A Cedar Spoon

A busy cook's mix of healthy, seasonal & local flavors

Green Beans with Brown Butter and Toasted Almonds

by 39 Comments

Green Beans with Brown Butter and Toasted Almonds is a nice twist on traditional green beans.  The nutty flavor of the brown butter coats the freshly cooked green beans and is tossed with crunchy toasted almonds.  This is a nice addition to a holiday table. 

Green Beans with Brown Butter and Toasted Almonds - yum

Green Beans with Brown Butter and Toasted Almonds

Each year I am amazed at how fast Thanksgiving rolls around.  All of the sudden I blink and we are talking about turkey, cranberries, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. Hopefully you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with good food and family.

I think the side dishes are a second thought to the main attractions for many people, but for me they are just as important. As I start to think about the next holiday I know that I will need that balance of fresh vegetables and salads to go along with the meats and potatoes.  It is nice to serve up simple side dishes that are a little different than just plain green beans or carrots {try these Honey Glazed Carrots}.

Green Beans with Brown Butter and Toasted Almonds

One of  my favorite vegetable side dishes is green beans.  I can eat them plain but enjoy spicing them up a bit for special occasions.  These Simple Garlic Parmesan Green Beans are one of my favorite ways to eat green beans, but I think we have a contender with these Green Beans with Brown Butter and Toasted Almonds.

Green Beans with Brown Butter and Toasted Almonds - easy side

Recently I attended a cooking class where we learned how to make a variety of Thanksgiving dishes and these Green Beans with Brown Butter and Toasted Almonds was on the list.  I have eaten these time and time again and always enjoy the nutty brown butter butter that coats the crisp green beans and the crunch of the toasted almonds.  When I made these last weekend Mike walked in the house and asked what the delicious smell was, and that my friends is the smell of brown butter. Heavenly!

Green Beans with Brown Butter and Toasted Almonds - healthy

When thinking about your holiday table this year I hope you will add these green beans to the mix.  Not only do I adore the flavors in these Green Beans with Brown Butter and Toasted Almonds but the dish is simple to make, so you can spend your time preparing the rest of your meal. You can even parboil the green beans up to a day ahead of time to cut down on the cook time the day of your gathering.

Yield: 4

Green Beans with Brown Butter and Toasted Almonds

Green Beans with Brown Butter and Toasted Almonds

Green Beans with Brown Butter and Toasted Almonds is a nice twist on traditional green beans. The nutty flavor of the brown butter coats the freshly cooked green beans and is tossed with crunchy toasted almonds. This is a nice addition to a holiday table.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. fresh green beans, ends trimmed {or you can use Haricot Verts which are thin French style green beans and you won't have to trim them}
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/3 cup silvered almonds, toasted
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium high heat.
  2. While the pot of water is boiling heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the almonds and stir often until golden brown. Set aside.
  3. Once the water is boiling add the green beans and boil for 5-6 minutes, or until the green beans are tender to eat. Drain and set aside.
  4. In the large skillet that you toasted the almonds in add the butter and heat over medium high heat for two minutes stirring until the butter melts and smells nutty.
  5. Turn the heat to low and add the green beans and half of the almonds into the skillet with the butter and gently mix together for 1 minute.
  6. Remove from the heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the green beans into a serving dish and garnish with the remaining half of the toasted almonds.

Notes

You can parboil the green beans ahead of time to cut down on the cook time when you are preparing a large holiday meal. To do this cook the beans in a large pot of boiling, salted water until just crisp-tender which takes about 2-3 minutes. Remove the green beans from the pot and immediately place in an ice bath. Pat beans dry. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use {you can do this up to a day ahead}. When you are ready to make the green beans you will skip the step where you boil the green beans and instead add the green beans into the melted brown butter and heat for 3 minutes.

© Julia
Category: Side Dish
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Try these other green bean recipes:

Green Beans with Leeks // 101 Cookbooks

Simple Lemon Green Beans // Love and Lemons

Green Beans and Beets with Balsamic Reduction // The Roasted Root

 

Green Beans with Brown Butter and Toasted Almonds - holiday side

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Comments

    • Julia says

      I totally agree with you. Usually you can get even the pickiest eaters to eat the classics. Hope you try this and like it!

      Reply

  6. Julie @ Texan New Yorker says

    Yup, Thanksgiving sneaks up every year, without fail, lol! I love this dish – reminding me that I have not eaten enough green beans this year! I love how it cuts so many calories from the usual cream and cheese-laden green bean casserole while still being delicious.

    Reply

  7. Kristen says

    Green beans are the one vegetable that all of my kids agree upon. The addition of nutty, browned butter with the crunchiness of almonds is such a nice way to elevate them!

    Reply

  15. Dee Dee (My Midlife Kitchen) says

    I admit that this is my favorite way to serve green beans. Whey they are this pretty and fresh, it’s such a shame to cover them up with a goopy soup or other heavy sauce. The brown butter provides all of the lusciousness I need! Thanks!

    Reply

    • Julia says

      I really agree with you! I would pick these over casseroles any day. I love crisp, fresh vegetables and then you are right, the brown butter just added a touch of flavor.

      Reply

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