Although we’ve been focusing recently on our article series on SCD legal packaged foods and delivery, Whole30 meal delivery services and the best Paleo meal kit, we love to also share some of our favorite recipes.
This Paleo SCD green beans recipe has become one of my go-to dishes over the last couple of years. I love how the combination of 3 simple ingredients, toasted almonds, butter and tomatoes combine together to coat the string beans and really form a decadent sauce for the dish greater than the sum of the parts.
Although there is some debate in the Paleo community about whether string beans or haricots verts should really be part of a Paleo eating plan. Many let it pass based on the ratio of pod to bean, similar to sugar snap peas. Given my background on the SCD diet it just seemed natural to include green beans as part of a grain free eating plan.
I eat this dish as my main entree often on busy evenings after work. It’s quick, requires minimal prep – especially if you use pre-washed pre-cut haricots verts and canned tomatoes and there is just a single skillet to clean after you are done. I’d highly recommend giving it a try.
Ingredients (Paleo SCD Green Beans with Almonds):
- Haricot Verts (or alternatively regular string beans)
- Sliced or slivered almonds (ideally blanched)
- Cherry tomatoes (or no additive canned diced tomatoes)
- Grass Fed Butter or Ghee
- Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Cooking Steps for Paleo & Whole 30 Green Beans Recipe:
- Prep and wash the haricots verts (or string beans). Trader Joes sells a pre-washed/prepped bundle of haricots verts in our area that can save some time.
- In a dry skillet with no butter, toast the almond slices or slivers over medium low heat. This is a key ingredient in the flavor of this dish so try to dedicate some of your attention to this step. It’s super simple – simply let the almond slices brown in the pan while shaking it occasionally. But note that the almond slices go from untoasted to burnt FAST! Try not to get distracted. Worst case if you burn a batch, you might want to consider starting from scratch with another batch. Luckily it only takes about 5 minutes. Remove the toasted almonds once they have a slightly golden brown color and smell fragrant. Set them aside for later on a plate to cool. You can work on prepping the green beans or tomatoes at the same time but just be careful to keep a close eye on the almonds
- Wash and slice the cherry tomatoes in half if using fresh tomatoes. We sometimes use Italian diced canned tomatoes (pictured) as a time saver on a weeknight, although the fresh cherry tomatoes do add another dimension to the dish. We like the Mutti brand imported from Italy for canned as Italian tomatoes by law cannot include canning ingredients not on the label and there is a noticable different in the taste of these tomatoes.
- Melt several tablespoons of butter to coat the bottom of the skillet, as this forms the sauce of the recipe along with the tomatoes
- Finally, add the green beans, tomatoes and toasted almonds to the pan along with a few pinches of sea salt and cook until the green beans are tender, to taste. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
Enjoy!
