Add Parmesan Cheese To Green Bean Almondine For A Salty Kick

Green beans are full of crunch and flavor, but it can get boring eating them on their own boiled, roasted, or steamed. For a more exciting way to eat green beans, you might make green bean casserole, but green bean almondine is just as delicious and is far easier to make. In case you haven't tried the French side dish, it's made of green beans cooked in butter and topped with toasted, sliced almonds. 

Sure, it's simple, but it's packed with crunch from the beans and almonds and flavor from the seasonings — plus, it's easy to elevate the side dish further with a garnish of Parmesan cheese. The result is a green bean almondine with a salty and nutty finish. You can follow any recipe for green bean almondine and then add the garnish of grated Parmesan before serving. 

We've also got an original recipe for fresh green bean almondine that already incorporates Parmesan thanks to Tasting Table recipe developer Sher Castellano. In our recipe, Castellano uses Parmigiano Reggiano, which is the authentic version of the cheese that's aged for at least two years and comes exclusively from certain regions of Italy. You might find Parmesan at most grocery stores for a more affordable price point because it doesn't have the same regulations, so that works too.

For our version of green bean almondine, Sher Castellano uses an ounce of shaved Parmigiano Reggiano to garnish. You can use as much of the cheese as you'd like but don't overdo it because you still want to be able to taste the essence of the almonds and beans. Use grated, shredded, or shaved cheese depending on how much of it you want in each bite. Fresh cheese is always ideal for the most flavor if you buy a block and want to put in the extra effort of grating or shaving it. 

Otherwise, you can keep it simple and use store-bought Parmesan that's already prepared to save time. Parmesan cheese is a great addition to green bean almondine, but it's not the only ingredient that can give the dish more flavor. If the recipe uses lemon juice like ours, add some lemon zest for more intense lemon notes. Add garlic to the base if you want a more umami-packed dish, or swap the regular onions for shallots to get a milder flavor. You can also use an additional garnish of crushed red pepper for heat or diced pancetta for a touch of meaty flavor.