12 to 14 minutes until tender. Remove the beans from the grill and spritz them with lemon juice from wedges. Serves four.

Fargo Ware is a registered dietitian with Southern Illinois University Medical School in Springfield. Send recipe ideas to her at [email protected]. The opinions of this writer are not necessarily those of Farm Progress/Informa.