Green Beans Almondine

With Green Beans Almondine, eating your veggies has never been so delicious! Elevate dinner at home with this tasty vegetable side. Perfect for special occasions, this easy recipe is also ideal for mid-week dinners. Elegant and quick to make, it’s a go-to choice for entertaining. Assemble green beans almondine in just 20 minutes!

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WHAT IS GREEN BEANS ALMONDINE?

Green beans almondine is a classic French recipe. Long, slender green beans are briefly blanched, then sautéed until crisp-tender. Drizzled with lemon juice, they’re sprinkled with flaky sea salt, freshly-ground pepper, and lemon zest.

The finishing touch on these beautiful veggies is a lavishly-tasty almond garnish (almondine): a savory mixture of shallots, garlic and almonds with a pinch of salt.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

• Virgin olive oil
• Sliced almonds
• Shallots
• Garlic Cloves
• Butter
• French green beans
• Flaky sea salt
• Black pepper, freshly-ground
• Lemon (zest + juice)

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HOW TO BLANCH GREEN BEANS

WHY BLANCH GREEN BEANS? Blanching is a technique that does several important things. It tenderizes the veggies while helping to prevent the loss of vitamins. It preserves the texture and flavor of the green beans, also protecting and brightening their color.

Here’s how to blanch green beans, step by step:

• STEP 1: Rinse the green beans. Bring a large pot of heavily-salted water to a boil. The water should taste like the ocean.
• STEP 2: Add green beans to the boiling water. Blanch the beans for 2 to 3 minutes until tender-crisp (al dente). Do not over-cook.
• STEP 3: Immediately transfer green beans to a bowl of ice water. This will shock them and stop the cooking process.
• STEP 4: After the beans have cooled, drain off the water. Dry them between paper towels or with a lint-free kitchen towel.

KITCHEN TIP: Some cooks trim their green beans prior to blanching. I wait to trim the beans just before I sautée them, so the cuts are even fresher. This choice simply reflects a personal preference.

GREEN BEAN ALMONDINE RECIPE

Follow these easy step-by-step instructions for making classic almondine.

• STEP 1: To refresh the green beans, slice off a bit of the bottom. Mine already came packaged and trimmed, but if yours still has the hard knobby ends, trim those off. For elegant aesthetics, I like to keep the skinny tapered tips on my green beans intact. But if you’d like to trim those off too, that’s fine.
• STEP 2: Mince the shallot. Press or mince the garlic.
• STEP 3: Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced almonds. Sautée until lightly golden blonde. 
• STEP 4: Add minced shallots, garlic, and a pinch of salt to the skillet. Sautée the mixture for about 40 seconds. Remove pan from heat. Continue sautéing in residual heat until shallots and garlic are fragrant and tender. If needed, add a bit more olive oil. Transfer the almondine to a small bowl.

KITCHEN TIP: To trim the tails of green beans quickly, line them up evenly on your work surface. Hold the group of beans down firmly with one hand. With a large chef’s knife, cut off the knobby ends all at once.

HOW TO MAKE STRING BEANS ALMONDINE

• STEP 1: Add butter to the skillet over medium-low heat. Let it melt, but not brown. 
• STEP 2: Add green beans to the skillet. Raise heat to medium. Sautée for 3 to 5 minutes, tossing the beans frequently with a pair of tongs. Once the beans become tender-crisp, with a few lightly-charred brown spots, remove pan from heat.
• STEP 3: Season with flaky sea salt and pepper. Lightly toss the beans to distribute the spices. 
• STEP 4: Squeeze lemon juice over the beans, as desired. This will brighten the dish and cut through the butter. Sprinkle the top with lemon zest. 

ALMONDINE GARNISH

Now it’s time to put the finishing touch on this delightful French classic! Spoon a generous amount of almondine over the green beans, straight down the center of the skillet or serving dish.

If desired, toss the almondine and green beans together. This nutty fragrant mixture is like the frosting on a cake. It’s so darn good! Serve and enjoy your yummy green beans almondine.

RECIPE TIPS AND FAQ

• MAKE-AHEAD GREEN BEANS ALMONDINE: Get a head start on assembling this side dish by blanching the green beans the day before. After the ice-water bath, dry the veggies well. Transfer to an air-tight container lined with a paper towel and refrigerate. Mince shallots and garlic in advance. Store in small zip-top bags and refrigerate. Early prep work will allow this dish to come together quickly!
• ARE STRING BEANS THE SAME AS GREEN BEANS? In the time of our grandparents, most green beans had a fibrous thread that ran along the seam of the pod. So these green beans were often referred to as “string beans.” The strings would have to be manually removed, which was a real chore. However, with a few exceptions, modern green beans have been cultivated to be “stringless.”
• PARBOILING VS BLANCHING: These two techniques are basically the same with one small difference. After veggies are parboiled (briefly dipped into boiling water and then removed), they’re not plunged into ice-water to halt cooking.
• MORE TOPPING IDEAS FOR FRENCH GREEN BEANS: It’s easy to elevate this side dish with crunchy, flavorful toppings! Cook 4 pieces of thickly-sliced bacon until crisp. Crumble the bacon over the green beans. Toss to combine. For the holidays, switch things up with pomegranate arils and thinly-sliced mint. Or try a drizzle of tahini with toasted sesame seeds. Eating your veggies has never been more flavorful!

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