This Green Beans recipe with almonds is one of my easiest go-to sides I love to make during the week. This dish cooks up fast and not only do they bring color to the plate they are full of nutty buttery flavors and best of all… BACON!
For more vegetable side dishes to set your mouth watering, try these Turmeric Honey Carrots, Salad with Parmesan Dressing, and Creamy Brussel Sprouts.
How to Make Almond Green Beans
One of the many things I learned in culinary school is the importance of letting your hot skillet do its job. This means once you add the green beans to the skillet, leave them alone (don’t continuously push them around) until they brown. If they are in constant motion, they will steam and not brown.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Frozen thin green beans (haricots verts)
- 2 tablespoons bacon fat
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 2/3 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup crispy bacon pieces
Instructions
- Over medium to high heat, add 2 tablespoons of bacon fat (or olive oil) to a large skillet
- Before it starts to smoke, add 12 ounces of frozen green beans*
- Stir to coat them lightly with the bacon grease or oil and let them cook for 10 minutes.
- Once they start to brown, then lower the heat and sprinkle them with 1 teaspoon of garlic salt.
- Cover them with a lid and let them cook for another 5-10 minutes.
- Sprinkle toasted almonds and bacon pieces over the green beans. Season with salt and pepper (if needed), and serve.
Toast the Almond Slices
- While the beans are cooking, add 2/3 cup sliced almonds to a dry skillet over medium heat.
- Stir or toss until they are golden brown.
Green Beans with Almond Notes:
Fresh, Frozen, or Canned?
Which is best: fresh green beans, frozen green beans, or canned green beans? I believe frozen green beans are best for two reasons.
1) Frozen green beans are washed, trimmed, and flash-frozen making them hassle-free and ready to go. 2) Green beans have a lot of fiber which can make them tough. The freezing process softens them up a bit and this makes them cook faster than fresh green beans.
I shy away from canned green beans altogether unless they can hide in a creamy mushroom sauce like a green bean casserole. In this simple yet elegant dish, there is no hiding.
What’s the difference between Haricots Verts and Green Beans?
Haricots verts are French for green beans. However, haricots verts are longer, thinner, and more tender than their green bean American counterparts.
Do NOT be fooled by French Cut green beans in the freezer section. These are not haricot verts. They are simply green beans that have been sliced lengthwise.
Using Fresh Green Beans
Most of the time, I love to cook with raw fresh ingredients. However, green beans are a different story. If you buy a bunch from your local farmers’ market be prepared to de-string them for a good 1/2 hour. The ends need to be broken off and the strings pulled down and off their spines.
Generally, the fresh beans you buy at the grocery store do not have tough strings like the garden variety and the ends can simply be cut off.
If you opt for the fresh beans at your local grocer, chances are a simple snip off both ends is all you need to keep from picking out the hard bits from between your teeth.
Green Bean Variations
- Instead of almonds, drizzle with tomato sauce or béchamel.
- Spritz with lemon juice
- Add 1-2 cloves of minced garlic while they’re steaming
Almond Green Beans Taste Test
Alia and I are in the kitchen cooking up Almond Green Beans! This was Alia’s first time having green beans this way. You can see her real reaction to them at the end of the video. You can also tell she was a little skeptical, wondering if this was for real or an ad for Trader Joe’s.
Alia and Almond Green Beans Video
Meals that go with this almond green beans recipe
Almond green beans are great with most main dishes. They can even be the main event themselves! To do that, serve them in a rustic chunky tomato sauce or serve them chopped up over a bed of rice, quinoa, or cous cous and drizzle with your favorite sauce. I like a vibrant zesty tomato sauce!
Or you can saddle your beans next to one of the following for a dinner that’s divine:
Sous Vide Chicken with Mushroom Sauce
Almond Green Beans
These bright green beans are nutty and buttery! They're great on their own or saddled next to a juicy steak, fried chicken or an oven roasted salmon.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Frozen thin green beans (haricots verts)
- 2 tablespoons bacon grease or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 2/3 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
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Heat bacon grease or olive oil over medium high heat
-
Add frozen green beans
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Cook over high heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Then turn the heat down to low, add the garlic salt, cover, and let them steam for 5-10 minutes.
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While they are steaming, add the sliced almonds to a dry skillet over medium heat. WATCH them carefully, moving them around the pan, until they are lightly toasted.
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Add the almonds to the green beans and serve.
Recipe Notes
Even though bacon grease, butter, or oil is added, this dish has a lower fat content because most of that is left in the pan and not put on the plate.
If you are using fresh green beans, the cook time will increase. Allow for an extra 15 minutes of cooking over higher heat and at least 10 more minutes while steaming. Continue to taste and adjust to your preference.
Variations:
Garlic Lover Green Beans: In the last few minutes over high heat, add 1 clove of chopped garlic.
Drizzle with tomato sauce or béchamel.
Plate Partners:
Restaurant Style Steak, Pecan Crusted Salmon, Fried Chicken Nuggets, or Sous Vide Chicken in Mushroom Sauce