The holiday season is in full swing and with it all the fun and festivity of entertaining family and friends. There's no need to stress over what to serve with this easy and crowd-pleasing side of Honey Garlic Green Beans.

Whether you're look for a side to serve along with your Easy Herb Butter Roasted Turkey or just a new addition to your weekly meal plans, this elegant and colorful dish packed with sweet and savory flavors and pop of crunchy texture is sure to become a family favorite.

Ingredients

Honey Garlic Green beans combines pantry staples like pecans and dried cranberries with a handful of fresh ingredients. This makes this sweet and savory dish not only delicious, but easy to shop for as well.

Green Beans - The star of this colorful side, they are quickly blanched, locking in their beautiful green color and retaining their snappy texture.
Shallot - Adds a delicate onion flavor.
Garlic - Gives savory depth and a sharp bite that balances the sweetness of the honey.
Butter - Adds a layer of richness while helping sauté the vegetables.
Olive Oil - Used with the butter as olive oil can withstand a higher heat than butter alone.
Honey - Not only brings a kiss of sweetness but also gives the entire dish a glossy glaze.
Salt and Pepper
Cranberries - Adds tartness and also a slightly chewy texture.
Pecans - Gives crunch to every bite.

How to Make Honey Garlic Green Beans

This colorful and festive side dish comes together with just a couple of quick steps. It's the perfect vegetable to throw together while your turkey or ham is resting.

Time needed: 30 minutes.

Blanched green beans are quickly sauteed with aromatic shallots and garlic and coated in a sweet honey glaze.

Prep
Blanch your green beans. Allow them to boil for five minutes, or until they turn bright green, and then drain them and immediately put them into an ice water bath to lock in the color and stop their cooking. This portion can be done ahead of time. Make sure they are completely dry. Once dried chop them into smaller pieces.
Aromatics
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Add the shallots and garlic and allow them to cook until they are fragrant, and the shallots are translucent.
Beans
Add the green beans and continue to cook them, stirring often. Add the butter and season with salt and pepper.
Glossy
Add the honey, pecans, and cranberries and continue to stir. Continue cooking the green beans until everything is caramelized. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy!

Substitutions

Feel free to substitute your favorite nuts in this recipe. Pistachios and walnuts would also work. In addition, you can swap out the nuts completely for seeds like pepitas or even roasted squash seeds.

Variations

For a different take on this green bean recipe, you can combine the same method and flavors with brussels sprouts. Simply blanch them and allow them to cool completely before halving them. The rest of the recipe would remain the same.

Storage

The green beans can be blanched one to two days ahead of time before making this recipe. Make sure they are completely dry before transferring them to either an airtight container or a plastic bag. Allow them to refrigerate until ready to use.

Top Tip for Honey Garlic Green Beans

When blanching your green beans, make sure that your water is well salted. This is your opportunity to season the green beans inside and out. As soon as they turn bright green transfer them to an ice bath to lock in that brilliant color and also stop the cooking process. This will give them a tender texture while also retaining their snappy bite.