Skillet Green Beans with Almonds {Green Bean Almondine}
Easy and delicious side dish for weeknights or holidays! This green beans with almonds recipe will convert you even if you are not a green bean fan. Green beans sautéed in butter with chopped red onions, garlic and slivered almonds with a touch of lemon juice – this dish is simple yet elegant.
Skillet green beans with almonds
Sometimes you don’t expect simple recipes, specially side dishes, to taste amazing but this green beans with almonds really shines.
I might be slightly biased as I’m a green bean fan. I grew up eating green bean curry, green beans cooked in a mild and spicy coconut curry. But some days, you want a simple side to round up a heavy meal. Like a steak or chicken dinner with a mash and a vegetable. You want the vegetable side dish to be light but stand on it’s own right. And this is one such dish.
Why I love this dish:
- Easy to make – this is a very straight forward recipe, no complicated steps or ice baths. Read below for a few simple tips and this will be one of the staples in your weeknight meals.
- Quick – not to mention this dish can be cooked in less than 30 minutes.
- Simple yet elegant – a few simple ingredients, a vegetable being the star ingredient. Yet, this is elegant enough to serve on a holiday table and wow your guests!
What is green bean almondine?
I’m being making this dish forever but I never knew it’s a popular French dish called Green Bean Almondine. Almondine means with almonds. Apparently, French love almonds and use it a lot in their cooking.
Green bean almondine is simply green beans sautéed with almonds and other ingredients. My version includes green beans sautéed in butter with slivered almonds, red onions and finished off with a bit of lemon juice.
Ingredients
- Green beans – you need French green beans or haricot verts. They are tender and slimmer than the normal green beans. Look for the ones that are unblemished and bright green in color. They come pre washed but I like to give a good rinse and then drain the water. You can trim the ends or leave it be. To trim the ends there are two ways. You can bundle a few green beans on a cutting board and cut the tips off. Or snap the ends off with your fingers. They can also be bought pre- cut in packages.
- Almonds – slivered or sliced can be used. I like to use slivered as they are more crunchy and don’t burn fast when sautéing.
- Red onions – you need it chopped finely.
- Garlic – about 2 cloves finely minced.
- Butter – is what I prefer to use. But olive oil, any neutral oil or butter flavored oil would work.
- Lemon juice – just a touch, at the end.
- Spices – salt, freshly ground black pepper and a bit of cayenne pepper if you want the heat.
Important tips for successful green bean almondine
Green beans almondine recipe is simple to make but with a few cooking tips and methods you’ll be be able to make this your eyes closed.
- It’s important to blanch the green beans but skip the ice bath. You cook them in boiling water until it’s al dente– cooked but still have a bite to it. I would err on the side of undercooking them. Some recipes call for sautéing the green beans on the skillet skipping this step. This would result in green beans being undercooked or not properly seasoned (green beans should be seasoned even before hitting the skillet. see why below). After you blanch, you dump the green beans straight to the skillet. No ice bath required. It’s one less step to worry about.
- Heavily salt your boiling water like you are cooking pasta. This ensures the green beans are properly seasoned before coming to the skillet. The green beans won’t be properly salted when you cooking it in oil. You need to blanch them in salted water. Salt them until it feels salty to your taste.
- Keep your mise en place ready, i.e. your onions chopped, garlic minced and slivered almonds ready to go. This dish comes together pretty quick.
How to make ahead
This dish can easily be ahead for the holidays. This is where the ice bath is required. Blanch the green beans in salted water until it has a bite to it. Drain the water and submerge the beans in an ice bath to stop cooking further.
Keep a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Once they are cool, strain the green beans and place it on the paper towels to soak up any excess water. Place them in a container covered or in a zip lock bag.
This can be kept in the fridge for 3 to 4 days or frozen for 3 months.
When you want to make the dish, directly add it to the step where green beans are needed and cook on low heat until heated.
This simple yet elegant dish is feast to your eyes and a delight to your taste buds and definitely wow your friends and family!
Recipe
Skillet Green Beans with Almonds {Green Bean Almondine}
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans ends trimmed
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup almonds slivered
- 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp black pepper adjust to taste
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper if needed
- salt to taste
- 1 to 2 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add enough salt so it tastes very salty.
- Add the green beans and blanch them for 4 to 5 minutes or until they have a bite to it- al dente. Strain the green beans.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the almonds and fry them until they turn golden brown. Remove the almonds.
- Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and saute them until translucent. Add the green beans and saute them for a few minutes until tender. Add the almonds back in.
- Season with pepper, salt, lemon juice and cayenne pepper if using. Stir to combine. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve warm.
Notes
- The finished dish will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days but I don’t recommend freezing.
- To prep ahead, blanch the green beans and transfer to an ice bath. Drain and place on paper towels for the extra water to soak. Keep in the fridge covered for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for 3 months. When cooking the dish, add the green beans directly after sautéing the onion and garlic and cook on low heat till heated and tender.
