This Roasted Green Beans recipe lets you relax while the oven does the work, turning these beans into a perfectly crispy side.
Busy moms need dinners they can roast. My philosophy is: roast and bake all you can! It’s a smart choice for anyone who is not just tired, but tirrrrreeed.
Because busy moms know that at the end of excruciatingly busy days of tending to little ones, you really need to sit down and eat a home-cooked meal.
But who feels like standing and, as my mother put it, “working over a hot stove” …. while I “traipsed” about her kitchen. Nobody says “traipsed” enough anymore. It was like my mom’s favorite word.
But after a long day of wiping noses, changing diapers, and watching little ones to ensure they are safe, tended to, and happy, why not make dinner more strategically with foods that require minimal prep time and lots of sit-and-let-it-roast time?
These roasted green beans are just the ticket (along with all my other mom-friendly suggestions below). They’re quick and easy to throw together, and you’ll be renewed and refreshed by the time they’re finished roasting and baking.
Why You And Your Family Will Love Roasted Green Beans
The other day, I was preparing dinner for Sherry’s dear family members, who were home for a visit, when three-year-old, gorgeous little Ellie strolled in and said, “WhatchyoudoingWonna?” which she says as all one word now.
And I said, “Roasting green beans.”
And she said, “What’s woasting mean?”
“It means baking … it means cooking … it means I’m making you some yummy green beans for dinner! …. That’s what it means.”
“Well, they better be good, ’cause I don’t like green things.”
And she love-love-loved these.
I think it’s because these veggies have a sweet, almost caramelized exterior that makes little ones just smack their lips with glee.
Roasting green beans elevates their flavor to new heights, giving them a complex blend of sweet, salty, and crispy qualities that no other cooking method can achieve. That’s because these vegetables have natural sugars in them. And that spells magic in the oven when you roast them. The dewy exterior of your green beans begins to caramelize—and when that happens—that spells flavor MAGIC.
The thing you learn about cooking, after a while, is that the fewer ingredients that a recipe has, often, the better it tastes. That’s because the magic lies in the cooking method just as much as in the ingredients.
Take smoking meat, for example. The smoker helps bring most of the flavor—that and just salt and meat.
Here, the oven brings the abracadabra to these green beans, coaxing new dimensions of flavor out of each one as it bathes in its radiant heat.
How Do I Store Leftovers?
You can make these ahead and store them both in the refrigerator and freezer. For best results, texture-wise, let the green beans cool completely before storage. This will help keep them from growing limp or soggy. Store them in the fridge in an airtight container or sealed tightly with plastic wrap for up to 4 days. To freeze, cool in the refrigerator and transfer to a freezer bag, push all the air out, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve these on the side of other fast fixes like this Easy Chicken Parm, made with jarred spaghetti sauce, sliced cheese, and Tyson chicken strips, these Easy Potato Wedges, and, for dessert, this Ridiculously Easy 3-Ingredient Potluck Cake.
If you love this recipe, try this equally delicious way to prepare a vegetable—this time, corn: Garlic-Parmesan Grilled Corn.
Roasted Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh green beans trimmed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
- Rinse the green beans and dry them thoroughly to avoid sogginess during roasting.
- Spread the green beans on a baking sheet in a single layer.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the green beans and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Toss the green beans to ensure they are evenly coated with oil and seasoning.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the beans are tender and have begun to brown slightly.
- Serve immediately for the best flavor and texture.
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