Rice Almondine

Rice almondine is one of those retro side dishes that deserves to stick around. Brown minute rice cooked in chicken broth with lemon juice and garlic gives you a savory, slightly tangy base, then green beans, toasted almonds, and dill get stirred in during the resting phase.

The chicken broth instead of water is the difference between bland rice and rice with actual flavor. That 1 ¼ cups of broth absorbs completely into the quick-cooking brown rice during the 5-minute simmer and 5-minute rest. The lemon juice brightens everything and keeps the dish from tasting heavy.

Stirring the green beans in after you pull the pot off the heat means they warm through in the residual steam without overcooking. They should still have a little snap. If they’re soft and army-green, they’ve gone too far.

The toasted almonds go in at the same time, which keeps them crunchy. Cooking them in the liquid would turn them soggy and you’d lose that nutty crunch that makes almondine what it is.

Pro Tips

• Toast the almonds in a dry skillet before starting the rice. Pre-toasted almonds have deeper flavor than raw ones stirred into hot rice
• Use thawed frozen green beans, not canned. Canned green beans are too soft for this dish
• The dill is subtle at ½ teaspoon. Fresh dill, if you have it, adds a brighter herbal note
• This pairs especially well alongside roast chicken or baked fish

Variations

• Mushroom almondine: Add ½ cup of sliced sauteed mushrooms with the green beans for an earthier side
• Lemon herb: Double the lemon juice and add a teaspoon of fresh parsley for a more citrus-forward profile