Green Beans Almondine: A refreshing side dish composed of green beans, sliced almonds, and a zest of lemon. This french side dish is built to impress!
With the holidays sneaking up on us, I know a lot of us are looking for a side dish built to impress. Enter: green beans almondine.
This french side dish really spruces up green beans. If you're not a green bean fan, I encourage you to try this dish anyway, as it is quite refreshing and gives this little vegetable new life.
Between the almond flavor and the refreshing citrus sitting in the background, it's quite an impressive side. (But don't worry, the citrus is just a background flavor, not something to overload your green beans with.)
And if you're not getting together for Christmas? You can whip this up for a weeknight dinner, too! It goes amazingly well with a variety of dishes, so you might just need to add this to your list of dinner options.
Before we get to the recipe though, let's go over what exactly almondine is...
What is Green Beans Almondine?
If you've never heard of green beans almondine before, you're really missing out.
Green beans almondine is another fancy way of saying green beans with almonds, butter, and a touch of lemon. It's a classic french side dish that is a very refreshing way to spruce up any meal.
They pair great with a variety of meals, too! I love them with my Grilled Salmon and Champagne Chicken recipes. But try them with any of your favorites!
How to Choose Good Fresh Green Beans
Since green beans are the star of this dish, it only makes sense that fresh green beans are the best choice, right? But you also have to pay close attention and choose a good quality bunch, as well.
Here are some tips for choosing good quality fresh green beans:
- Pay close attention to the color of the green beans. The more vibrant the green, the better the quality. Avoid any with yellow or brown tinting coloring.
- Check for firmness and snapping. Select a green bean from each bunch you are purchasing to make sure they snap with relative ease. A sign of a nice fresh green bean is how easy it snaps.
- Choose thin green beans that are not overly thick or large in size. Thick and large green beans will become tough and stringy as they cook.
Storage tip: For best results, store your green beans in the crisper drawer in a plastic bag to retain the moisture.
Cooking Tools You Might Need
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- Large pot: Perfect for boiling up your green beans in this dish! This style pot is a must in the kitchen.
- Frying pan: Great for frying a variety of foods to perfection, especially the almonds in this dish!
- Baking dish: These baking dish are most ideal for serving side dishes!
The Best Way to Cook Fresh Green Beans
If you've never cooked fresh greens before, this might be new territory for you. But not to worry, it's pretty easy once you know the basics!
Here's what you need to know:
- Prep the green beans by rinsing and snapping the ends off before cooking.
- Green beans can be boiled, sautéed, or steamed. You can also cook them in a combination of these options. This recipe includes boiling and then sautéing.
- When boiling, boil the water with some salt before adding the green beans. This will give your green beans some added flavor.
Green Beans Almondine Ingredients
- Green beans: You can use any green beans you like, but I find fresh give the best taste!
- Almonds: Raw, and sliced almonds are used to give this dish a delicious flavor.
- Butter: Make sure you use unsalted butter that's been softened to make it easiest to work with.
- Lemon: While optional, it gives a vibrant citrus flavor that is the perfect amount of freshness flavor.
- Salt & pepper: Just a bit of salt and pepper to taste for this dish.
How to Make Green Bean Almondine
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and then add the green beans. Cook for 5 minutes, until al dente; drain.
- While the water is boiling, toast the almonds in a dry frying pan for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant. Remove the almonds from the pan; set aside.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan and then add the green beans and toss with the butter.
- Reserve some almonds for garnish and add the rest to the green beans. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss the mixture together and squeeze the lemon wedge over the mixture to add some juice for a hint of fresh citrus flavor. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Plate the green beans and top with remaining almonds. Serve and enjoy!
Storing Leftover Green Bean Almondine
If you have any leftovers of green bean almondine, the good news is they keep very well. You can store them in the fridge for about 2-3 days and in the freezer for 2-3 months.
To freeze, let them cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Make sure to label them with the approximate expiration date!
When you're ready to reheat this dish, simple warm over the stovetop with a little water for best results. (This works great for making this side dish ahead of time!) Alternatively, you can heat in the microwave in 30 second intervals.
Green Beans Almondine Variations
Once you try this delicious green beans almondine recipe, you might be tempted to mix things up. There are so many ways you can add to this dish and make it even heartier! I've listed a few ideas below.
- Bacon: Crumble up bacon and top your green beans with it!
- Mushroom: Sautée some sliced mushrooms to add to this dish.
- Cheese: Use grated parmesan cheese or crumbled blue cheese to add more flavor.
- Garlic: Fry up some minced garlic along with the almonds to give it even more flavor.
- Crispy onions: Top your green beans almondine with crushed up crispy onions for added flavor.
More Green Bean Dishes:
Try These Other Delicious Side Dishes:
Green Beans Almondine
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh green beans rinsed and trimmed
- ¼ cup raw sliced almonds
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- One lemon wedge
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and then add the green beans. Cook for 5 minutes, until al dente; drain.
- While the water is boiling, toast the almonds in a dry frying pan for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant. Remove the almonds from the pan; set aside.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan and then add the green beans and toss with the butter.
- Reserve some almonds for garnish and add the rest to the green beans. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss the mixture together and squeeze the lemon wedge over the mixture to add some juice for a hint of fresh citrus flavor. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Plate the green beans and top with remaining almonds. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Be sure to pin this green bean almondine recipe for later!
