Cardamom and Tea

This is the easiest-ever way to make green beans with almonds (AKA green beans almondine). What makes it so easy?

This recipe calls for frozen green beans (and you don’t even need to thaw them).
You can use whatever kinds of green beans you have. Haricots verts are ideal, but any will work. (You can even use fresh if that’s what you have!)
Everything goes into 1 pan for an easier recipe with less cleanup.
There are very few ingredients: olive oil, almonds, salt, green beans (and optional fried shallots).

Read on for a bit more background, or jump to the recipe if you’re ready to hit the ground running.

Green beans almondine shown from 45 degrees

The key to the easiest green beans almondine

Here’s how this recipe manages to make the easiest green beans with almonds:

1. Frozen green beans (yay!)

The problem with frozen green beans is that they give off a lot of moisture as they cook. But we’re going to harness that moisture to steam-fry our green beans as they thaw, and then we’re going to cook off that moisture as the green beans continue to cook through.

It takes about 8 minutes to thaw and cook them through to just the right doneness. That’s 3 minutes to steam-fry them and 5 minutes to cook off the rest of the moisture.

2. Use whatever green beans you’d like.

Haricots verts are classic, but any green bean will work.

Frozen works best with this recipe, but you could also use fresh if you’d like. There is a note at the end of the recipe with instructions.

3. 1 pan = less cleanup and less work.

The key is following this recipe exactly as written. Start with the almonds, then add the green beans once they’ve turned golden brown and toasty. No need to remove the almonds from the pan first. If you like very crispy almonds, feel free to remove them first (they will soften slightly otherwise) and then add them back on at the end. But it will be delicious either way.

4. Very simple ingredients you probably have on hand.

You probably have most of the ingredients in this recipe on hand, except maybe the optional fried shallots. But if you have them on hand, they make a big difference here. You can find them at most Asian markets.

If you don’t have fried shallots, simply omit them. As long as you use enough salt and olive oil, the green beans will be delicious without them. But if you want to substitute something else, you can use a dash of garlic powder, garlic or onion granules, or you can even crush a clove of garlic and add it during the last few seconds of cooking.

I mean, that goes against the super-simple nature of this recipe, but I’ll allow it!

(Btw, here are all my favorite green bean recipes)

Green Beans Almondine (the easiest way)

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Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 large or 6 small/medium servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup [50g] sliced almonds*
Salt, to taste
16 oz [455 g] frozen green beans**
Optional: 1 to 2 Tbsp fried shallots***

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Instructions

Place the olive oil, almonds, and a big pinch of salt in a cold skillet. Place over medium-high heat and stir constantly. Once they start lightly sizzling (after about 3 minutes), reduce heat to medium-low and stir constantly for about 3 more minutes, until the almonds have turned golden brown.
Once your almonds are golden brown, immediately add the frozen green beans to the pan (careful of splattering oil), season to taste, toss together for a few seconds, and cover with a lid.
Let the green beans steam-fry covered for 3 minutes over medium heat, just until they thaw a bit.
Uncover the pan, increase heat to medium-high, and stir frequently until any liquid has evaporated and the green beans have softened, about 5 minutes.
Remove the green beans to a serving tray, scraping the almonds out over the top. Sprinkle with fried shallots, if using.

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Notes

* Feel free to substitute slivered almonds.

** If you can find frozen haricots verts, those are ideal here. But any green bean will work! Fresh green beans work here too. If you’re using fresh green beans, there’s need to blanch them or anything—just trim them as you normally would. When using fresh beans, add them to the pan on top of the almonds, followed by about 1 Tbsp water. Cover and steam-fry for 2 minutes instead of 3, and then cook the rest of the way for about 4 minutes, until the water cooks off.

*** You can find fried shallots in Asian markets and some grocery stores. They’re great to have on hand to add a little savory onion flavor to anything. This dish works great without them though. See the note above the recipe for ideas if you want to substitute instead of omitting.

My freezer is almost always stocked with kebabs (right now, I’m big on lula kebabs and seekh kabobs made with chicken). On a busy weeknight, I just slide a few under the broiler, turn some frozen green beans into a five-minute version of loubieh bi zeit, and let a pot of yellow rice bring everything together.

There are endless ways to dress up plain white rice, but yellow rice is what I reach for when I want something easy. No caramelizing onions, no simmering a tomato sauce, no toasting noodles or nuts—just a simple pot of rice with a few extra ingredients thrown in.

But simple doesn’t always mean foolproof. Read on for a few tips and tricks, or jump to the recipe + video to get to hit the ground running.

tips for making a perfect pot of yellow rice

1. Simmer covered and rest covered.

This is the number one thing to know when making a pot of any stovetop rice. Simmer it covered (no peeking, but more importantly no stirring!) and let it rest covered too.

During the resting stage, the rice is actually continuing to cook from the residual steam. If you uncover it, you let that steam escape, which means the rice will not cook through adequately.

Earlier in the process, uncovering it too often will let too much steam evaporate, leading to dry, undercooked rice. And stirring it after it’s started to cook will cause your rice to become simultaneously gummy and undercooked at the same time.

2. Be careful with stock concentrates.

I experimented with a lot of stocks and broths while developing this recipe, and I’ve found that stock concentrates (e.g., bouillon cubes, Better than Bouillon) can be a bit tricky. If you’re using one, be sure not to use too much. Using even a bit more than the recommended amount on the container can cause your rice to turn out gummy and undercooked.

3. Salt it later for maximum control.

Different broths have different concentrations of salt, and it can be hard to judge how much additional salt to add in the beginning. Instead, I like to let it cook through with just the broth (and whatever salt it contains), and then adjust the seasoning after it cooks through. That way you’ll be fully in control of the rice’s seasoning. Taste the rice, add a bit of salt, fluff, and taste it again.

4. Have fun with the ingredients (or not!)

You can get a bit more creative with this recipe. Instead of garlic powder, you can crush a fresh clove. You can add a small pinch of saffron. You can sprinkle on some crunchy fried shallots at the end. Skip the parsley or cilantro if you don’t have any on hand. Use vegetable broth to make this vegan, or use chicken broth if you prefer.