In LOVE with these parmesan almond green beans.
When I was a kid, one of my favorite vegetables to eat was green beans, but only the French-cut ones. Man, I could’ve eaten can after can of those bad boys. I can’t quite figure out why I liked them so much, but I think it had to do with the fact that they were fun to play with on the dinner plate.
Now, green beans have almost had an inverse effect on me—I can only eat them when they’re in season and prepared with more than just salt and butter.
I ate a ton of green beans over the summer in tossed salads, and they didn’t wow me. They were usually fresh from a farmers market, too. I don’t know what it was. Call me crazy…
Bound to get over my green bean slump, I set out to test out an array of ways to make green beans. Some were hot, some were cold, some were spicy, some were sweet. In the end, this recipe morphed into parmesan almond green beans.
The texture, first of all, is amazing. It’s a mashup of crispiness from the green beans and crunchiness of the shaved almonds to a smoothness of the cheese. It’s fun. And the taste is, well, amazing (if I do say so myself). Garlic is one of my favorite ingredients to cook with, so you know it made an appearance in this recipe. The lemon also brings in a great sweetness that wasn’t present in a lot of the other green bean recipes I tried.
Looking to make it a meal? Try the green beans paired with lemon chicken and garlic roasted potatoes, and perhaps apple crisp for dessert. It’s all quick to throw together and picky eaters (like myself when it comes to the green beans) will love it.
Parmesan Almond Green Beans
These aren't your canned green beans. Fresh, sweet, and a little creamy. Try these parmesan almond green beans for a great twist on a dinner plate staple.
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans, trimmed
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons minced parsley
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons shaved almonds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Steps
- Bring a large pot of lightly-salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until tender but crisp. Drain the beans and immediately submerge in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic, lemon zest, parsley, parmesan, almonds. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Drain the beans and pat dry. Add the beans to the pan and sauté, turning frequently, for 2 minutes, until coated with olive oil and heated through.
- Turn off heat and toss with the parmesan mixture. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Serve hot.