From the roundup: 12 Easy Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes the Whole Family Will Reach For
Green beans with toasted almonds and lemon is the one Thanksgiving side I actually look forward to making because most of the work happens the day before. I blanch the beans in the afternoon, shock them in ice water, pat them dry, and stick them in a zip bag in the fridge. When dinner is 10 minutes out, the skillet finish is fast enough that I can do it while someone else is carving.
The blanch-then-skillet method is worth following closely. Wet beans steam instead of saute, and you lose the little bit of color and edge you get from a hot pan. I learned this the hard way the first time I skipped the pat-dry step and ended up with a pile of soggy beans that looked nothing like what I had planned. Two minutes with a kitchen towel fixes that.
The whole thing takes about 25 minutes start to finish, with 10 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of actual cooking. It is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, which matters at our table where we have a few different dietary needs to work around most holidays.
Why you will love this
- The beans blanch in 3 to 4 minutes and the skillet finish takes about 8 minutes, so the active cooking time is short even on a busy holiday.
- Blanching ahead and refrigerating overnight means you are not juggling this dish at the last minute alongside everything else.
- The lemon zest and juice go in off the heat, so the brightness does not cook off before it hits the table.
- Toasted almonds add crunch without any fuss, and they take only 2 to 3 minutes in a dry skillet.
- It holds its vivid green color well on a serving dish, which matters when the rest of the table is various shades of brown.
Tips for success
- Toast the almonds first in the dry skillet before any oil goes in. They go from golden to burnt in about 30 seconds, so pull them onto a plate the moment they smell nutty and look golden.
- Pat the blanched beans as dry as you can before they go into the skillet. Moisture left on the beans causes steaming instead of sauteing, and you lose the texture the blanching step was meant to preserve.
- Add the garlic to already-hot oil and keep stirring for the full 60 to 90 seconds. Garlic sliced thin burns quickly at medium-high heat, and bitter garlic is hard to fix once it is in the pan.
- Add the lemon juice and zest after you turn off the heat. If you add them while the pan is still hot, the citrus cooks down and the brightness you want fades fast.
Make-ahead and leftovers
- Blanched and shocked green beans keep refrigerated in a zip bag lined with a paper towel for up to 24 hours before the skillet finish.
- Fully cooked beans with almonds are best eaten the same day. The almonds soften overnight in the fridge.
- Leftovers keep for up to 2 days refrigerated. When you reheat them, add a small handful of freshly toasted almonds at the end to bring back some crunch.
- Do not freeze this dish. The texture of blanched green beans falls apart after freezing and thawing.
Substitutions
Sliced almonds are easy to swap. Pine nuts work well and toast in about the same time. Chopped walnuts are a little heartier and add a slightly bitter edge that pairs nicely with the lemon. If nuts are off the table entirely, toasted breadcrumbs give you crunch without any allergen concerns. For a richer finish, stir in one tablespoon of butter right after you turn off the heat, before the lemon goes in.
Fresh green beans give the best texture here, but frozen can work if that is what you have. Thaw them completely, then spread them on a towel and press out as much moisture as possible before the skillet step. Skip the blanching if you go the frozen route since they are already partially cooked. Red pepper flakes are optional in the recipe and easy to leave out for kids or anyone who does not want heat.
Make-ahead and storage
Blanch and shock the green beans up to one day ahead. Drain them well, pat dry, and refrigerate in a zip bag with a paper towel inside to absorb any remaining moisture. When you are ready to finish the dish, the skillet step takes about 8 minutes from cold beans to table.
Fully cooked beans with almonds are best the day they are made. Leftovers keep refrigerated for up to 2 days, but the almonds will soften. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat rather than the microwave, and scatter a fresh handful of toasted almonds over the top before serving.
Green Beans with Toasted Almonds and Lemon
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously, about 1 tablespoon of salt per gallon. While it heats, fill a large bowl with cold water and a couple of handfuls of ice. You want this ready before the beans go in.
- Add the trimmed green beans to the boiling water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. You are looking for beans that are bright green and just tender when you bite through one, with a little resistance still in the center. They will finish in the skillet, so do not go past that point.
- Drain the beans immediately and transfer them to the ice water. Let them sit for 2 minutes until fully cooled, then drain again and spread them on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Pat them as dry as you can. Wet beans will steam in the skillet instead of saute, and you lose the texture you just worked for.
- Set a large skillet over medium heat with no oil. Add the sliced almonds and toast them, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes until they are golden and smell nutty. Watch them closely because they go from perfect to burnt in about 30 seconds. Tip them onto a plate and set aside.
- Add the olive oil to the same skillet and raise the heat to medium-high. Once the oil shimmers, add the sliced garlic and cook for 60 to 90 seconds, stirring constantly, until it just turns golden at the edges. Do not walk away during this step.
- Add the dried green beans to the skillet in one layer if possible. Toss them with the garlic and oil and let them cook, tossing every minute or so, for about 4 to 5 minutes until heated through and starting to pick up a little color at the edges.
- Turn off the heat. Squeeze the lemon juice over the beans, add the lemon zest, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Toss everything together, then scatter the toasted almonds over the top. Transfer to a serving dish immediately and serve while hot.
Notes
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