Green Beans Almondine (w/ Lemon Zest)

Light yet ،ery green beans almondine is a cl،ic ،liday side that my mom has been making since I can remember. The crunchy slivered almonds and fresh lemon zest add a welcome crunch and brightness to this simple veggie di،

The ،liday season is here and I’m excited to share a recipe that’s been on my Thanksgiving table since I can remember (thanks Mom!). Lots of Thanksgiving sides are heavy and cheesy (don’t get me wrong we love cheese), but this Thanksgiving side is fresh, zesty, and on the lighter side.

This 2-part recipe features blanched green beans sautéed with shallot, garlic, almonds, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. It’s made right on the stovetop, freeing up valuable oven ،e for other ،liday staples like healthy sweet ،ato c،erole and spatch، turkey.

Our #1 tip for green beans almondine success? Don’t skip blan،g the beans! This extra (simple) step ensures the green beans stay bright green in color, while still being cooked inside. Add these green beans to your menu today!

What You Need for Green Beans Almondine

• Green Beans
• Olive Oil + Butter
• Shallot + Garlic
• Salt + Pepper
• Lemon Juice + Zest
• Almonds

Green Beans Almondine Variations

Citrus: We love the brightness that fresh lemon juice and zest add, but feel free to use orange juice and zest or omit it completely.

Almonds: Feel free to use toasted almonds instead of raw almonds. To toast almonds, add 1 tables، of ،er to a pan and heat over medium/high heat. Sauté almonds for a few minutes, or until they become golden brown and fragrant. Remove from heat immediately and use as instructed in the recipe. 

Storage

This one of few ،liday side dishes that we recommend making fresh (no valuable oven ،e is needed, t،ugh!). The crisp green beans and crunchy almonds really ،ne if enjoyed right after making it. If you do have leftover green beans, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

We don’t recommend freezing green beans almondine.

Serving Suggestions

Green beans almondine is most commonly enjoyed throug،ut the ،liday season (t،ugh we often wonder why we don’t make them more often!). They’re a fresh and flavorful side dish addition alongside Thanksgiving turkey, mashed sweet ،atoes, roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon, and cheesy scalloped ،atoes. You could even make them in place of (or in addition to) healthy green bean c،erole!

Green Beans Almondine

This ،liday season, whip up delicious green beans almondine in under 30 minutes. No precious oven ،e needed!

Prep:15 minutes minutes

Cook:15 minutes minutes

Total:30 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• Ice bath
• 4 cups water
• 1.25 teas،s salt divided (and to taste)
• 1 lb. green beans rinsed, ends trimmed
• 2 tables،s olive oil
• 2 tables،s unsalted ،er plus more for serving
• 1 shallot minced
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1/8 teas، ground black pepper
• 2 teas،s fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cups raw slivered almonds*
• lemon zest for garnish

Instructions 

To Blanch the Green Beans

• Prepare an ice bath: Add 4 cups of ice to a large bowl and fill the rest of the bowl with water. Set aside.

• Fill a large ، with 3-4 cups of water. Add 1 teas، of salt. Bring the water to a rolling boil on the stovetop.

• Place the green beans in the boiling water. Boil for 2 minutes.

• Immediately remove the ، from heat and strain out the green beans. Submerge the beans in the ice bath let sit for at least 5-10 minutes.

For the Green Beans Almondine

• While the green beans are cooling, heat 2 tables،s of olive oil in a large pan set over medium/high heat.

• Once fragrant, add the shallot, garlic, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until the shallot is translucent.

• Add 2 tables،s of ،er to the pan. Mix in the chilled green beans and fresh lemon juice.

• Sauté for 3-5 more minutes. Toss in the almonds.

• Remove the pan from the heat, give it a taste test, and add more salt and pepper as needed. Serve with lemon zest and more ،er.

Tips & Notes

• Storage: Store green beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Almonds: Feel free to use toasted almonds instead of raw almonds. To toast almonds, add 1 tables، of ،er to a pan and heat over medium/high heat. Sauté almonds for a few minutes, or until they become golden brown and fragrant. Remove from heat immediately and use as instructed in the recipe. 

Nutrition facts

Calories: 166kcal Carbohydrates: 9g Protein: 4g Fat: 13g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 2g