OVEN ROASTED GREEN BEANS
Happy November, the month of the biggest foodie holiday of the year, Thanksgiving! It is also the the time of the year when I roast EVERYTHING. From Oven Roasted Green Beans to Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Carrots, Roasted Root Vegetables,Roasted Potatoes, and my favorite Roasted Cauliflower! With all of these roasted vegetables to choose from, you are guaranteed an easy veggie side to every dinner! BUT if you want to dress up your green beans for Thanksgiving as an alternative to green bean casserole, or just because, I give you Roasted Green Beans with Creamy Gruyere Sauce and Bacon AKA Thanksgiving side-dish domination. Thanksgiving is all about the sides. This side. This side with crisp tender green beans roasted to perfection with a little salt and pepper then smothered in a creamy Gruyere Sauce that’s bursting with flavor all topped with crispy bacon. Hello Thanksgiving.
GREEN BEANS
I love fresh green beans in all forms, but my favorite way to devour them is roasted! Roasting green beans is the easiest way to prepare them and transforms ordinary green beans into an elegant side dish in minutes. More reasons to love Oven Roasted Green Beans:
Roasted Green Beans with Gruyere Sauce
While I’ve offered you many oven Roasted Green Bean options below, I hope you’ll start with these spectacular Roasted Green Beans with Gruyere Sauce. These Roasted Green Beans with Creamy Gruyere Sauce were born out of necessity. You see, I was in charge of making the “green bean casserole” for Thanksgiving a few times as a young adult – and I made my grandma’s green bean casserole recipe that has been passed down for generations. And while they were comforting, there is a reason they are only served as an obligatory Thanksgiving side and not throughout the year. So years passed and I knew I wanted to reinvent the Green Bean Casserole. The green beans still had to be creamy like Grandma’s (in this case creamy AND cheesy) and there still needed to be a crispy element like Grandma’s fried onions – just a little more sophisticated and palate pleasing. Enter Roasted Green Beans with Creamy Gruyere Sauce and Bacon. Enter the new green beans in town. And I’ve been making them to satisfy Thanksgiving requests every year since.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN FRESH GREEN BEANS
Roasted Green Beans are incredibly simple with only a handful of ingredients, so it is important to start with the very best fresh green beans. Look for green beans that are:
brightly colored without brown spots, blemishes, or discoloration. are firm and not saggy, and will give a good snap when broken. (I do not recommend breaking a bunch of beans in the store!!!) Avoid beans that are too stiff. smaller and uniform in size so they cook evenly. Avoid the largest beans because this means they have matured on the vine and are likely tough. A note about harvesting beans. Farmers swear by early morning “dew pickings.” Vegetables, including green beans, picked in the morning usually are sweeter, crisper and juicier than those picked at other times are. The green beans replenish the moisture lost during the day. Because they have more moisture they also tend to keep longer during refrigeration. If you have your own garden, you can test this theory.
HOW TO STORE GREEN BEANS
Now that we have our fresh green beans, it’s important to not mess them up! To store fresh green beans, refrigerate them in a plastic bag for up to 1 week in the vegetable crisper drawer. Do NOT wash them first or they can get moldy in the bag. If storing green beans for longer than 5 days, I recommend slipping in a piece of paper towel to absorb extra moisture.
HOW DO I CUT GREEN BEANS?
Fresh green beans are very simple to prep for roasting. Rinse beans in cold water before cutting, then trim both ends. To retain sweetness and crispness, I recommend trimming the green beans but keeping them whole.
WHAT INGREDIENTS DO I NEED FOR ROASTED GREEN BEANS?
Once you learn how to make basic Roasted Green Beans, you can put any spin on them!
Basic Green Beans
Green beans: fresh, crisp beans are best. Olive oil: use extra virgin olive oil for more flavor. You can also use any of your favorite baking oils such as avocado oil or grape seed oil. Salt: salt is a MUST otherwise your Green Beans will taste bland. Pepper: use more or less to taste. You can always add more salt and pepper to taste after you taste your roasted green beans.
With just these simple ingredients, you are in for a healthy wonderful side. From this springboard, you can transform beans into many wonderful dishes like:
Cheesy Roasted Green Beans
Roasted Green Beans with Gruyere Sauce start with basic oven roasted green beans and you make the easy yet utterly divine cheese sauce in 5 MINUTES while they roast. I really need a separate recipe post just for this elegant cheese sauce because it is AH-mazing on all sorts of veggies, and might just become your new favorite cheese sauce in the world. There’s only one way to find out…
To make this Creamy Gruyere Sauce, melt some butter in a medium saucepan then sauté a shallot followed by garlic then stir in heavy cream. Next, add layers and layers of subtle flavor with a splash of Dijon mustard, and of pinch herbs, paprika, salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium high and cook until sauce starts to thicken, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in mega creamy, sweet, slightly salty, nutty Gruyere cheese until melted followed by lemon juice. Next, we smother our Roasted Green Beans with our Creamy Gruyere Sauce, add a generous Thanksgiving style amount of bacon and that’s it for one of the quickest, easiest side dishes of your Thanksgiving feast. I won’t tell a soul. Just sit back and prepare to be complimented by all partakers at your Thanksgiving.
HERB ROASTED GREEN BEANS
I like to add 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning to my basic oven Roasted Green Beans almost every time I make them, unless I am making them Asian style. Herbs pair particularly well when adding Parmesan and/or lemon juice. You can also add pinches of dried thyme, dried oregano and dried basil if you don’t keep Italian seasoning on hand.
GARLIC ROASTED GREEN BEANS
You can add 2 cloves fresh minced garlic or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder to the green beans before roasting. I love fresh garlic, but I actually prefer garlic powder for Roasted Green Beans. I find it more evenly coats and clings to the beans so you get yummy garlic goodness in every bite.
ROASTED GREEN BEANS WITH BALSAMIC
Roasted Green Beans with Balsamic is one of my favorite combos like in my Balsamic Green Beans recipe. Toss green beans AFTER they are roasted with 1 tablespoon balsamic and 1 teaspoon either honey or pure maple syrup. I like to mix the balsamic and honey together before drizzling over the beans.
ROASTED GREEN BEANS WITH BACON
You can toss Roasted Green Beans with as little or as much bacon as you like after they are cooked. I use 6 strips of bacon for 1 ½ pounds green beans. I highly recommend thick-cut center bacon for its’ meaty texture so it stays nice and crisp when combined with the beans.
ROASTED GREEN BEANS WITH PARMESAN
Roasted Green Beans with Parmesan is divine with its salty nuttiness, comparable to my Parmesan Asparagus. To make, evenly divide 1/4-½ cup FRESHLY grated Parmesan over uncooked green beans and roast. The amount of Parmesan will depend on how prominent you would like the Parmesan flavor. Please only use freshly grated Parmesan cheese for its superior flavor and melting abilities.
ROASTED GREEN BEANS WITH LEMON
Roasted Green Beans with lemon are bright and beautiful! I like to pair lemon with garlic, Parmesans or Italian herbs as well. To make, simply stir in 1 tablespoons lemon juice and lemon zest to taste after roasting. The lemon juice can get lost if added before cooking.
ROASTED POTATOES AND GREEN BEANS
I love Roasted Green Beans and Potatoes together. You can roast them starting at the same time, but potatoes take a little longer to cook, so I like to give them a head start in the oven.
To make, toss 1 pound chopped red or Yukon gold potatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1/8-¼ teaspoon pepper. Spread in an even layer on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Add 1 ½ lbs green beans and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1/8-¼ teaspoon pepper and continue to roast an additional 12-15 minutes.
OTHER INGREDIENT IDEAS:
You can add virtually anything to Roasted Green Beans to create the flavor profile YOU want! Here are a few more ideas:
nuts: pecans, pistachios, cashews, sliced almonds, peanuts seeds: sesame seeds, pepitas, sunflower seeds dried cranberries Italian Dressing Tahini Dijon or stone ground mustard Sesame oil Asian Sweet chili sauce Soy sauce Blue cheese or Gorgonzola cheese feta Lemon pepper Ground Cumin Chili Powder Paprika Cajun seasoning Turmeric Chinese 5 spice Red chili flakes Cayenne pepper
HOW TO ROAST GREEN BEANS
Oven Roasted Green Beans can be on your able in less than 30 minutes! To make Green Beans, we are gong to infuse them with flavor by tossing them with olive oil, salt and pepper then roasting until desired crisp tenderness, about 12-15 minutes. Here are a few helpful tips and tricks:
Preheat oven: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. We want a very hot oven so the surface of the pan is hot enough to caramelize the natural sugars of the green beans and develop that tantalizing nutty roasted flavor. Prepare baking sheet: You can roast your green beans directly on the baking sheet, but I prefer to line it with foil for easy clean up. I do not, however, recommend parchment paper because it does not promote caramelization. Trim green beans: trim the ends of the fresh green beans but leave them whole. Dry green beans: Rinse and dry green beans. Take care to dry your fresh green beans very well with a clean kitchen towel or salad spinner so they will caramelize and not steam. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper: Add green beans, olive oil, salt and pepper to prepared baking dish and toss to evenly combine. I like to use my hands, but you can use a spatula as well. Spread in an even layer: Spread green beans into an evenly layer. Try to leave a little room in between each green bean so they cook evenly and roast and don’t just steam. You may need to separate the green beans between two baking sheets if you don’t have a large jelly roll pan and/or they are overlapping. Oven roast: Roast green beans at 450 degrees F for 12-15 minutes OR or until they reach desired tender crispness, stirring once halfway through.
WHAT TEMPERATURE DO YOU ROAST GREEN BEANS AT?
Green beans should be roasted at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Many people roast green beans longer than that, but I think that is overkill. You want your green beans to be crisp-tender and not tender-crisp. As far as temperature, lower oven temperatures create more steam. Steam can make many vegetables soggy. If roasted at a low temperature, beans are left soggy and never get hot enough to caramelize. I Love the crispy crunch of green beans without the sogginess, so I opt for a higher temperature to eliminate the steaming. Using 450 degrees Fahrenheit is my standard.
CAN I MAKE ROASTED GREEN BEANS AHEAD OF TIME?
Roasted Green Beans are best served hot and fresh out of the oven, so I suggest preparing them but not baking them in advance. You can prepare your green beans by tossing with olive oil and seasonings, spreading out on the baking sheet, covering tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerating. You can prepare the Gruyere Sauce and refrigerate for up to 2 days in an airtight container. When ready to serve, simply roast the beans, and reheat the Gruyere sauce on the stove with some added cream or broth, as it will have thickened in the refrigerator.
HOW LONG DO OVEN OVEN ROASTED GREEN BEANS LAST?
Roasted Green beans should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. That is IF you have leftovers.
HOW DO I REHEAT BAKED GREEN BEANS?
You can reheat green beans in the microwave at 30-second intervals but be aware that you will end up with softer beans. For best results AKA crisp tender beans, spread beans in an even layer on a baking sheet. Keep the cheese sauce separately and warm on the stove. Bake beans at 400 degrees for approximately 4 minutes until warmed through.
WHAT CAN I SERVE GREEN BEANS WITH?
Roasted Green Beans go with EVERYTHING!
They are fantastic with any protein: fish, shrimp, steak,pork, etc. They are delicious with Italian food: Lasagna, Spaghetti,Chicken Parmesan, Baked Penne, Million Dollar Mac or Shrimp Fettuccine. I LOVE them with comfort food: Beef Brisket, Spice Rubbed Steaks, French Dips, Chicken Cordon Bleu or Oven Fried Chicken Holiday Food! These Roasted Green Beans naturally belong with Herb Butter Turkey, Brown Sugar Glazed Ham, Honey Baked Ham, Garlic Herb Butter Pork Tenderloin, Pot Roast, Beef Tips and Gravy, and Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Roast Beef.
CAN I FREEZE GREEN BEANS?
You can freeze green beans before or after roasting but frozen, roasted green beans don’t retain their same crisp-tenderness. I would not recommend freezing cheese sauce. To freeze fresh green beans:
GREEN BEANS NUTRITION
Green beans are available fresh all year long, so Roasted Green Beans don’t just have to be a Fall or winter commodity. And once you hear how good they are for you, you will want to eat them ALL YEAR LONG.
A one cup serving of green beans has 30 calories and 3.4 grams of fiber! They also contain anti-oxidants also known as catechins. These catechins are known to improve heart health and help prevent cancer and help manage/prevent diabetes. Green beans are a good source of potassium, and folate, and are an excellent source of protein, iron, and zinc. If you are looking to boost your immune system look no further, green beans are a great source of vitamin C.
These green little gems sure pack a punch. I hope you are convinced to utilize more beans into your life, starting with these Roasted Green Beans! Roasted Green Bean Casserole with Creamy Gruyere Sauce. Aka the new Green Bean Casserole in town.
LOOKING FOR MORE OVEN ROASTED VEGETABLE RECIPES?
Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Brown Butter Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan Maple Dijon Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash. Baked Parmesan Fingerling Potato Fries Roasted Broccolini (With Lemon and Garlic) Roasted Potatoes with Bacon and Parmesan Roasted Hasselback Sweet Potatoes Asian Roasted Butternut Squash and Cashews
You might also like These Thanksgiving Favorites:
Maple Dijon Maple Green Beans with Caramelized Pecans, Bacon and Feta Cornbread Sausage Stuffing with Cranberries and Pecans Cranberry Apple Pecan Wild Rice Pilaf Cranberry Apple Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad Herb Scalloped Sweet Potatoes with Gruyere and Bacon Slow Cooker Creamed Corn with Ricotta and Bacon
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