Green Beans with Almonds & Crème Fraîche for a Luxurious Side

Green beans are in season and at their very best right now. They’re delicious eaten plain or with a little butter, but it’s also good to dress them up a bit. These green beans with almonds and crème fraîche are very simple to make, but add an air of luxury to any meal.

The Queen of Sides

My mother, as well as being the queen of puddings, was also the queen of side dishes when I was growing up. Meat was something of a luxury in those days, but on the rare occasion we had a roast, the table would be spread with a whole heap of delicious sides.

I was never fussed about the meat, but I’d pile my plate high with parsnips in orange sauce, braised red cabbage, Jerusalem artichokes in lemon sauce, green cabbage in cider and roast potatoes, of course. I do love a good side dish.

Green Beans with Almonds and Crème Fraîche

Unless we’re entertaining, CT and I tend to live on simple one pot type dishes, but occasionally I like to splash out with an interesting side or two. The other day, I had some green beans and a pot of homemade crème fraîche in the fridge and suddenly the idea for a side of green beans with almonds & crème fraîche popped into my head.

The crème fraîche melts slowly over the beans to produce a tangy silky sauce and the almonds give a welcome crunch. At the last minute I scattered some nori seaweed flakes over the beans for additional flavour and nutrition, which proved to be a good move. We ate the beans with homemade bean burgers and the first of this year’s potatoes from the plot. Delicious.

I allow one hundred grams of beans per person, but how many you use really depends on how many you’ve got, how much you like beans and how many people you have to feed. You can use any green beans you like, but I used French beans.

French beans and runner beans are the most common, but if you grow your own there are all sorts of interesting green beans you can use. I say green but black, purple or yellow are all good too.

Grow your own

This is the first year, we’ve not had our own green beans for a very long time. Green beans, especially runner beans, are one of the easier crops to produce here in the UK. We normally grow a variety of different ones which fill up the freezer nicely and last us for several months.

As I’ve probably mentioned more often than is good for me, the deer got into our plot last year and ate pretty much everything, so there’s very little we can actually grow now. Potatoes, garlic, kale and beetroot are all we’ve managed this year apart from some of CT’s weird and wonderfuls. Luckily, the oca seem to be fine.

Other Recipes for Green Beans You Might Like

• Chilli, green bean and potato salad via Greedy Gourmet
• Cypriot vegetable stew via Tin and Thyme
• Fasulya with Dukkah roasted tofu via Tin and Thyme
• Green bean chutney via Feeding Boys
• Minted broad bean spread via Tin and Thyme
• Pesto green beans via Tin and Thyme
• Saya Ingen Shira-ae (green beans with tofu, miso and sesame dressing) via Kavey Eats
• Summer vegetable succotash via Family Friends Food

Keep in Touch

If you’d like more side dish recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.

Choclette x

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Green Beans with Almonds & Crème Fraîche – Get the Recipe

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Green Beans with Almonds and Crème Fraîche

A luxurious, but easy to prepare side dish of green beans with almonds and crème fraîche.

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Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: British

Keyword: almonds, crème fraîche, green beans

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 117kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Ingredients

• ¼ tsp sea salt
• 200 g green beans topped and sliced into bite sized pieces
• 20 g flaked almonds
• 2 tbsp crème fraïche
• ½ tsp nori flakes optional
• 4 grinds black pepper

Instructions

• Place the beans in a lidded pan with the salt. Pour in enough boiling water to just about cover the beans. Place a lid on the pan and simmer until just tender. Length will vary according to the type of bean and the size of slices, but it will be around ten minutes. 
  200 g green beans, ¼ tsp sea salt
• Drain and place on a warmed serving dish.
• Add a large dollop or two of crème fraïche immediately, so it melts over the beans to produce a tangy silky sauce.
  2 tbsp crème fraïche
• Meanwhile, toast a handful or two of flaked almonds in a frying pan until golden. Keep a close eye on them as they can burn very easily.
  20 g flaked almonds
• Scatter the almonds over the beans followed by a few nori seaweed flakes. Finish with a good grinding of black pepper.
  ½ tsp nori flakes, 4 grinds black pepper

Notes

Keep any water left over from the beans to add to soups, stews or sauces.

French beans and runner beans are the most common, but if you grown your own there are all sorts of interesting beans you can use.

It’s very easy to make your own crème fraîche. I have a whole post on how to do it.

Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 307mg | Potassium: 329mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 840IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below letting us know how you got on and do share a photo on Instagram. Tag @choclette8 or use hashtag #tinandthyme.

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This side dish of green beans with almonds and crème fraîche go to Feeding Boys for Simple and in Season. They also go to Hijacked by Twins for #CookBlogShare.