Garlic Green Beans with Lemon and Toasted Almonds
Green beans deserve better than being the polite vegetable everyone adds to their plate because they feel they should. These come dressed for dinner: buttery garlic, bright lemon, toasted almonds, and just enough red pepper to keep things interesting.
Chef Nico’s recipe keeps the beans crisp-tender with a quick blanch and an ice-water bath, then finishes them in a sauté pan. The contrast does the work—tender beans, fragrant sliced garlic, and almonds that stay crunchy because they go on at the very end.
The recipe makes eight side portions in about 27 minutes. Blanch the beans several hours ahead, refrigerate them until you’re ready to finish, and you have a side that fits a roast-chicken dinner as comfortably as a holiday buffet. A little preparation now means less pan juggling later.
Garlic Green Beans with Lemon and Toasted Almonds
Bright green beans with gently cooked garlic, lemon, and crunchy toasted almonds.
- Total Time27 minutes
- Yield8 side portions 1x
Ingredients
- 2 lb green beans, trimmed
- 2 tbsp kosher salt, for blanching water
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt, for seasoning
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
Instructions
- Blanch and chill: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add blanching salt. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Blanch beans 3–4 minutes until bright green and crisp-tender. Transfer immediately to ice bath, then drain and pat completely dry.
- Toast almonds: Place almonds in a dry pan over medium heat. Shake pan often for about four minutes until golden and fragrant. Remove immediately.
- Cook garlic: Heat butter and olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic and gently cook about two minutes until pale golden and fragrant; do not brown. Add red pepper, seasoning salt, and black pepper.
- Finish: Add dry beans and toss 2–3 minutes until hot, keeping them crisp. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and zest. Transfer to a warm platter and top with almonds and parsley.
Notes
Blanch and shock several hours ahead; cool fully and refrigerate until finishing. Dry beans completely so they sauté rather than steam. Sliced garlic gives a gentler flavor than minced. Add lemon off the heat, and almonds just before serving to retain crunch.
Wash beans thoroughly and take care around boiling water. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and use within four days. Contains dairy and almonds.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Sides
Chef Nico's Tips
Dry means dry. After the ice bath, drain and pat the beans thoroughly dry. Extra water encourages steaming instead of a quick sauté.
Give the garlic gentle heat. Thin slices should become fragrant and pale gold. Dark garlic can overpower the lemon and beans.
Toast, then transfer. Move the almonds out of the hot pan as soon as they are golden; the pan’s heat keeps cooking them.
Finish in the right order. Add lemon juice and zest off the heat, then scatter almonds and parsley over the platter just before serving.
Plan ahead. Blanch and chill the beans several hours before dinner, refrigerate them, and save the sauté step for serving time.
Serving Suggestions
Serve warm on a wide platter so the toasted almonds and parsley reach more than the top handful of beans. They pair beautifully with roasted prime rib, roast chicken, or honey mustard chicken; the lemon gives richer dishes a welcome lift.
For a holiday table, place the beans beside potatoes or stuffing for a fresh, crunchy contrast. At a buffet, finish near serving time and add the almonds last. Keep the platter easy to reach and offer serving tongs.
Ready, Set, Cook
A roomy sauté pan, a colander, and a serving platter cover the essentials. Browse our Amazon links below for tools you can use well beyond this recipe.
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