Brown Butter Green Beans with Slivered Almonds
on Nov 23, 2014, Updated Dec 07, 2024
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Today I’m coming at you with another delicious side dish to add to your Thanksgiving table, Brown Butter Green Beans with Slivered Almonds.
Now you might be sitting there thinking, whoopee green beans, how boring. Don’t you know me by now! I would never give you JUST a plate of steamed green beans. You know I have to add a pop of flavor and a little more texture to all that I make. I opted to make my green bean side dish all about the green beans rather than drown them in a gravy sauce and top them with crispy fried onions. I think you know what dish I’m referring to. To be honest, growing up we never went the green bean casserole route and I’m actually ok with that. Yes casseroles are delicious, but when it comes to fresh vegetables I prefer to keep the dish simple and enhance the flavor rather than cover it up with something.
When I was thinking about what to add to the green beans to give them a little extra flavor, but still keep the integrity of the bean, my mind immediately went to brown butter. Brown butter is truly amazing! Butter added to green beans is of course delicious, but when you take that extra step of browning it you bring out a nutty, rich flavor in the butter that can’t be beat.
Since I was bringing out the nuttiness in the butter, I decided to add to that flavor by toasting some slivered almonds. Not only did this add another nutty flavor, but it also added great crunch that went perfectly with the crisp green beans. Since I had all these nutty, rich flavors going on I needed something to brighten the whole dish up. What better way to do that than with some fresh lemon zest!
These Brown Butter Green Beans with Slivered Almonds are a perfect side dish to serve when you have vegetarian and those on a gluten free guests. I like to make sure I prepare side dishes that everyone can enjoy and feel good about eating. Just because a side dish isn’t doused in a cream sauce and topped with crispy bread crumb galore doesn’t mean it isn’t packing as much flavor as it’s fattier counterpart. Plus, with all the delicious pies topped with whipped cream and ice cream that we will be indulging in after the glorious meal we need a few healthier side dishes to help balance everything out!
More Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Balsamic Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Butternut Squash Carrot Soup
Brown Butter Green Beans with Slivered Almonds
Ingredients
- 2 pounds green beans
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
Instructions
- Wash 2 pounds of green beans in cold water then trim the ends off of them. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans to the boiling water and let them cook for 4 minutes. Remove the green beans from the boiling water and add them to a bowl of ice water to shock them and stop the cooking process.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it melt and brown.
- Once the butter is brown add the green beans to the skillet and toss them with the salt and pepper until they are warmed through. Top the green beans with the toasted slivered almonds and lemon zest. Serve the green beans in the skillet they were cooked in or transfer to a serving dish.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These green beans look delicious. They definitely will make a perfect side to accompany dinner tonight.. good thing I have all the ingredients on hand!
This looks like a great recipe for a Thanksgiving classic! I hope you have a great Thanksgiving :)