Roasted Green Beans with Garlic, Lemon, Pine Nuts & Parmesan
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Roasted green beans are a revelation, especially when tossed with chunks of garlic, lemon, pine nuts, and cheese.
While roasting is a popular cooking method for many vegetables, it’s not typically used for green beans – but it should be! Roasted green beans are truly a revelation. Unlike boiled green beans, which are bland and squeaky when you bite into them, roasted beans are tender, caramelized, slightly shriveled, and full of flavor. This version from Washington, DC chef Ris Lacoste, featured in Fine Cooking, is one of the best green bean, not to mention vegetable, dishes I’ve ever had. The beans are roasted with heaps of sliced garlic, which turn mellow and sweet, and finished with bright lemon juice and zest, nutty Parmigiano-Reggiano, and crunchy toasted pine nuts. This is a great dish for entertaining because it can be made ahead and served at room temperature.
What you’ll need to make roasted green beans with Garlic, Lemon, Pine Nuts & Parmesan
To speed this recipe up, use pre-washed and trimmed beans in a bag; it’s a huge timesaver. For the cheese, be sure to use authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano. You can always tell if it’s authentic by looking at the rind, which is embossed with the “Parmigiano-Reggiano” repeatedly. If you’re buying the cheese already grated, make sure it is labeled “Parmigiano Reggiano,” rather than “Parmesan.”
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, in a small dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pine nuts until golden. Watch carefully and stir frequently as they can burn quickly (and they’re expensive).
Put the green beans in a large bowl. Add the sliced garlic, olive oil, 1 tablespoon of the lemon zest, kosher salt, pepper, and sugar.
Toss well.
Transfer the mixture to a prepared baking sheet. Don’t leave any flavor behind: use a rubber spatula to scrape all of the oil and seasoning out of the bowl and onto the beans.
Roast the beans and garlic for 15 minutes. Stir with a spatula to promote even cooking, then continue roasting until the beans are tender throughout, about 10 minutes more. The beans should be fully cooked, with some lightly browned but not shriveled.
Add the lemon juice, Parmigiano-Reggiano, remaining lemon zest, and pine nuts to the roasted green beans.
Toss well, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot or room temperature. Vegetables don’t get much better. Enjoy!
You may also like
- Roasted Green Beans with Cranberries and Walnuts
- Roasted Carrots with Thyme
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar & Honey
- Garlicky Roasted Broccoli with Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Simple Roasted Asparagus
Roasted Green Beans with Garlic, Lemon, Pine Nuts & Parmesan
Roasted green beans are a revelation, especially when tossed with chunks of garlic, lemon, pine nuts, and cheese.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- 2 pounds fresh green beans, stem ends trimmed
- ¼ cup thinly sliced garlic, from 7 to 10 cloves, (a medium clove should yield 4 slices)
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons lemon zest
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 6 tablespoons coarsely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
Instructions
- Set an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- In a small dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pine nuts until golden. Watch carefully and stir frequently as they can burn quickly. Immediately transfer the nuts to a small bowl (don't leave them in hot pan as they will continue to cook). Set aside.
- Put the green beans in a large bowl. Add the sliced garlic, olive oil, 1 tablespoon of the lemon zest, kosher salt, pepper, and sugar; toss well. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet (don’t leave any flavor behind: use a rubber spatula to scrape all of the oil and seasoning out of the bowl and onto the beans).
- Roast the beans and garlic for 15 minutes. Stir with a spatula to promote even cooking, then continue roasting until the beans are tender throughout, about 10 minutes more. The beans should be fully cooked, with some lightly browned but not overly shriveled.
- Add the lemon juice, Parmigiano-Reggiano, remaining ½ tablespoon lemon zest, and pine nuts to the beans and toss well. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and lemon juice if necessary. Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot or room temperature.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 264
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Sodium: 448 mg
- Cholesterol: 6 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I plan to make these for a 60th birthday buffet. Do you think I could keep them warm in the oven (on very low) and put out at the last minute or should I just serve room temp?
Hi Lori, depending on how long you keep them in the oven they may overcook. I’ve never served them room temperature, but I think you could get away with it.
Would you suggest blanching the beans first? I often do that prior to sauteing them, as it preserves the bright green color.
Hi Libby, I don’t think it’s necessary here. Enjoy!
I made these for dinner last night. It is delicious and the flavor makes the green beans much more interesting. The only thing I wonder is why the beans didn’t stay fresh green and turned kind of yellow.
Hi Maria, Glad you liked them! The lemon zest and the cheese adds some yellow coloring on top but I’m honestly not sure why the beans would turn yellow — I’ve never experienced that!
Hi Jenn,
I would love to make this and your recipe is always the best no hesitation. I don’t have pine nuts on hand is pecans or blanched slice almonds would work here? do i need it toasted.
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
Rose G.
Hi Rose, I think the almonds would work nicely, and yes I would toast them.
Great recipe. Follow the instructions as written and you won’t be disappointed.
Hello, can this be made with frozen green beans?
I wouldn’t recommend it, Rose — sorry!
Hi!
Is there any way these can be made in advance to bring to a dinner? Or partially made & baked there?
Thanks!
Lynn
Hi Lynn, You could partially make them and then bake at your destination. Or if you want to make them ahead, I’d reheat them briefly in the microwave – just until heated through before serving them.
Oh awesome! That’s what I was hoping to do- make & reheat. I was concerned they might be soggy. Thank you!
OK so I made this one exactly as Jenn instructed. No substitutions, no creative additions (on my part!) bc I really trust Jenn and want to experience the recipe as she wrote it (she is the expert IMO). This is the BEST green bean recipe I have tried and I have tried many over the years as I love to cook and been doing it for 50+ yrs. My daughter is now another devotee of Jenn. I always look forward to seeing her email surface in mine as I know that she will present another great recipe for me to try!
💗
What a great side dish! You can’t go wrong with roasted vegetables but these are such an elegant touch. I really recommend that no one leave out any part of it. Of course you can’t go wrong with Parmesan cheese but the pine nuts, lemon juice & zest just add that special touch.
I love green beans, and these did not disappoint. I left out the pine nuts, as I didn’t have any on hand, and they were still great! I’ll have to make them again with the nuts, I’m sure they’re even better that way!
This is such a great recipe for dinner parties/potlucks. It is a true crowd pleaser. It’s also a great way to liven up those garden beans in your freezer in the dead of winter!
I find myself eating them like potato chips!
I made this recipe for Christmas day dinner alongside a standing rib roast. Everyone said it was the best green bean dish they’ve ever had, and I agree! Jenn, you have the flavors spot-on in this recipe, from the pine nuts to the zest. Don’t skimp on using the Parmigiano-Reggiano; it’s an absolute must for this dish. Great recipe!
I was looking for a different way to fix green beans for the holidays and we all loved them. Another keeper!
This recipe has become a weekly rotation in our family meals. It’s a very forgiving recipe, too, as sometimes I haven’t had lemons and rarely have the pine nuts but there’s still something magical about olive oil, garlic, salt and roasting green beans! 🙂
Served with broiled salmon and these green beans were so delicious! We will make again. I used toasted chopped walnuts because I had everything else to make them. Thanks!
I hate green beans and this is the first recipe with them that I’ve actually enjoyed! One thing I would say is that they cooked a little bit quicker than the recipe, so I had to watch them a lot towards the end. This may also be because the oven above it was also running though! Such a tasty recipe!!!!!
My family LOVED these beans! I like that they are done in the oven. It allows you to do prep and clean up prior to company arriving. The end product was perfect. My only change was to use garlic-infused olive oil since straight garlic irritates my gut. I’ll definitely make this again.
Your recipes are consistently great so I’m going try this one and bring it to a Christmas Eve dinner. Should I reheat them in the oven or microwave?
Hi Paula, I’d reheat them briefly in the microwave – just until heated through. Hope you enjoy!
Would this go well with your traditional brisket, or would that be too much flavor? (Trying to come up with a Christmas menu.)
I think it’d work well, Bri, but I’d keep any other sides pretty basic.
I made this as a side for Thanksgiving dinner, and it was so delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Made this last night to accompany your crab cake recipe on this website (which we served on salad greens tossed with a red wine vinegarette.) I substituted the thinner, French haricot verts and reduced the cooking time at the end by about 5 minutes. Fantastic and very easy- will definitely be making again.
This is a new favorite! Only change I made was cooking it longer because I like my veggies deeper in color. Will definitely be making this again!
Would it be okay to use lime rather than lemon? My husband doesn’t care for lemon.
Hi Rita, I’m not sure lime would work well here, but you can just leave the lemon out — it will still be delicious. If you find it needs a little zing, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar would be nice.
Would regular aluminum foil work okay instead of heavy duty? Thanks!!!
Sure. 🙂
Hi Jenn,
Can I substitute (or would you??) asparagus in this recipe??
Also could I make ahead the green beans and mushroom recipe or would like that too mushy to heat back up?
I am trying to find a side for your glazed Salmon.
Thanks so much. I love your recipes and SO does my family. I have made most of what is on your website.
Jackie
I do think asparagus would work here. And you could get away with making the green bean and mushroom recipe in advance as long as you gently reheat it. Hope that helps!
Hello! Is it possible to use canned green beans or would fresh ones be best? I only have canned but I wasn’t sure if it’ll be too soggy?
I think fresh would be best here – sorry!
Made these last nite and they were awesome! I do have one question: the recipe says to slice the garlic lengthwise – I did but have never done that before and the picture above doesn’t look like it was done that way. I might try the usual way next time. Is there a difference? At any rate, this recipe is so good it’s decadent!
Btw, just ordered your cookbook.
Hi Joan, Glad you enjoyed these! It may not look like it in the pics, but it is sliced. If you mince the garlic next time, you’ll just get more garlic flavor as the smaller the cut, the stronger the garlic flavor. And thanks for your support with the cookbook! 🙂
Can brown sugar be used instead of white sugar?
Thanks
Carolyn
Sure, Carolyn, that should be fine. Enjoy!
Not a huge fan of green beans but this is incredible!
My husband said this was the best green bean recipe ever. So glad we tried this. It was delicious.
Looks fabulous !
If I am out of (or to lazy to peel and slice) fresh garlic, would it work with minced from a jar in the fridge ?
Because the garlic is sliced here as opposed to minced, I’d recommend sticking with fresh – sorry!
I first made these for Thanksgiving last year, and decided to make them again for Easter this year. They are outstanding and by far one of my favorite recipes! Even my picky 3.5 year old loves them!
While I love Jenn’s recipes, I had to make adjustments. I tried this recipe without the pine nuts or cheese last night, and my family still loved the results! So much better than simply steamed green beans in these challenging times.
Omg these are the best green beans I’ve ever eaten! I cannot wait to make again! So yummy and flavorful! I love your recipes! Thank you!
These green beans are amazing! My new go to recipe and I now crave them. I will be making them on Christmas Day and wanted to know if I could combine the beans and marinade ahead of time and roast when ready?
Thanks!
Yep, that’s fine, Kerrie. Happy holidays!
Can I use canned beans? How would I need to modify the recipe?
Hi Pavi, I wouldn’t recommend canned beans for this — sorry!
Hi Jenn! First I wanted to tell you that I’m soo thankful for you! I’ve made many of your recipes and they are family favorites! The way you explain your recipes are so easy to follow and absolutely delicious. Just a quick question.. I’m planning on making these green beans the day before Thanksgiving. Should I wait to add the parm, pine nuts and the rest of the lemon zest before I microwave the day of?
Either way is fine, but I’d probably just fully prepare the dish with all the ingredients. Feel free to sprinkle a little more cheese on before serving, if you’d like.
Hi Jenn,
I love all your recipes. I plan on making these for Thanksgiving. I am going to do them a day ahead. Should I wait to put on all the toppings after I reheat them or would you make the recipe as it and reheat.
Thanks.
Mariellen
You can go either way, Mariellen, but I would just go ahead and incorporate the toppings in advance. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jen,
I’m thinking of adding carrots to this recipe. Would you recommend? Your thoughts, please. Thanks much.
Hi Marty, I think that should work. Just make sure the carrots aren’t cut too thick so that the two veggies can be fully cooked at the same time. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Thanks Jenn! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! We are thankful for you!
Have made this twice to rave reviews. Great recipe!
Should I grate the cheese for this recipe or can I use pre-grated?
Either is fine – hope you enjoy! 🙂
I cannot wait to make your recipe for green beans, especially after reading all the reviews. What do think about adding onions to the green beans before roasting?
Hi Judi, I think onions would be a nice addition here. I’d love to hear how it turns out with this tweak!
“This is my new favorite way to eat green beans” sums up how my family responded to this recipe. Everyone loved them! Easy and fresh. Thanks for consistently having recipes that everyone loves and are not labor intensive.
Hi Jen, I need to bring 2 vegetables to my gf house for Passover. I am working. How can this be prepared in advance? Would the sweet potato one work also but how can it be reheated? Happy Passover
Hi Cynthia, I would just reheat these briefly in the microwave. And happy to help with the sweet potatoes – which recipe are you referring to? If you’re referring to either of the mashed recipes, before serving, just stir in a bit of milk and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
This was SO good! I never roasted green beans before so this was a surprise in flavor. No leftovers!
delicious!
Made these for Christmas Eve as written with the Beef Tenderloin with Red wine sauce and mashed potatoes…husband declared it in the top 5 of meals served in our house ever!! I have made green beans all kinds of ways but never roasted–they were delicious. Also had the outstanding Bourbon Challah French Toast from your cookbook the next morning…it was a OUAC Christmas here this year!
These are gooooood! Definitely making for Christmas Eve.
I made this 3 nights ago, and totally loved it! I didn’t have pine nuts so used walnuts. Also, I actually doubled the amount of garlic because in my family, there’s no such thing as too much garlic. No problems there. Best part was that the leftovers were still delicious two days later! I’m not a big fan of french beans, but this recipe has changed my mind. I would suggest cutting back a little on the olive oil because it was a bit too oily for me. Happy cooking!
Can I use Locatelli cheese in place of the Parmigiano?
Yep!
Jen, if I use haricot verts instead of a standard green bean do you recommend less cooking time or a lower temperature? I’m looking forward to these. They sound delicious.
Hi Debbie, To be honest, I don’t recommend haricots verts for roasting. I worry they’d shrivel up. Sorry!
These green beans were delicious! I cut the olive oil in half since it’s the New Year and I’m watching calories – and the recipe was still great.
Would you serve these with the chicken Marbella?
Sure, Nancy, that would work! And because the chicken has so much flavor, you could also get away with a simple steamed veggie here.