Green beans, aka string beans are a healthy addition to any meal. They're a tasty way to get some veggies out on the dinner table, and are a hallmark dish of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The green beans in this recipe are cooked in two parts: first blanched, then sauteed. You can easily blanch the beans ahead of time, put them in the fridge, and then combine them with the other ingredients and saute them just before you're ready to serve.

Step 1: Ingredients

green beans (figure 1/4 pound per person)
almond slivers
2 tbsp unsalted butter
salt and pepper

Step 2: Prep the Beans

To prepare the beans, the stems and ends of the beans must be either cut, or pulled off. Full length green beans are also a bit unwieldy to eat, so it's a good idea to cut or break them in half.

Place the prepped beans into a bowl or colander and rinse under cool running water.

Step 3: Boil Water

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.

Step 4: Cook the Green Beans for 5 Minutes

Cook the green beans in boiling water for 5 minutes.

Step 5: Run Under Cold Water

Strain beans into a colander and run them under cold water. Better yet, place them in an ice bath in order to fully stop the blanching process.

If you are cooking the beans ahead of time, you can take them and put them into the fridge at this point.

Step 6: Saute the Beans

Saute the green beans in 2 tbsp of unsalted butter. Salt and pepper the beans to taste. I like to add in some (around 1/4 cup) of almond slivers just before the beans are finished cooking.