Roasted Green Beans with Garlic, Lemon, Pine Nuts & Parmesan
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Looking for a side dish that steals the show? Roasted green beans with garlic, lemon, Parmesan, and toasted pine nuts are simple, flavorful, and sure to impress!
While roasting isn’t the most common method for cooking green beans, it absolutely should be! Roasted green beans are a game changer—tender, caramelized, and packed with flavor, unlike boiled beans that can be bland and squeaky. This recipe from Washington, DC chef Ris Lacoste is hands down one of the best green bean (and vegetable) dishes I’ve ever had.
The beans roast with heaps of sliced garlic, which turn mellow and sweet, then get a finishing touch of bright lemon, nutty Parmigiano-Reggiano, and crunchy toasted pine nuts. They’re perfect alongside parmesan crusted chicken or a simple steak—and they reheat beautifully, too.
“I’m obsessed! SO much flavor.”
What You’ll Need To Make Roasted Green Beans
- Pine Nuts: Lightly toasted, these nuts add a rich, buttery flavor and a pleasant crunch.
- Fresh Green Beans: Provide a crisp, fresh texture that holds up well during roasting. To save time, use pre-washed and trimmed beans from a bag.
- Garlic: When thinly sliced and roasted, the garlic becomes caramelized and mellow.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Coats the beans, ensuring they roast evenly while adding richness.
- Lemon Juice and Zest: Adds a bright, citrusy flavor that balances the richness.
- Sugar: Helps balance the lemon and boosts caramelization of the green beans.
- Coarsely Shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano: Adds a salty, nutty flavor that melts slightly over the warm beans. Use authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano and avoid pre-grated “Parmesan”—it is not the same!
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
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 and transfer to a lined baking sheet.
Roast the beans and garlic for 15 minutes, stir, then continue roasting until the beans are tender, about 10 minutes more.
Add the lemon juice, Parmigiano-Reggiano, remaining lemon zest, and pine nuts to the roasted green beans.
Toss well, then transfer to a serving platter and serve hot or room temperature. The beans can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and reheated in the microwave.
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Roasted Green Beans with Garlic, Lemon, Pine Nuts & Parmesan
Looking for a side dish that steals the show? Roasted green beans with garlic, lemon, Parmesan, and toasted pine nuts are simple, flavorful, and sure to impress!
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 freshly 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.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The beans can be prepared up to 3 days ahead of time and reheated in the microwave.
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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I made this tonight. In a word, fabulous! The sliced garlic, lemon zest, and Parmesan cheese lifts this dish head and shoulders above any other roasted green bean recipe I’ve tried. It’s going in the family recipe book. Thank you, Jenn!
I have a question about your very appealing green bean recipe with 10 cloves of sliced garlic in it. Do these masses of garlic pretty much permeate the house (neighbourhood?) when cooking? I’ve never used that many cloves and I’m curious as to just how powerful all that garlic is in a recipe.
Hi Louise, I would say yes, but it’s a good thing! Plus, there is a lot of olive oil in the recipe, which tones it down.
Hi Jen,
I just tried your roasted green beans recipe last night. It was so delicious that I finished it off for breakfast this morning. My question is whether you can substitute other vegetables for the green beans. I’m supposed to bring a roasted vegetable dish to a baby shower, and I want to bring something with mixed vegetables. Thanks!
Hi Barbara, So glad you enjoyed it! I do think you could use different veggies (carrots, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower would all be good), but you’ll need to roast them separately as they all have different cooking times. Please let me know how it turns out!
This is a wonderful way (actually the best way) to serve green beans. Fancy and delicious. My whole family loved them.
I made These last night and am now obsessed with them. They were absolutely delicious and easy to make. My husband (not a huge fan of veggies) even loved them! I had to cook for less time than recommended as they were getting overcooked, but they were still fantastic. So just watch them carefully when roasting. Thanks so much!
I made these a day before Thanksgiving and reheated in the microwave for Thanksgiving (adding the toppings after reheating). The day I made them I would rate them 5 stars but they definitely lost a star after being reheated. I would make this recipe again but only if I could serve immediately.
Hi! Can these be made the day before and reheated in the oven for Thanksgiving? Or at least the morning of, and reheated? If so, what temp and how long? Thank you! Looking forward to making these soon.
Hi Kelly, Yes, these can definitely be made ahead. And, honestly, I would just reheat in the microwave.
Great great great recipe!!
I’m making this for thanksgiving this year!! Very sophisticated side dish. Well done 🙂
Jen, my husband is soooo tired of my vegetable side dishes, always with garlic and oil. So I went to your list of vegetables and found this one! I read ALL of the
reviews and then said”this is the one” I know my hubby and Kevin will love this and Ryan, well you know, he’ll eat anything!!!!! Say hello to your family!
Dear Jennifer! This comment is from a far away Helsinki, Finland! I got on your site a couple of month ago and I am absolutely in awe. I have already cooked a few dishes and they were fantastic! This one sounds amazing too! Now I am a regular visitor here 🙂 Your dishes are absolutely amazing and so is the website: stylish, beautiful, easy to use and full of love! Thank you so much for your work!
You’re welcome, Kira! Thank you for your sweet words, and so glad you’re enjoying the recipes!