These holiday-style browned butter cranberry green beans are a breeze to throw together and the flavor combination is absolutely heavenly!
Sides, sides! Give us the SIDES!
Team Side Dish is in serious session now. We’re getting down to the nitty-gritty of Thanksgiving prep and that obviously calls for more sides options.
Sidenote: (haha, get it??) It’s Monday and I actually don’t even mind! This will be only a two-day week for yours truly and then a nice little 1-week holiday break before getting ready for finals.
Oy. Let’s forget about that last part momentarily and focus on the VACATION part. And the fact that I have tons of planning/cooking/ripping my hair out yet to do for Thursday.
Sidenote #2: EEEEEEEK!
Yeah, vacation should really not be surrounded by those kinds of words.
‘Kay so we’re slooooowly plowing through all the bullet-point necessities involved in a killer Thanksgiving dinner (there’s still two more amazing ones coming soon!) and today we’re FINALLY doing something green! I mean, we need something at least semi-healthy to balance out the abundance of pumpkin pie and dinner rolls that have been around here lately, right??
Spoiler alert: I’m totally contradicting that statement tomorrow. Be ready.
So the way I see it, is this: The veg sides at Thanksgiving TOTALLY get overlooked and dude, that is so not cool in my book. Veggies deserve the chance to shine too! So why do they always get pushed to the back of the table while meanwhile the stuffing and mashed potatoes get all the glory?
The reason why is pretty simple: The veggies aren’t made fun. At the most, they’re buttered, salted, and peppered. And yeah, I’ll admit that for YEARS that right there was our standard Thanksgiving procedure for veggies.
I decided that holiday green beans desperately needed a makeover. In the direction of browned butter. With everything else just as awesome. Like blue cheese. And nuts. And cranberries.
And seriously, can we get an AMEN for easy-peasy, super-pretty, and non-boring green beans?? Watch ‘yo back, Mr. Turkey.
And lastly, I call dibs on all the blue cheese on top and in between everything.
Let’s all be rebels and make the green beans awesome this year. 😉
Browned Butter Cranberry Green Beans with Blue Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh green beans trimmed
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1/4 cup blue cheese
- 1/3 cup toasted almonds
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium pot, bring 4-6 cups water to a boil. Add beans to boiling water and stir occasionally until beans are just barely tender, about 5-7 minutes. (do not overcook). Remove beans from boiling water and immediately plunge into ice water for 1 minute or until beans are completely cool. Drain from ice water and set aside.
- In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until butter is completely browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and beans to skillet, stirring frequently until beans are hot and garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat and gently stir in blue cheese, toasted almonds, and cranberries. Season with salt and pepper to taste and keep beans warm until ready to serve
Nutrition
More Thanksgiving side fare!
Twice-Baked Pecan Streusel Sweet Potatoes
Honey-Glazed Roasted Butternut Squash and Cranberries
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
Wow finals already? I’m sure this semester flew by for you! And I’m definitely all about the sides too. These green beans are genius, Sarah! I’ve never thought to combine them with browned butter, let alone cranberries. Sounds perfect for Thanksgiving!
Kelly // The Pretty Bee: Allergy Friendly Eats says
I always feel like the weirdo because I don’t even care about the turkey, I just want all the sides! And this sure looks like a delicious one!
Sarah says
Haha! I’m totally the kind of weirdo too! Sides are just where it’s at. 😉
Jen | Baked by an Introvert says
The sides are the best part of Thanksgiving and these green beans just stole the show. They look delicious, Sarah!
Sarah says
Agreed! Thanksgiving sides just rock. 😉 Thanks Jen!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
OMG, I seriously LOVE green beans, but I hate that sooo many thanksgiving side dishes hide them or overcook them. However, THESE green beans are totally fabulous – this is how green beans need to be devoured! Loving the brown butter (because YES to that on everything), cranberries and blue cheese! Perfection, my dear! Cheers to a fabulous Thanksgiving, Vacation and to avoiding studying for finals! 🙂
Sarah says
Exactly! Green beans just needed a little makeover is all. 😉 Thanks so much for the kind words as always, Cheyanne! Have a great Thanksgiving. 🙂
Rachel @ Bakerita says
I want these on my Thanksgiving table!! Love that you added brown butter – it seriously makes everything better 🙂
Sarah says
Yes! Browned butter is just a magical thing, I swear. 😉
Jess @ whatjessicabakednext says
Love side dishes! These beans look delicious, loving the browned butter!
Sarah says
Thanks Jess! xoxo
annie says
This is a texture-lovers dream. The crisp green beans, the smoosh of the cheese, the crunch of the nuts. Now this is how you cook green beans! My mother in law always cooks hers in the slow cooker, where they turn to mush. Um, what.
This is a great idea for a last-minute Thanksgiving side!
Sarah says
Haha! It sounds like those mushy green beans need a little upgrade! Hopefully you get to try this recipe, Annie! 🙂
Nora | Savory Nothings says
Holiday veggie sides SO deserve to shine! I love this recipe, makes green beans so incredibly special! I love them plain just as much, but they sure deserve to play dress up for the holidays 🙂
Sarah says
Exactly! Veggies deserve the chance to shine!
Jessica @ Sweetest Menu says
Only you could make green beans look so darn good! Gorgeous Sarah! You make me want to eat my veggies! 🙂
Sarah says
Aww thank you, lady!! xoxo
Danielle says
I think the sides are the best part of Thanksgiving, especially if they look like this! These green beans look so perfect, I love the cranberries and blue cheese in these too!
Sarah says
So with ‘ya on that one, Danielle! The TG sides just rock.
marcie says
You enjoy cooking and good luck studying for those finals! And these green beans…I could eat the entire pan! These need to happen stat. 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks Marcie! I’d definitely prefer eating the entire pan of these green beans over studying! LOL.
Simon says
Very healthy