Party Sized Green Beans Almondine (Amandine) – Hosting a holiday dinner? This party-sized recipe for a delicious, traditional crowd pleaser will be a hit, no matter the season!
It’s been quite some time since I’ve published a new blog post. And today I’m extra excited about returning to the pages of Simple Seasonal in light of all the wonderful things writing this blog has done for my life as I look back on 2023 and really, the past three years. Every year at this time I take a moment to reflect on what’s been going well in my life, what I could change for the better in the upcoming year, and what I’m thankful for. This year I’m especially positive and thankful. And so much of that optimism I owe to the experience of writing this blog, and to everyone who ever read a post or made one of my recipes.
I established this blog in 2014 and built it while my children were small, during their nap times, in hopes of improving my family’s lives. This enabled me to be at home with my little ones more while I cut my hours as a registered nurse to part-time. As my kids grew older and went off to school, I decided to go off to school as well! Ultimately, the ad revenue from this website has financed my graduate education, and I’m happy to say that this past week I made my LAST tuition payment, all with Simple Seasonal revenue! I’m one semester, and one clinical rotation, away from being an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner!
This never would have been possible without every person who has read my blog. So THANK YOU, Simple Seasonal reader, for reading and cooking my content, and for putting up with scrolling past a few ads along the way. My little blog is one of thousands of little blogs. I think it’s wonderful to consider all the genuine little blogs out there that are written by real people trying to put something positive out into the world, while making real dreams come true in their personal lives and communities. On that note, I’m looking forward to continue cooking with you in 2024!
Now, onto today’s recipe…
Green Beans Almondine, or Amandine if you’re not from the United States, is one of my favorite sides to serve if I’m cooking for a larger crowd. It’s quick and easy, yet it’s also elegant, with a large crowd appeal. It also pairs perfectly with most holiday dinners from Thanksgiving through Christmas whether your main course be Turkey, Ham, or Filet.
Amandine is simply a culinary term that means “Cooked or Served with Almonds (Cambridge Dictionary).” In truth, this is such a simplistic and classic recipe of haircots verts (french green beans), shallots, garlic, lemons, and almonds of course. Sometimes classic recipes are the best. As such, I didn’t add any crazy twist to this recipe today. What I hope you’ll find helpful is that this recipe is written as a family or party-sized recipe to serve 10 people, which I actually found surprisingly lacking online.
Just scroll down to the recipe card below for easy-to-follow, step-by-step directions…
Party Sized Green Beans Almondine (Amandine)
Hosting a holiday dinner? This party-sized recipe for a delicious, traditional crowd pleaser will be a hit, no matter the season!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. haricots verts (French green beans), trimmed*
- 4 quarts (1 gallon) water
- 2 Tbsp salt for boiling beans
- Ice bath
- 1 C sliced raw almonds
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Zest of two lemons
- 5 Tbsp salted butter
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Begin by preparing your vegetables, and then set them aside. To do this, wash and trim 2 pounds of haricot verts (French green beans) by cutting or snapping off the stem ends. Finely chop shallots, mince 4 garlic cloves, zest two lemons, and squeeze 1 Tbsp lemon juice.
- Bring 4 quarts (1 gallon/16 cups) of water to a boil in a large pot. Once boiling, stir in 2 tablespoons of salt. Next add the greens beans, return to a boil, and then boil for 2 minutes.
- While the pot of water is coming to a boil, prepare an ice bath by adding 2 trays of ice to a large bowl of cold water. After the beans have boiled for 3 minutes, drain them and immediately add them to the ice bath, and set aside.
- In a deep skillet toast the 1 cup of sliced raw almonds. Once golden brown, pour them into a bowl and set aside.
- In the same skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, add the shallots and sauté for about 2 minutes until soft. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Next, drain, pat dry, and stir in the cooked green beans. Heat the green beans for 2-3 minutes until warmed through, taking care not to overcook.
- Remove the green beans from the heat and stir in the toasted almonds and 2 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice.
- Garnish with the zest of two lemons and fresh black pepper to taste. Serve hot.
Notes
*The packs of haricots verts are generally 1 pound each at the grocery store.
Note: If you’re planning on serving at a party or a holiday dinner, you can boil and chill your green beans, toast your almonds, and prep your vegetables as much as a day in advance. When you’re ready to serve dinner, pick up at step #5 in the directions above, and the dish will come together and be ready to serve within 5 minutes.
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