Green Beans Lemon Almonds (Printer-friendly)
Bright green beans combined with lemon zest and toasted almonds for a fresh, flavorful side.
# What You'll Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
→ Nuts
02 - ½ cup sliced almonds
→ Aromatics & Seasonings
03 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
04 - 1 clove garlic, minced
05 - 1 lemon, zest and juice
06 - ½ tsp sea salt
07 - ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
# How To Make It:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and cook for 2–3 minutes until just tender and bright green. Drain and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain again and set aside.
02 - In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add sliced almonds and toast, stirring frequently, until golden (about 2 minutes).
03 - Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
04 - Add the drained green beans to the skillet. Toss to coat with butter, almonds, and garlic.
05 - Add the lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for another 2–3 minutes, stirring, until beans are heated through and well coated. Serve immediately, garnished with extra toasted almonds if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The way the toasted almonds create this incredible crunch against tender beans makes every bite interesting
- That bright hit of lemon wakes up everything else on your plate without fighting for attention
02 -
- The ice bath step is absolutely not optional, I once skipped it to save time and ended up with limp gray beans that nobody wanted to eat
- Dry your beans really well after the ice bath or the butter wont coat properly and youll end up with watery puddles on your serving plate
03 -
- Trim the beans by lining them up and cutting off all the stem ends at once instead of doing them one by one
- Use a microplane for the lemon zest because it catches only the bright yellow part without hitting the bitter white pith underneath