Easy Green Beans Almondine with Pearl Onions
Easy green beans almondine with buttery pearl onions, fresh tarragon and toasted almonds. A make-ahead Thanksgiving side ready in 35 minutes.
These green beans almondine are the side dish I put on the Thanksgiving table when I want something green that isn’t swimming in cream of mushroom soup! I’m not knocking canned soup, but I know that not everyone loves it.
The best thing about this green bean recipe is that it’s FRESH! Not heavy like most Thanksgiving side dishes. The green beans are crisp, but tender, the pearl onions are caramelized (and so pretty), and the toasted almonds add flavor and texture. It looks fancy but it only takes about 35 minutes to pull together!
You’ll also see this classic French dish spelled green beans amandine. Same thing, same delicious result.
Why you’ll love these green beans almondine
- Seven ingredients. Green beans, butter, pearl onions, tarragon, white wine, almonds, salt and pepper. Nothing fussy.
- Make-ahead friendly. Blanch the beans a day early and the final saute takes 6 minutes.
- Bright and fresh. A welcome break from all the heavy, creamy holiday sides.
- Frozen pearl onions do the work. No peeling tiny onions one by one. Nobody has time for that!
What you need
- Fresh green beans. About 2 pounds, trimmed. Thin French haricots verts work too, but you will need to cut the boiling time to 3 to 4 minutes.
- Butter. To brown the onions and coat the beans.
- Frozen pearl onions. Thaw them first so they brown instead of steam. All frozen veggies have a lot of water in them which you can get out with paper towels.
- Fresh tarragon. It adds a gentle, almost licorice-like note that pairs beautifully with butter. Fresh thyme or parsley works if tarragon isn’t your thing. Or if you already have fresh sage for Thanksgiving, use that!
- White wine or water. A splash of either deglazes the pan or pulls everything together. Use a dry white wine.
- Slivered almonds. Toast them first if you can for the best flavor.
How to make green beans almondine with pearl onions
- Toast the almonds. Toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking often, 3 to 5 minutes until golden. Set aside.
- Blanch the beans. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and set a big bowl of ice water nearby. Boil the green beans 5 to 7 minutes, until just tender, but still bright green. Drain and plunge them into the ice water to stop the cooking and lock in the bright green color. Drain well.
- Brown the onions. Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the pearl onions, tarragon, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes until the onions start to brown.
- Finish the beans. Add the green beans and wine. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes until the beans are hot and the liquid has reduced a bit.
- Serve. Pile into a serving bowl and scatter the toasted almonds over the top.
Tips for the best Thanksgiving green beans
- Salt the water generously. It’s your one chance to season the beans all the way through. It really makes a difference!
- Don’t skip the ice bath. It keeps the beans crisp and green instead of sad.
- Dry the beans well. Wet beans water down the butter.
- Add the almonds at the end. Stirring them in early could make them soggy.
Make-ahead instructions
Blanch and chill the green beans up to 2 days ahead and keep them in a zip-top bag lined with paper towels. Toast the almonds and store them at room temperature.
Right before dinner, brown the onions and finish the beans in the skillet. They’ll take a couple of extra minutes since they start cold.
Variation: Asparagus almondine
Swap the green beans for 2 pounds of trimmed asparagus. Toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Then toss with the buttery onions and tarragon and finish with almonds.
Love asparagus? Try my Five Cheese Baked Asparagus too.
Serving Suggestions
Like I mentioned above, I LOVE serving this as an elegant green bean option for Thanksgiving dinner!
They are perfect with my cider roasted turkey or smoked turkey, creamy mashed potatoes and turkey gravy, cranberry sauce and all the fixings.
FAQ
Nothing but spelling. Amandine is the French term, and almondine is the common American version. Both mean “made with almonds.” If you love the technique, it’s just as good on fish, like my Rainbow Trout Almondine.
Yes. Skip the boiling and ice bath, thaw them, pat dry and add them straight to the skillet. Cook a minute or two longer.
Water or chicken broth both work well. A small squeeze of lemon at the end adds back a bit of the tang that wine adds.
Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet with a pat of butter. The almonds will soften, so add a few fresh ones if you have them.
I hope that you enjoy this green bean almondine recipe! If you make it, I’d love to hear how it went in in the comments below.
Easy Green Beans Almondine
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the water
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup dry white wine, or water
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Instructions
- Toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking often, 3 to 5 minutes until golden. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water. Boil the green beans 5 to 7 minutes until just tender. Drain, transfer to the ice water until cool, then drain well.
- Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the pearl onions, tarragon, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, about 3 minutes until the onions begin to brown.
- Add the green beans and wine. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes until heated through and the liquid is slightly reduced.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the toasted almonds.
