diff --git a/src/tests.rs b/src/tests.rs
index eb1575a035..6d27785b68 100644
--- a/src/tests.rs
+++ b/src/tests.rs
@@ -16,12 +16,25 @@ mod test_type_check;
 
 use assert_cmd::prelude::*;
 use pretty_assertions::assert_eq;
+use std::collections::HashMap;
 use std::io::Write;
 use std::process::Command;
 use tempfile::NamedTempFile;
 
 pub type TestResult = Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>>;
 
+pub fn run_test_with_env(input: &str, expected: &str, env: &HashMap<&str, &str>) -> TestResult {
+    let mut file = NamedTempFile::new()?;
+    let name = file.path();
+
+    let mut cmd = Command::cargo_bin("nu")?;
+    cmd.arg(name).envs(env);
+
+    writeln!(file, "{}", input)?;
+
+    run_cmd_and_assert(cmd, expected)
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 pub fn run_test(input: &str, expected: &str) -> TestResult {
     let mut file = NamedTempFile::new()?;
@@ -32,6 +45,11 @@ pub fn run_test(input: &str, expected: &str) -> TestResult {
 
     writeln!(file, "{}", input)?;
 
+    run_cmd_and_assert(cmd, expected)
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+fn run_cmd_and_assert(mut cmd: Command, expected: &str) -> TestResult {
     let output = cmd.output()?;
 
     let stderr = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr).to_string();
diff --git a/src/tests/test_parser.rs b/src/tests/test_parser.rs
index 849865bf17..44e7f54501 100644
--- a/src/tests/test_parser.rs
+++ b/src/tests/test_parser.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-use crate::tests::{fail_test, run_test, TestResult};
+use crate::tests::{fail_test, run_test, run_test_with_env, TestResult};
+use std::collections::HashMap;
 
 use super::run_test_contains;
 
@@ -197,9 +198,11 @@ fn equals_separates_long_flag() -> TestResult {
 
 #[test]
 fn let_env_expressions() -> TestResult {
-    run_test(
-        r#"let-env PATH = if (env | any? name == VENV_OLD_PATH) { $env.VENV_OLD_PATH } else { $env.PATH }; echo done"#,
-        "done",
+    let env = HashMap::from([("VENV_OLD_PATH", "Foobar"), ("Path", "Quux")]);
+    run_test_with_env(
+        r#"let-env Path = if (env | any? name == VENV_OLD_PATH) { $env.VENV_OLD_PATH } else { $env.Path }; echo $env.Path"#,
+        "Foobar",
+        &env,
     )
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/shell/pipeline/commands/external.rs b/tests/shell/pipeline/commands/external.rs
index 149e7c24e8..83bb0d73c8 100644
--- a/tests/shell/pipeline/commands/external.rs
+++ b/tests/shell/pipeline/commands/external.rs
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ fn automatically_change_directory_with_trailing_slash_and_same_name_as_command()
 
 #[test]
 fn correctly_escape_external_arguments() {
-    let actual = nu!(cwd: ".", r#"^echo '$0'"#);
+    let actual = nu!(cwd: ".", r#"^nu --testbin cococo '$0'"#);
 
     assert_eq!(actual.out, "$0");
 }
@@ -76,8 +76,8 @@ fn execute_binary_in_string() {
     let actual = nu!(
     cwd: ".",
     r#"
-        let cmd = "echo"
-        ^$"($cmd)" "$0"
+        let cmd = "nu"
+        ^$"($cmd)" --testbin cococo "$0"
     "#);
 
     assert_eq!(actual.out, "$0");