Green Beans Almondine with Bacon
Green Bean Almondine is an easy and flavorful vegetable side dish that is fancy yet simple and to make. Kid friendly and quick, this classic French recipe will be a family favorite. Made with applewood smoked bacon, almond slices, and lemon zest, these green beans have a simple yet elegant and bright flavor.
Green Beans Almondine is one of those recipes that is fancy enough to grace any holiday dinner party, yet is so quick and simple that its great for weeknight dinners, too.
With just a few simple ingredients you can create an amazing and delicious vegetable the whole family will love. I jazzed them up even more by adding in some applewood smoked bacon – because everything’s better with bacon, right?!
Green Bean Almondine
These green beans are one of my favorite easy side dishes when I want something a little bit “extra” without all the extra work. Sauteed with bacon, almonds, and lemon zest and juice, these take your average green beans and makes them seem fancy and sophisticated.
How to make this easy side dish recipe
This green bean almondine recipe is quick and easy to make. To get the full recipe and directions, make sure you scroll down the recipe card below. But here is an overview of how to make this side dish.
For this recipe I prefer to use the thinner French haricot vert green beans. They come in the whole bean and are thin, slender, and pretty. You can find them both fresh and frozen. If you can’t find them, regular green beans will do just fine, too!
- Gather your ingredients and tools. The first step is to gather the ingredients you need to make the process even faster. Get a large skillet out, and prepare an ice water bath for when the green beans are done cooking.
- Place the green beans in a large saucepan filled with water that has been salted. The salt will help flavor the green beans and also help the green beans retain their bright green color. Boil for 3-5 minutes or until they are crisp tender.
- While the green beans are cooking, start cooking your bacon. Stir them occasionally until they are starting to become crisp. Remove the green beans from the skillet, along with half of the bacon fat. Keep the other half of the bacon fat in the skillet.
- Blanch your green beans. As soon as they are tender crisp, you are going to want to drain the green beans and place them in the ice water bath to stop them cooking. They can hang out here until you need them.
- Add the butter and sliced almonds to the bacon fat in the skillet. Sautee for a few moments, until the almonds start to turn golden and they are fragrant. Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
- Place the green beans back in the skillet, along with the lemon juice and the cooked bacon. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
- Remove from the heat. Garnish with the lemon zest and serve immediately.
Recipe Note: These green beans are cooked to crisp tender, which means they still have a nice bite to them. If your children prefer softer green beans, just add a few more minutes to when the green beans are boiling. Be careful not to over cook them, as they will continue to cook in the skillet and you don’t want them to break down and become mush.
Can I use frozen green beans? You bet! Put the green beans in the water and heat to just boiling before you drain them.
Prepping ahead of time
This green bean almondine recipe is a quick and easy side dish, and doesn’t require a lot of work.
If you need to shorten the cook time, you can do the following things:
- Have all your ingredients set out and measured ahead of time. This will help you move quicker when it is time to cook.
- Cook your green beans ahead of time and blanch them in the ice water bath. Then dry them off and store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- You can cook the bacon ahead of time, too. Store the bacon and half of the bacon drippings in the fridge until you are ready to cook. Then reheat both in a skillet. When the bacon drippings are melted and hot, you can continue with the recipe as written.
How to serve to your family
Serving these green beans to your family is simple.
Make sure you cut the green beans into appropriate sized pieces for any kids who might need smaller bites.
To make the complete meal, serve these green beans beside beef ragu or hamburger steak.
How to make green beans almondine kid friendly
This is a great kid friendly side dish because it has simple flavors, fun toppings, and – bacon!
If your kids need a little more persuasion to try these, here are some easy ways you can help your kids be more interested in the meal:
- Talk to your kids about the meal in interesting ways
- Have your kids help you to make the side dish
- Ask your children to help you serve the side dish to everyone
Dinner conversations with kids
Having a great conversation with your kids about their food is an excellent way to get them to be more interested in what they are trying. Try these engaging questions:
- What do you think of the green beans and the bacon together?
- Do you prefer your green beans crispier or softer?
- What do you think the lemon juice and zest did to the taste and the smell of the dish?
- If we were to make this again, what would you change to make the recipe better? What would you keep the same?
Read more about how to explore the sense of taste with your kids.
Kids in the kitchen: How your kids can help you cook
Getting your kids in the kitchen is an amazing way to help them be more interested in trying new foods and confident in their own abilities.
This recipe is perfect for beginner cooks because it is so easy! And it is a great recipe for kids to experiment and become more comfortable with new flavors – which means they are more likely to eat it!
- Kids aged 1-3 can help you measure all the ingredients, wash and dry the green beans if using fresh, and garnish the final dish.
- Kids aged 4-6 can do everything above, plus help you zest and juice the lemon, and chop the parsley.
- Kids aged 7-10+ can help you do everything above, plus help you use kitchen shears to cut the bacon into small pieces.
*Please note that these recommendations are generalized, and to please use your personal discretion with your child’s skill level. And always, always supervise! Read more about how to have your children help you in the kitchen.
Family Friendly Dinner Recipes:
See other kid friendly vegetable recipes.
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Green Bean Almondine Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb green beans fresh or frozen
- 4 slices applewood smoked bacon
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup sliced almonds
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients and tools. The first step is to gather the ingredients you need to make the process even faster. Get a large skillet out, and prepare an ice water bath for when the green beans are done cooking.
- Place the green beans in a large saucepan filled with water that has been salted. The salt will help flavor the green beans and also help the green beans retain their bright green color. Boil for 3-5 minutes or until they are crisp tender.
- While the green beans are cooking, start cooking your bacon. Stir them occasionally until they are starting to become crisp.
- Remove the bacon pieces from the skillet, along with half of the bacon fat. Keep the other half of the bacon fat in the skillet.
- Blanch your green beans. As soon as they are tender crisp, you are going to want to drain the green beans and place them in the ice water bath to stop them cooking. They can hang out here until you need them.
- Add the butter and sliced almonds to the bacon fat in the skillet. Sautee for a few moments, until the almonds start to turn golden and they are fragrant.
- Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
- Place the green beans back in the skillet, along with the lemon juice and the cooked bacon. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
- Remove from the heat. Garnish with the lemon zest and serve immediately.
Green beans are now in season. I have them in my fridge. I will cook this definitely. Looks delicious!
A classic that everyone loves! Really enjoy the crunch and texture of the almonds and of course that salty kick from the bacon!