Green Beans with Pecans

These crisp-tender green beans with sweet and spicy maple pecans make the perfect side dish for Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving, or dinner parties.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings ½-cup servings

Calories 156kcal

Steam or boil the green beans. If you have a vegetable steamer basket, fill a pot with a couple inches of water and bring to a boil. Insert the steamer into the pot and add the green beans. Cover and cook for 5 to 8 minutes until crisp-tender. You don't want them to be too limp or they will get mushy when you quickly sautee them later. If you don't have a steamer, you can boil the green beans for 2 to 4 minutes.
In a large skillet, warm the maple syrup, salt, and cayenne pepper over medium heat. Add the chopped pecans and stir to coat. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the syrup thickens and the pecans are sticky. Transfer them to a plate to cool/harden, spread out in an even layer.
In the same skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the steamed green beans. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until slightly blistered. Remove from heat.
Transfer the green beans to a tray. Top with the maple pecans. Enjoy!
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If you want to make these the day before or on the morning of a holiday, steam the green beans and prepare the pecans as instructed. Store them in separate containers in the refrigerator. You can also keep the pecans in an airtight container at room temperature if you will be using them within a few hours. When you're ready to serve the dish, cook the green beans in a skillet in olive oil for a few minutes until warmed through and blistered. You can add the pecans to the skillet to warm them up too, or you can just add them to the dish as is.