Roasted Green Beans with Garlic, Lemon, Pine Nuts & Parmesan
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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!
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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
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- 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.
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These are the best green beans I’ve ever tried!!! I’m looking at you, Thanksgiving 😉
Hi Jen. We have fresh green beans from our garden, so I am definitely making this tonight. I don’t have any Pine Nuts but do have Pepitas. Will they work in this recipe?
Sure, enjoy!
These green beans were fantastic! This was a side dish for a holiday dinner. The flavors were incredible for such a simple and easy dish! My guests were blown away by the beans!
These were absolutely delicious. I saw the comments about wilted beans and was perplexed that someone would find that disappointing. After all, they were roasted. Maybe ascetically that may not be perfect but they certainly passed as delicious. There will be a real keeper as almost all your recipes, Jenn. Perfect.
Made these this evening. Delicious!
I am planning on making these for xmas. I have the frozen Trader Joe’s green beans. Do I need to thaw the beans first? If yes, what is the best method?
Hi Ro, I wouldn’t recommend frozen green beans here — sorry!
I have made this recipe 3 times in the past month- first for Thanksgiving, second for my husband’s birthday dinner and now to take to a church potluck. The green beans are simply delicious with this straightforward recipe. Everyone enjoyed them!! My sister said this was the best Thanksgiving sides I have done – and I have been doing Thanksgiving for awhile 🙂 Thank you!
These beans were a perfect complement to our skillet-roasted lemon chicken! They were easy to make and absolutely delicious. I halved the recipe and followed it exactly. I really appreciate your thoroughly tested recipes because I can count on them which is so important for a holiday meal.
Chef Jenn,
I’m a fan of many of your recipes but this green bean recipe was a miss for us.
Not only were they not esthetically pleasing as they were wilted/ shriveled looking, the taste was ok at best.—recipe was followed and timed.
Was not a nice addition to our Thanksgiving table.
Looking forward to better green bean recipes.
Just made these for the first time…absolutely wonderful! Used garlic powder because I didn’t have any fresh garlic on hand but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Thank you!
Do the roasted green beans wilt?
They definitely soften up but as long as you stick to the cook time, they shouldn’t wilt a lot.
I made these last night, substituting roasted almond slivers, which I had, for pine nuts. I did use haricot verts; they did shrink some but were delicious. My husband usually doesn’t like green beans but said these were delicious. He asked that I make them again. .
I mistakenly bought thin French green beans (haricots verts) thinking that’s what you used to make this recipe. Do you think they will cook faster, and if so, any chance the garlic will be undercooked?
Hi Renee, I don’t recommend haricots verts for roasting. I worry they’d shrivel up. I think I’d look for a different recipe to use them. Sorry!
Hey Renee,
I made the same mistake, apparently Trader Joe’s only has haricot verts right now. I saw your comment and I would usually listen to Jenn but I did it anyway. Turned out absolutely amazing, just keep an eye. I did 12 minutes and stirred, and then another 12 minutes. My haricot verts were on the thicker side though!
They were yummy!!! There were none left. I have made several of your recipes and enjoyed all of them. Thx for your contributions!
Could you roast beans, reheat and finish? Love both cookbooks.
Sure (and glad you like the cookbooks)! 🙂
These are wonderful! I can’t decide which dish I like more…these or the French with the jammy shallots 😉
I would like to make one of these for Thanksgiving and serve warm. I’m wondering if can either one be made a day or two ahead and reheated. I only have one oven/stove top and things get crazy the last hour. Thank you for all the tried and true recipes!
Hi Sharon, it’s fine to make either of these ahead. To reheat, I’d microwave them until just heated through.
Thank you for the prompt reply. I feel like I’m in touch with a celebrity chef 😉
It’s a great recipe! But I added the garlic only at the final roasting stage (the last 10 minutes). Roasting slivers of garlic at 450F for 25 minutes surely results in burned garlic?
The best green beans recipe I’ve ever made. I promptly planted green beans in my garden so I would have a supply of fresh beans. I also used asparagus and it was great!! I have your books and have a lot of favorites from them.
I made this dish for Easter and my family loved it, thank you for the give of giving and sharing.
Have a blessed year
I had no doubt this would taste amazing. I liked that it was easy to make! I used fat beans but I might have let them wilt some; next time I’ll roast to just before they wilt so I get the crunch.
I made these green beans for a crowd on Easter. Marinated the beans the night before for convenience. Delicious! The lemon zest is a wonderful addition. Thanks for another great recipe.
I made these green beans as part of my Easter dinner and it was the star of the meal. 8 people hands down all voted 10/10 loved them! Not one bean leftover. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!
Fabulous! Especially loved the pine nuts instead of the usual almonds. And the sliced garlic…and the lemon juice… and the zest! I used some of the grated Parm (almost forgot it) but the beans were good even without it. So easy to throw together and roasting makes any veggie taste delicious. My husband can usually take or leave green beans but he loved these. I also love Jenn‘ s Green Beans with Shallots. Now I have two great green bean dishes to choose from! Thank you!!!!
Holy smokes, you’re right! Roasted green beans ARE a revelation! Green beans are one of my favorite vegetables and this is now the only way I want to have them. I had to try them right out of the oven before the lemon juice and cheese went on because they looked so good and I think I like them better without all the ending additions so they are great either way! I’m glad to know that I can make even if I don’t have a few ingredients on hand as I’m sure I will want to have these quite regularly! Thanks for another keeper!
My family loved this recipe and it is indeed good both hot and at room temperature. Wonderful flavors!
My son doesn’t like Parmesan cheese (!! right?) so each person put their own on. The garlic, pine nuts and lemon are absolute requirements.
Easy and absolutely delicious!
Question—
This seems like a lot of garlic. Is it overpowering or does it tone down because it’s roasted? Thanks sue
Never mind! I just read the intro that the garlic mellows and is sweet after being roasted. Thanks
I know it seems like a lot but it’s the best part!
My kids wanted more of these green beans instead of their favorite pasta! Enough said.
Absolutely deelish! Love all your recipes. This is the only way I will make green beans…I’m sold!
First time I’ve done roasted green beans. They were really good. My wife commented on how much she liked them. Thanks for all the great recipes. Haven’t tried one I didn’t like yet.
After serving these the first time, my son told me this recipe is a keeper. That was a major recommendation as he is not a green bean fan. I have made the recipe many times and they are delicious and pretty every time.
Could I sub shallots for the garlic?
Sure, Cathy, that should work. Enjoy!
Looked as good as it tasted. Made half the recipe for the two of us, but all the garlic. Served at room temperature. Could not find green beans in a bag, so I did have to trim the ends. Will keep looking. Oven roasting is my favorite way to go; just tried Ina’s recipe for oven roasted shrimp and will never again boil them
Restaurant quality from a non restaurant chef,lol. Great recipe, thank you!
I make a 3 ingredient “cousin” to your creation that while delicious, is a one note mixture of roasted green beans, olive oil, and oil cured olives. What you’ve shared has knocked my one note samba to oblivion. We had your creation last night, and the flavors were spectacular. The lemon in the initial roasting, but also added to the final mix in’s, was outrageous as counterpoint to the richness of Reggiano, Pine nuts and the roasted garlic slices. I am so happy to be repetitive, thanking you for sharing yet another game changing recipe. This was a stunner.
Hello Jen!
I am making these for Easter this Sunday. How many hours do you think I can leave them out at room temp before serving. Would like to make these in the morning and serve at dinner time (5ish).
Thanks for all of your great recipes!
Hi, Joanna, If you’re making them in the morning, I would refrigerate them after you prepare them and then pull them out of the fridge about an hour before you plan to serve them. Hope everyone enjoys!
I make this as a side dish all the time for my family. It is AMAZING! I love how it can be made for special occasions as well as for dressing up weeknight fish, chicken, etc. It’s so easy, yet decadent in taste.
My son is allergic to pine nuts. Do you recommend a different nut other than almonds?
Hi Rachel, Walnuts would be delicious in this dish as well. Enjoy!
These really are the BEST green beans! They are on regular rotation at our house. I even love them leftover for lunch the next day.
The recipe sounds perfect, as do all your recipes. The fact that you can make them in advance is a real bonus. My question: I would like to serve the green beans on Saturday for the second Seder. Can I make them tomorrow (Tuesday) and keep them in the fridge until I am ready to microwave and serve on Saturday?
Hi Linda, glad you like the look of the recipe! While it will work to make them ahead, making them 5 days in advance is a bit too long. I’d suggest not making them more than 2 days ahead.
Could I use frozen whole green beans instead of fresh? If so, any changes to the prep? I just have a Costco-sized bag of them and would like to use them up!
Hi Lauren, I wouldn’t recommend frozen green beans here — sorry!
I’ve roasted green beans from frozen green beans and they are delicious. just roast straight from frozen, or slightly defrosted.
Excellent recipe!
My husband & I love this recipe and sometimes will eat just this for lunch. We have made this both with and without pine nuts, both ways it’s incredible.
We loved this recipe! I used toasted sliced almonds, and it was delicious and easy. I will cut the beans in half next time if it is just for a family meal, as they are easier to eat that way. But presentation is beautiful with whole beans!
Do you think it’s OK to assemble the dish uncooked the night before and let the green beans marinate until I’m ready to roast them?
Yep 🙂
I made these for a dinner party and they were delicious. Everyone commented on them because they were so different from the normal haricots verts or green beans with slivered almonds. I followed the recipe exactly and made them ahead of time–I kept tasting them as they reached room temperature to see whether they truly would be good if I didn’t serve them hot. They were. These will definitely be my go to green bean recipe for company.
These beans are scrumptious at room temperature. I made them early in the day so I could get the rest of Thanksgiving ready—they are so flavorful I had to force myself to stop picking on them.
Delicious!! Even my husband and daughter who don’t like green beans said these were really good and had seconds! Thank you Jen!
Hi Jenn
My son is allergic to some nuts, peanuts, pistachio, cashews – what other nuts can I use that may be approriate. Thanks Karen
Hi Karen, Any nut that he’s not allergic to should work here!
I’m going to use walnuts so my granddaughter can eat this. Pine nuts are a no-no for her.
Wow! I didn’t think green beans could taste this delicious! My husband and I ate the entire recipe and look forward to making this with broccoli. Jenn, what other vegetables would you recommend using? We did use walnuts instead of pine nuts as this is what we had.
Thank you Jenn, your two cook books have made me such a better home chef. All the best to you & your family,
Sandra in California
So glad you enjoyed them! I think this could also work with cauliflower and carrots. Cooking time may be a bit different though so keep an eye on them. 🙂
I used broccoli and walnuts instead of green beans and pine nuts. It was delicious! Will be trying it with the green beans at a later date but broccoli was what I had on hand.