This easy green beans with bacon and almonds side dish makes a delicious addition to any meal. The beans are crispy and the bacon is crunchy. An easy and elegant side dish that’s perfect for a holiday meal or an easy weeknight dinner.
This is a great side dish for many grilled meats, and it’s especially good for holiday menu on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s Eve.
This recipe is so simple, with just four real food ingredients, but it delivers huge flavor. Sometimes simple is the most direct road to addictively delicious, and this recipe for green beans with bacon is proof.
Green beans are one of my favorite vegetables – they’re great battered and fried as a party snack, perfect for stir fries, and always make for a delicious side dish. These bacon green beans can be prepared in just minutes, and are always a big hit. Thankfully, during summer days my garden gives me a lot of green beans.
These green beans are crisp and tender and the flavor is incredible. And let’s be honest. Bacon just makes life better in general so it was a total win in this green bean dish. My family devoured these green beans.
How do you prepare fresh green beans?
To get your green beans ready for this recipe, all you need to do is give them a good wash, then trim off the stem end. The fastest way to trim off the stem end is to line up a handful of green beans, then cut the stems off all at once. It makes prep time go a lot faster.
The dish can be made with fresh or frozen green beans. If you use frozen green beans, steam them following the package directions.
How to blanch green beans?
Let’s talk about how to cook fresh green beans in general. The first step is to blanch the green beans. Blanching means cooking the green beans in boiling water for a very short time, just until they are crisp-tender.
Before you start, trim the ends of the green beans. You can cut them in half. You can easily do it while you wait for the salt water to boil.
Once you have boiling water, add the green beans, and cook for just three or four minutes. Exactly how long to blanch green beans will vary a little bit, so just watch them for signs that they are done. The green beans are ready when they are bright green and crisp-tender. Don’t overcook them!
Next, drain them and immediately plunge them into ice water. This prevents them from continuing to cook in the residual heat.
Ingredients to make Green Beans with Bacon & Almonds
- Bacon
- Butter
- Green Beans
- Almonds
- Lemon juice
- Salt and Black Pepper
How to make Green Beans with Bacon & Almonds
- Boil salt water in a large saucepan or pot. Add green beans. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until bright green and crisp tender. Drain, then immediately plunge the green beans into ice water to stop cooking. Leave the green beans in the water for a couple of minutes, then drain. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, use kitchen shears or a knife to cut the bacon slices into 1/2 in (1 cm) square pieces.
- Add the bacon to a large saute pan at room temperature. Place on the stove and fry over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the bacon is crispy and releases its fat. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon pieces, leaving the bacon fat in the pan. Set aside the bacon.
- Reduce heat to low. Add the butter to the pan with the bacon fat. Heat until melted.
- Add the sliced almonds. Saute for a few minutes, until the almonds are golden.
- Add the garlic. Saute for about another minute, until fragrant. Stir in the lemon juice.
- Add the green beans and bacon pieces to the saute pan. Toss everything to coat. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Cook for a few minutes, until hot.
This recipe is a classic way to prepare green beans that are full of savory flavor. These green beans are perfect for holidays and dinner parties but they are easy enough to make any time of the year.
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15 minutes |
| Passive Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
|
- 2 pounds green beans trimmed
- 6 slices bacon finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/3 cup almonds sliced
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
Ingredients
|
|
- Boil salt water in a large saucepan or pot. Add green beans. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until bright green and crisp tender.
- Drain, then immediately plunge the green beans into ice water to stop cooking. Leave the green beans in the water for a couple of minutes, then drain. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, use kitchen shears or a knife to cut the bacon slices into 1/2 in (1 cm) square pieces.
- Add the bacon to a large saute pan at room temperature. Place on the stove and fry over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the bacon is crispy and releases its fat. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon pieces, leaving the bacon fat in the pan. Set aside the bacon.
- Reduce heat to low. Add the butter to the pan with the bacon fat. Heat until melted.
- Add the sliced almonds. Saute for a few minutes, until the almonds are golden.
- Add the garlic. Saute for about another minute, until fragrant. Stir in the lemon juice.
- Add the green beans and bacon pieces to the saute pan. Toss everything to coat. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Cook for a few minutes, until hot.
