Recipe: Green Beans with Sage & Almond Butter
This is a dish I cooked a couple of times for my friends in Tuscany last week. They are all fans of paleo eating and absolutely loved this creation. We had fresh sage and almonds growing at the back of our villa, which paired beautifully with organic grass-fed burnt butter and a little sea salt. I can tell you right now that there won’t be any left overs!
Now, before you start kicking and screaming that beans are not paleo, please remember that we’re talking about green string beans – quite different to the dried beans which I know and agree contain lots of anti-nutrients like lectins and phytates, and require careful and lengthy preparation and cooking to be consumed safely. Green string or French beans are more pods than beans in which the seed (aka bean) is not actually developed properly and thus contain a lot less antinutrients, I would say almost on par with other paleo approved vegetables.
Cooking green beans, including more bean-like broad green beans and even green peas, reduces the amount of phytates dramatically (make sure to discard the cooking water as that’s where they go). Plus, green string beans and green broad beans are low in carbohydrates, high in protein, vitamins and minerals and as far as I know don’t pose any gut problems for most people. By all means, replace the beans with other vegetables if you do in fact suffer from any sensitivities but I personally include fresh green beans and occasional fresh peas in my diet as do Mark Sisson, Robb Wolf and other prominent paleo and primal diet champions.
Cooking notes: you can use ghee instead of butter but ‘burning the butter’ will kind of turn it into ghee so…you see what I mean, right? You can use other nuts like macadamia, cashews or walnuts and the green beans can be replaced with carrots, cauliflower or roasted pumpkin. This makes an excellent side dish.
Ingredients
- 600-700gm green beans, tails chopped off (I used a mix of green string beans and green broad beans as these are both in season in Italy)
- 2/3 cup raw almonds
- About 12 fresh sage leaves
- 1 garlic clove, cut in half
- 2 tbsp butter or ghee
- A pinch or two of Celtic or natural sea salt
- A pinch of pepper
Instructions
- Bring a saucepan of water to boil. Add beans and cook for 2 minutes, discard the water and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
- Place whole almonds in a plastic bag or inside a kitchen towel. Smack a few times with a hammer, wooden rolling pin or with a side of a chopping board. We’re after large-ish crumbs kind of texture.
- Heat a frying pan to medium-high and melt the butter. Add whole sage leaves, crushed almonds and garlic. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring regularly, until the butter starts to froth, the almonds start to brown and the sage crisps up. This should take about a minute or so. KEEP AN EYE on this the whole time as it’s very easy to burn the almonds. Turn the heat off and add seasoning.
- Add the beans to the frying pan and mix through with the butter sauce. Transfer to a serving dish making sure to scoop every little bit of sauce out.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Number of servings: 4
Very Incredible Basil Sauce Recipe
Punchy, salty, bright green sauce packed with fresh basil, chives, garlic, and a bit of oregano. This sauce can be poured out just about anything!
This creamy basil sauce is going on EV-ER-Y-THING in my life: sandwiches, eggs, grilled chicken and veggies, dipped with chips?! It’s so good, packed with green goodness, it’s beautifully summery, and I’m doing the most with it.
In This Post:
The main thing:
Other stuff:
How To Make This Basil Sauce
Step 1: Get All Your Ingredients Ready
You can use a blender, food processor, or a mini-chopper-type gadget. I love this mini-chopper (affiliate link). It’s not meant for sauces necessarily, but I use it all the time because it’s super compact.
Step 2: Blend Your Basil Sauce
That’s it! Just blend, taste, and adjust!
This sauce can be a bit chunky / textured, so keep it going until it has the consistency you want. I prefer something right before completely pureed – where it has just barely noticeable flecks of herbs, but it’s mostly smooth and creamy.
Step 3: Put It On All Your Yummy Things
Like so. (Here’s that recipe.)
Lindsay’s Notes
Ooh baby. Basil, chives, garlic, and a tiny hit of oregano all in a creamy, salty, bright green sauce – I love this so much.
The first time I made this, my toddler (who mostly just eats crackers) found a spatula and just sat at the counter licking the remnants of the sauce out of the blender with me. And I hear that from a lot of people – many kids seem to be very into this for unknown reasons. Sometimes it just hits right, ya know? A+ for that experience.
My favorite thing about this sauce, besides that it tastes like heaven, is that makes healthy-ish eating something I really, actually look forward to.
Baked salmon goes up about 100 notches in my book when smothered in this creamy green sauce. Same goes for shrimp, chicken, and a big fresh salad or lots of roasted veggies.
This will not be the last we see of this sauce, which is why I decided to give it its own post on POY. Welcome home, little basil sauce.
Things You Could Put It On
The possibilities! They are endless.
Description
Punchy, salty, bright green sauce packed with fresh basil, chives, garlic, and a bit of oregano. This sauce can be poured out just about anything!
- Place all your sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor. (I use this mini chopper for the vast majority of my sauces because it’s nice and compact!)
- Blend until you get your desired consistency – I usually go for an almost-completely-smooth texture that is flecked with small bits of herbs.
Notes
Taste and adjust! More lemon juice will wake it up, Parmesan adds more umami and saltiness, and if it gets too salty for you, add a bit more mayo to dilute the pungency a bit!
Keywords: basil sauce, basil dressing
Recipe Card powered byFrequently Asked Questions For Basil Sauce
What can I use instead of mayo?I’ve seen some people on Instagram say they used Greek yogurt and liked it. I haven’t made it this way and I know I wouldn’t like it with Greek yogurt because it’s so tangy and has a different flavor. BUT, if you’re okay with it being a bit different than the original, I think Greek yogurt could work!
I have an egg allergy – what can I use?Vegan mayo has no eggs and tastes great! That’s what I’d use!
How long does the basil sauce last?I usually keep it in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Can you make this vegetarian / vegan?Yes! Use vegan mayo and vegan Parmesan! If you can’t find vegan Parmesan, just throw in a bit of extra salt to compensate for the change in flavor. And if you don’t want to use vegan mayo, try using an avocado like we did in this avocado mojo sauce.
Can you freeze this basil sauce?I would not recommend freezing this.
More Of My Favorite Sauce Recipes
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Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
- Calories N/A
- Total Fat N/A
- Saturated Fat N/A
- Cholesterol N/A
- Sodium N/A
- Total Carbohydrates N/A
- Protein N/A
Hi, I'm Alex!
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