Roasted Green Beans Recipe

Let's be honest: Green beans get a pretty bad rap sometimes. But it's not their fault, it's ours — too many of us are cooking these veggies all wrong, boiling them until they're a quasi-tasteless mush or roasting them into a charred mess. Instead of giving up on green beans, instead just closely follow this elegantly simple recipe put together by chef and recipe developer Jaime Bachtell-Shelbert of Wholly Nourished. With no other spices than classic salt and pepper — and some sesame seeds as a garnish — and just the right amount of time in the oven, they'll come out great.

As for how best to enjoy these green beans, it's all about creating the perfectly balanced meal. "You're asking a plant-based dietitian, so I'm going to say tofu all day every day for pairing," Bachtell-Shelbert says. "Joking aside, green beans pair well with just about any protein. Add in a whole grain or potatoes, and you have a well-rounded meal."

Sometimes, less really is more when it comes to a recipe, and this is certainly the case here. All you need is about a pound of fresh green beans, rinsed and with stems trimmed, some extra virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper to taste, and a couple of teaspoons of sesame seeds.

The most important thing here is to pick green beans ideally suited to this method of cooking. Bachtell-Shelbert says to look for green beans that are "the thickness of a pencil with a firmness to them."

Start things out by preheating the oven to 425 F, then rinse the green beans and lightly pat them dry. Now place green beans in a large bowl, then drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.

Toss the beans with your hands (or with tongs), making sure all of the green beans are evenly coated in the oil, salt, and pepper mixture.

Turn green beans out onto a baking sheet in a single layer, spreading them evenly. You can line the sheet in foil, parchment paper, or a silicone mat if you want to reduce the cleanup you'll need to do later.

Now roast the green beans in the oven for 20 minutes, flipping them all over halfway through the roasting period. Remove the cooked veggies from the oven and top them with sesame seeds, then transfer them to a serving platter or right onto plates.

Not only are green beans delicious when prepped properly, but they are also a very healthy food, according to Healthline. High in fiber and low in sodium, they are also a good source of several vitamins, like vitamin C and vitamin A, and they are a decent source of vitamin K, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, too.

Green beans also have some protein, almost no fat, and they are considered a very low FODMAP food, meaning they are can help mitigate many common digestive issues, like acid reflux, gas, and bloating. Don't you want to work this veggie into your diet more now?