Roasted Green Beans with Lemon, Garlic, and Parmesan

I’ve made no bones in the past about my love of roasted vegetables.  I’ve roasted cauliflower for you, brussels sprouts, edamame and corn, potatoes, and even kale.  My obsession with roasted vegetables may border on annoying, and I’m sorry, but I really feel the need to share yet another one with you.  Please bear with me.

Roasted Green Beans.

Oh my goodness.

I never, ever thought of roasting green beans before I saw this recipe.  I don’t know why it never crossed my mind, given my obsession, but I’d never tried it before.

This dish is so good that I should have just doubled it, snarfed down a big plate of green beans that night for dinner, and not even messed with the grilled chicken we had along with it that night.

My husband agrees.

One of my daughters also agrees. (The other daughter’s opinion doesn’t really count, in this case.  I’ve told you how she is with vegetables.  It was a given that she wouldn’t give this a fair shot.  Her loss.)

Maybe next time, I’ll turn it into a main dish by throwing in some pasta with the beans.  Maybe then, Daughter #2 will give it a go.  (It’s all about pasta and ketchup when you’re six, right?)

Anyway, to get things going, I started by trimming up some fresh green beans, slicing up an entire head of garlic (Yes, you read correctly.), and zesting and juicing up a lemon.

As you’re working on the green beans and garlic, toast up some pine nuts in the oven as it heats.  Watch out, though.  They brown up pretty quickly.

Don’t freak out about the amount of garlic I used!!  The garlic roasts up with the green beans, and roasted garlic is buttery and delicious.  Not nearly as pungent as you’d think.

I tossed together the beans, garlic, and some of the lemon zest with some olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Then, I poured the mixture out onto a cookie sheet, spread it out, and popped it into the oven.

The green beans roasted close to the top of the oven, so they sputter and sizzle a bit.  Don’t be alarmed if you open your oven to find oil dancing around on the cookie sheet.  Just be careful that it doesn’t dance out on you.

After about 20 minutes in the oven, and a quick stir around or two, the beans we’re tender and toasty.  The garlic was golden and delicious, and the whole thing smelled incredible.

I removed the beans from the oven and placed them in a mixing bowl.  During the roasting process, the beans had shrunken considerably, so if you’re feeding more than 3-4 people with this as a side dish, I highly suggest doubling the recipe.

I finished off the dish by tossing the beans with a bit more olive oil and some lemon juice.  Then, I sprinkled them with toasted pine nuts, the rest of the lemon zest and some shaved  Parmesan cheese.

Roasted green beans with lemon and garlic?  Oh my!

ROASTED GREEN BEANS WITH GARLIC, LEMON, AND PARMESAN

Adapted from Fine Cooking: Summer Eats