From the roundup: 12 Easy Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes Everyone Will Ask About
Skillet green beans with toasted almonds have become my go-to Thanksgiving side for one simple reason: the oven is always full. This is a stovetop dish from start to finish, and the whole thing takes about 17 minutes, so you can time it while the turkey rests and not stress about juggling racks.
The method is straightforward. Blanch the trimmed green beans for two to three minutes, drain them, then cook them in a hot butter skillet with shallots until the tips pick up a little char. The almonds get toasted in the same dry pan before anything else goes in, which takes about 60 to 90 seconds and makes a real difference in flavor. Scatter them on at the end so they stay crisp.
This is not a hands-off dish. You are at the stove for most of those 17 minutes, stirring and watching the almonds so they do not burn. But the prep is minimal, the cleanup is one pot and one skillet, and the result looks like you put in more effort than you did.
How this made it onto our table
The first time I made this, it was Thanksgiving and I had completely forgotten about a vegetable side until about 20 minutes before we sat down. I had a bag of fresh green beans, a shallot, and sliced almonds I had bought for something else. I burned the first batch of almonds because I walked away to answer a kid question, so I started over and stood there the whole 90 seconds the second time. Worth it.
It has been on the table every Thanksgiving since. My kids pick around the shallots, which is fine. The beans disappear fast enough that I do not argue about it.
Why you will love this
- Done entirely on the stovetop in about 17 minutes, which matters when your oven has four other things in it
- One skillet and one pot for blanching, so cleanup is fast
- The almonds toast in the dry pan before you add anything else, so you only dirty one skillet total
- Works with fresh green beans you blanch yourself or beans you blanched and refrigerated that morning
- The slightly charred tips give the beans real flavor without any sauce or fuss
Tips for success
- Toast the almonds first, before any butter goes in the pan. They need a dry skillet and your full attention for 60 to 90 seconds. Pull them off the heat the moment they turn golden and tip them into a bowl. They will keep cooking from residual heat if you leave them in the pan.
- Do not skip the blanching step or cut it short. Two to three minutes in well-salted boiling water is what keeps the beans bright green and just tender enough to hold up in the hot skillet without turning to mush.
- Get the skillet hot before you add the beans. You want some char on the tips, not steaming. If the pan is not hot enough when the beans go in, they will steam in their own moisture and stay pale.
- Add the lemon juice off the heat and toss quickly, then scatter the almonds right before you transfer to the serving dish. Both steps keep the texture where you want it.
Make it work around holiday cooking
- Blanch and drain the beans up to 8 hours ahead, then refrigerate them in a zip bag. The skillet step takes about 5 minutes from there.
- Toast the almonds up to 2 days ahead and store them in a small airtight container at room temperature.
- This dish is best made close to serving time. If it sits too long, the beans lose their char and the almonds soften.
- If you are scaling up for a larger crowd, work in two batches in the skillet. Crowding the pan causes steaming, not searing.
Substitutions
Sliced almonds can be swapped for chopped pecans or pine nuts. Both toast quickly, so the same 60 to 90 second rule applies. For a dairy-free version, use two tablespoons of olive oil in place of butter. The shallots can be replaced with half a small yellow onion, thinly sliced, or two cloves of minced garlic added with the beans instead of up front.
Frozen green beans work here if that is what you have. Thaw them fully and pat them dry with a paper towel before they go into the skillet. Wet beans will steam instead of sear, and you will lose the char on the tips that makes this worth making.
Make-ahead and storage
To get ahead on the day: blanch and drain the beans in the morning, spread them on a clean towel to dry, then refrigerate in a zip bag. Toast the almonds up to 2 days ahead and keep them at room temperature in a small airtight container. When you are ready to serve, the skillet step takes about 5 minutes.
Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a small pat of butter, stirring for 3 to 4 minutes until warmed through. The almonds will have softened by then, so toast a small handful of fresh ones and add them on top if you want the crunch back. Not recommended for freezing, the beans turn soft and watery.
Skillet Green Beans with Toasted Almonds
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the trimmed green beans and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until they turn bright green and are just barely tender when you pierce one with a fork. Drain immediately in a colander and set aside. If you want to keep them extra crisp, run cold water over them for 30 seconds to stop the cooking.
- Set your large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced almonds in a single layer with no butter or oil. Toast them, stirring constantly, for about 60 to 90 seconds until they are golden and smell nutty. Watch them closely because they go from golden to burnt very fast. Tip them into a small bowl and set aside.
- Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter melts and starts to foam, add the sliced shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes until the shallots soften and the edges start to turn golden.
- Add the drained green beans to the skillet. Sprinkle with garlic salt and black pepper. Toss everything together using tongs or a wooden spoon and cook over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans are heated through and some of the tips pick up a little char from the hot pan. That slightly blistered look is exactly what you want.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. If using lemon juice, drizzle it over the beans and toss quickly. Scatter the toasted almonds over the top and transfer to a serving dish right away so the almonds stay crisp.
Notes
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