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A side of green beans makes a meal complete and these green beans almondine have the added crunch of thinly-sliced almonds to make them even better. This dish is a French classic that became popular in the US during the 1950s and 1960s.
These beans go with every kind of meat or pasta dish and it makes them a side for all occasions. But, with the almonds in there it feels just a little bit fancier than plain green beans. I remember my mom used to make this dish for our “nicer” family dinners and it was always such a treat.
The French word “amandine” means “garnished with almonds”. Today many folks spell this “almondine” instead. However you spell it, these beans have a wonderful fresh flavor and that’s because they don’t cook too long. You want them nice and crisp and that’s why we’re blanching them. This is where they boil for just a few minutes before getting an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
Once you have your onion and almonds cooked in butter, then you add the beans to the pan to finish cooking.
A bit of lemon zest and some more sliced almonds finish the beans off nicely. The combination is both savory and bright, with the freshness of the beans coming through in each bite. For this reason I do not recommend using canned green beans for this. But, if you absolutely can’t get fresh beans then frozen beans would be the next best thing.
For a beautifully quick side dish with a French flair these green beans almondine complete the dinner table and bring tons of flavor and crunch.
Green Beans Almondine
Yield(s): Serves 4
20m prep time
15m cook time
154 calories
Diet: Vegetarian, Gluten-Free
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 6 cups water, or more as needed
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 lb green beans, ends trimmed
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds, plus extra for garnish
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- juice of 1 lemon
- black pepper to taste
Preparation
- Place water and 2 teaspoons salt in stockpot. Bring to boil and add beans. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until bright green. Remove from pan and place in large bowl of cold water to stop the cooking.
- Drain beans and pat dry. Set aside.
- Melt butter over medium heat in large skillet. Add almonds and onion. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and beans to pan. Cook just until beans are heated through, 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer to platter or bowl and serve immediately.
Recipe adapted from Southern Living.