Meet your new favorite side dish! Crisp green bean almondine is an easy side dish made extra special with the addition of buttery, pan-fried almonds!
It sounds so fancy but it is such a simple recipe for green beans and almonds. are going to love to eat your greens with these delicious and crispy green beans with almonds.
What is green beans almondine?
Green bean almondine is a classic French dish and is simply green beans with almonds. The name comes from the original French term of ‘amandine’, meaning ‘a garnish of almonds’.
As nice and simple as green beans with almonds sounds, in order to make this the best green bean recipe, there are a few extra additions that really bring it to life.
This mainly involves pan-frying the almonds in butter and lemon juice. The lemon juice reduces into the butter, creating a sweet caramelized lemon butter sauce. So delicious!
My own twist, which I really feel does make this the best green been almondine recipe ever, is the addition of freshly chopped dill. The subtle flavor of this unobtrusive herb partners so well with the sour lemon and creamy almonds.
Green Beans Almondine Ingredients
Green beans almondine requires just 5 simple ingredients, plus a bit of seasoning. Keep in mind, fresh green beans are best for this recipe. They’re easy to prepare and deliciously crisp.
- 7 oz. green beans
- 3.5 Tbsp. butter
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- Juice of half a lemon
- Fresh dill (optional)
- Salt and pepper
How to Prepare the Green Beans
Preparing green beans is not a difficult task at all. Plus, fresh green beans are well worth it for their crisp texture and flavor. Follow these guidelines and you’ll be cooking fresh green beans for your green bean almondine in no time!
How to trim green beans:
Trimming green beans needn’t be a hassle. The ends that need to go are the ones with the remaining stems (where the bean was attached to the plant). The thinner, tapered end can stay – no trimming required.
- Line your green beans up so the stem ends are all together on the same side.
- Use your hand to line up evenly and keep them in place, then carefully slice the stem tips off with a sharp knife.
How to clean green beans:
As with most vegetables, fruits, and salads, green beans can be rinsed under cold tap water to ensure any debris and dirt has been washed away.
Essentially, that’s all you need to do to clean green beans for any green beans recipe. So easy!
How to Make Green Bean Almondine
This green bean recipe is one of the easiest you’ll find. It takes just a few steps and is well worth the end result. Once you give it a try, we know this will be one of your favorite fresh green bean recipes, too!
How long to cook green beans
You should submerge fresh green beans in boiling water for two to three minutes for crisp green beans. Crisp green beans are perfect for this recipe as they pair perfectly with the toasted almonds and the sprinkling of the sea salt flakes. It is a perfect combination of flavors and textures.
Boiling Green Beans
- The first important step in this recipe is how to boil green beans correctly so they stay crisp and bright green. Start by adding washed and trimmed green beans to a small pan. Add boiling water from the kettle and simmer on the stove for 2 minutes.
- After 2 minutes, immediately drain the water and plunge the green beans into ice water to stop the cooking process. This is a process called blanching, and it works well to help keep the green beans crisp and bright in color.
- If you are short on time, you can skip this process. Many times, i just boil the green beans and drain and it works out just as well.
Cooking the Green Beans Almondine
- Next, place a frying pan on medium heat and add 3.5 Tbsp. of butter. Once the butter has melted, add the sliced almonds and toss together. Fry for 5 minutes, allowing the almonds to lightly brown.
- Add a squeeze of lemon juice and then take off the heat. RECIPE NOTE: Adding the juice will cause the butter to simmer and reduce rapidly, further browning the butter and almonds. Removing the pan from the heat prevents burning.
- Drain the green beans from the iced water. Add to the pan and toss with the buttered almonds. Stir in some fresh dill, season, and then serve immediately.
Can I make green beans almondine ahead of time?
Ideally, you should serve this green beans recipe immediately from the pan. However, there are a couple of steps you can take to prepare parts of the recipe ahead of time.
The initial blanching of the beans is finished by plunging the beans into ice water (see the boiling green beans steps above). Once the beans are fully cooled, you can transfer them to a container and store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours or until needed.
The lemon and dill can be sliced and the butter and almonds can be weighed out and also all stored in the fridge before preparing the dish.
When ready to serve, all that remains is melting the butter in the pan, cooking the almonds for 5 minutes and then adding the lemon juice, beans, and dill.
What to Serve with Green Bean Almondine
The best thing about this fresh green beans recipe is that it’s a side dish that pairs well with almost any meal. Who doesn’t love a green bean and chicken combination of any kind? We are in love with green beans almondine paired with our chicken and leeks recipe.
We also feel almondine is the best side dish for roast beef. It is a spectacular combination of flavors and textures when this crispy green beans dish comes together with your favorite beef roast.
Be it grilled foil pack salmon, or even a Thai red curry, green beans almondine is a great dish to have on the table, whatever the meal. We recommend trying it as a side dish for any of the above recipes, or for this chicken breast and mushroom recipe or pork chops with mushroom gravy recipe.
This recipe also goes really well with other side dishes, like foil pack potatoes or honey glazed carrots and parsnips. You could also pair it with slow cooker applesauce and any of the main dishes above.
For dessert, depending on the time of year, try this apple dump cake with fresh apples, pumpkin cobbler with spiced butter toffee, strawberry rhubarb crisp, or peach cobbler with cake mix.
Give this fabulous green beans recipe a try the next time you’re wondering what to serve for dinner! We think you’ll love it. And if you do try it, let us know what you think with a comment and a rating below. We love to hear from you.
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This recipe was inspired by a recipe from our own Family Foodie.
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Green Bean Almondine
Ingredients
- 7 oz green beans
- 3.5 Tbsp. butter (1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 handful fresh dill optional
- salt and pepper preferably maldon sea salt or sea salt flakes
Instructions
How to Make Green Bean Almondine
- Add washed and trimmed green beans to a small pan. Add boiling water from the kettle and simmer on the stove for 2 minutes.
- After 2 minutes, immediately drain the water and plunge the green beans into ice water to stop the cooking process and to help keep the green beans crisp and bright in color.
- Next, place a frying pan on medium heat and add butter. Once the butter has melted add the sliced almonds and toss together. Fry for 5 minutes, allowing the almonds to lightly brown.
- Add a squeeze of lemon juice and then take off the heat. RECIPE NOTE: Adding the juice will cause the butter to simmer and reduce rapidly, this further browns the butter and almonds. Removing the pan from the heat prevents burning.
- Drain the green beans from the ice water. Add to the pan and toss with the buttered almonds. Stir in some fresh dill, season, and then serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Line your green beans up so the stem ends are all together on the same side.
- Use your hand to line up evenly and keep them in place, then carefully slice the stem tips off with a sharp knife.
Nutrition
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