Christmas Green Beans
Festive red and green Christmas green beans! Sauteed green beans with lemon zest and pecans, then served over whipped ricotta and topped with pomegranate arils. The perfect holiday side dish!
I’m calling these Christmas green beans because, well– they are beautifully red and green!
That’s not to say that you can’t enjoy them all year long, but if you’re looking for a festive side dish for the holidays, then put these Christmas green beans on your list!
See below for more details, or scroll down to the full recipe.
Everything You Need to Make These Green Beans:
Why We Love This Recipe
I’ve been on a whipped ricotta kick this year- serving it with my roasted cherry crostini, confit tomatoes, and now, these Christmas green beans. One of our favorite restaurants in St. Louis, Polite Society, has a whipped ricotta and roasted broccolini appetizer that my husband and I get almost every time we go. And, which has inspired these Christmas green beans.
If it works for broccolini, I knew it would work for green beans.
I adapted my easy green bean almodine for this recipe. Blanching the green beans first, then sauteeing with pecans, lemon zest, and garlic. The green beans alone are fantastic, but adding a little sweet pomegranate arils on top and the creamy ricotta below– just delicious!
Ingredient Notes
You can use regular string green beans for this recipe, or thinner Haricot verts. Those are my preferred bean if you can find them as Haricot verts are the more refined version of green beans; they are thinner, longer and straighter and taste better.
If you want to make these dairy-free, then just sub in a dairy-free ricotta cheese, like the kind from Kite Hill.
As pomegranates are in season in Winter, I’m using them here. I do think these Christmas green beans benefit from a little sweetness that the pomegranate arils bring, so if you opt not to use them, then I would recommend drizzling a little honey over the green beans, or subbing in dried cherries or cranberries.
Pecans feel like Christmas to me, but you can substitute walnuts or almonds instead.
How to Make These Christmas Green Beans
Whip the Ricotta
Add the ricotta to the base of a food processor and puree until creamy and smooth.
Blanch the Green Beans
Add the green beans to a pot of boiling, salted water and cook until bright green and slightly tender but not cooked, about 2-3 minutes.
Toast the Pecans
Toast the chopped pecans in the skillet, then add in the garlic.
Add the beans
Add the beans to the skillet along with the lemon zest and juice and cook, tossing until the beans are tender.
Assemble and Serve
Spread the whipped ricotta on a platter, top with green beans and top with the pomegranate arils. Serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between pomegranate arils or seeds?
The correct name for the juicy seeds inside a pomegranate is aril. Crack open a pomegranate, remove the arils from the membrane, and enjoy! You can purchase just the arils but unless they are very bright red, I find that opening a pomegranate myself yields better tasting arils.
Can these beans be prepped ahead of time?
These beans are best served right away. If you want to make them ahead of time, then I’d recommend blanching the beans and placing them directly into ice water to stop the cooking, then pat dry. The whipped ricotta can be made up to 2 days ahead of time.
More Christmas Side Dishes
- The Best Vegan Stuffing
- Garlic Herb Slow Cooker Potatoes
- Persimmon Salad
- Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes
- Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
If you make these Christmas green beans, make sure to come back to leave a comment and a rating. Your feedback helps other readers, and seeing you make my recipes makes my day.
Christmas Green Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 pound green beans, trimmed
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
Instructions
- Add the container of the ricotta cheese along with a pinch of salt to the base of a food processor and puree until very creamy and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a platter and spread in a thin layer.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Add the green beans and cook until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain.
- In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the pecans and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the pecans are nutty and fragrant, taking care not to burn the garlic, about 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked green beans, lemon zest, juice, salt,and pepper. Cook until green beans are tender, seasoning to taste as needed with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the green beans to the platter with the whipped feta and top with pomegranate seeds.