Green Beans Lemon Almonds (Printable)

Crisp green beans combined with lemon zest and toasted almonds for an elegant side.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed

→ Nuts

02 - 1/3 cup sliced almonds

→ Aromatics & Flavor

03 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
04 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
05 - 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
06 - Zest of 1 lemon
07 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
08 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook for 3–4 minutes until crisp-tender. Drain and immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again and set aside.
02 - In a large skillet over medium heat, toast the sliced almonds, stirring frequently, until golden brown and fragrant (2–3 minutes). Remove almonds from the pan and set aside.
03 - In the same skillet, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
04 - Add the green beans to the skillet and toss to coat in the garlic butter. Cook for 2–3 minutes until heated through.
05 - Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
06 - Remove from heat. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The contrast between crisp tender beans and toasted almonds creates this incredible texture that keeps every bite interesting
  • Lemon cuts through the richness of the butter just enough to make you want seconds and thirds
  • This is the vegetable side dish that actually steals the show at dinner parties, people literally request it now
02 -
  • The ice water bath after blanching is absolutely essential, I learned this the hard way when my beans turned dull olive colored instead of vibrant green
  • Dry your beans thoroughly after the ice bath or the butter wont coat properly and youll end up with a watery sauce instead of a glossy finish
03 -
  • Work quickly when toasting the almonds and transfer them to a plate immediately so they dont continue cooking in the hot pan
  • If your beans are particularly thick, give them an extra minute of blanching time, but thin ones might only need 2 minutes

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