Christmas Green Beans with Toasted Pecans
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Christmas green beans are dressed up with pimentos and chopped pecans that are caramelized in butter and honey. A simple, healthy side dish to complete your family dinner.
Green beans are the one vegetable side dish that my whole family agrees upon. Whether they are in a casserole, cooked with potatoes in a slow cooker or coated with bread crumbs, they always get devoured!
Christmas Green Beans with Toasted Pecans
Green beans are my favorite veggie when I’m eating a comfort meal. These Christmas Green Beans with Toasted Pecans are buttery, sweetened with a touch of honey, and have a touch of garlic flavor.
What are the health benefits of green beans?
If your kids will eat green beans like mine do, you may be wondering if they are a good vegetable to eat. Green beans have many health benefits such as fiber, potassium, protein, folate, iron and zinc. They are low in calories, are a great source of Vitamin C, can help fight infection and boost your immune system. They sound like a superfood, right?
Are frozen green beans as good as fresh?
If you have fresh green beans from your garden, awesome! Use them. But what if your only choice is frozen green beans? Studies have shown that frozen vegetables have just as many nutrients as fresh. Vegetables are frozen at their peak, preserving all of those good vitamins and nutrients for you. If you’d like to read up more on this, here is a great article.
I like using frozen fine green beans in all of my green bean side dishes, whether they’re simply steamed or dressed up. I pick them up in the freezer section at Aldi (my grocery store that I don’t know what I’d do without!). They’re so good that guests always mistake them as fresh green beans. They’re delicious!
Christmas Green Beans
This healthy green bean recipe makes a great holiday side dish for your Christmas dinner.
- The Color. Bright green beans with red pimentos peppered throughout. They’re crying out to be on your dinner tables this holiday season. Maybe sitting right beside this garlic bacon pot roast.
- Toasted Pecans. The chopped pecans are actually so much more than toasted. They’re sauteed in a buttery, garlic & honey mixture which makes them have a caramelized flavor. So perfectly savory. They taste like the holidays.
How to Cook Green Beans
- In a 12″ skillet, melt butter, honey, and garlic over medium-high heat. This sweet mixture is going to make your house smell amazing!
- Once the butter is melted, add the pecans. Cook and stir for two minutes until pecans are golden brown. Remove the pecans and set them aside in a small bowl.
- In the same skillet, stir in the green beans. Cook, covered over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 6-10 minutes or until green beans are tender.
- Stir in the pimentos and toasted pecans.
- Season with salt and pepper as desired.
These green beans will be slightly crispy. If you’d like, you can steam the green beans first which will result in a softer green bean.
Easy Green Bean Side Dish
This recipe makes about 5 servings and will be ready in under 15 minutes. It doesn’t get much easier than that.
What to Serve with Green Beans
Green beans go so well with classic comfort foods! Here are a few of our favorites:
Christmas Green Beans with Toasted Pecans
Christmas green beans are dressed up with pimentos and chopped pecans that are caramelized in butter and honey. A simple, healthy side dish to complete your family dinner.
Servings 7 people
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- 16 ounces frozen fine green beans thawed
- 1/4 cup diced pimentos
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a 12" skillet, melt butter, honey, and garlic over medium-high heat.
- Once the butter is melted, add the pecans. Cook and stir for two minutes until pecans are golden brown.
- Remove the pecans and set them aside in a small bowl.
- In the same skillet, stir in the green beans. Cook, covered over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 6-10 minutes or until green beans are tender.
- Stir in the pimentos and toasted pecans.
- Season with salt and pepper as desired.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 109kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 47mg | Potassium: 168mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 780IU | Vitamin C: 13.7mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 0.9mg
I loathe the taste of pimento. Would red pepper flakes be an acceptable substitute? Or would they be too spicy?
My husband doesn’t like pecans—could I sub almonds?
Do you thaw the green beans before putting in skillet?
Can this recipe be made a day ahead of time?
Love this recipe 😁 Can’t wait to put it on the Christmas table. More Christmas recipies. Please
Have you ever used fresh green beans?
Can you substitut olive oil to butter?
What type of honey? & do we use canned pimentos?
This good meal looks so healthy! I love beans and vegie. This could be our side dishes for our dinner later. I never try to add in the pecans with the beans before. Quite good idea you had. Excited to try later
I like how the color was coordinated with Christmas. Love green beans, love pecans.
green beans are the only veggie that my kids both really like, so this is the perfect side dish for our family
Mmmm…. such a perfect holiday side. It’s just about time to get excited for the Christmas season! I can’t wait!