Roasted Green Beans

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here I explain the best ingredients for my roasted green beans recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.

• Fresh Green Beans – Fresh ones taste the best, but if all you’ve got are frozen ones, see my tips below. I used classic American green beans. Haricots verts (a.k.a. French green beans) also work great—they’ll just cook a bit faster.
• Olive Oil – The essential for roasting veggies. Avocado oil works, too.
• Garlic – My oven roasted green beans are a garlic lover’s dream! We’re using 6 thinly sliced cloves (and yes, I forgot those in the photo below 🤦🏻‍♀️ but they are in the recipe pictures), plus extra garlic powder. I used to use a whole head of garlic (10-12 cloves), but now think 6 is just right. Don’t worry, they caramelize and turn sweet in the oven, so they’re not overpowering. You can also use minced garlic, but I’d recommend using a bit less.
• Parmesan Cheese – You can use pre-grated like this or grate it fresh. Shredded parm works too, but it gets more melty, whereas grated gives it a texture that reminds me of breadcrumbs.
• Sea Salt & Black Pepper

If you want to roast green beans with a different flavor (or just the basic way), see my variations below.

1. Season the green beans. In a large bowl, toss them with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
2. Roast partially. Arrange the green beans in a single layer on a baking sheet (I use this one — it’s the perfect size and doesn’t stick). Save the bowl with any oil left on the bottom for the next step. Pop in the oven to roast.
3. Slice the garlic. While your green beans roast, peel and thinly slice the garlic. Toss it in the bowl with any leftover oil from the green beans. (You can add a little more oil if needed.)

4. Add garlic and cheese, and roast again. Pull the pan out, sprinkle on the sliced garlic and parmesan, toss, and spread out again. Finish roasting green beans in the oven, until the garlic caramelizes and the beans are crisp-tender.

Flavor Variations

As usual, I’ve got ways to change it up! Here are some other flavors you can try (as well as a basic version):

• Basic – I think the garlic and parm make my roasted green beans recipe special, but you can easily just omit them for a basic side! They’ll still take the same amount of total time.
• Balsamic – Add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar together with the olive oil, or just drizzle with balsamic glaze at the end.
• Lemon – Add a splash of lemon juice together with the olive oil. For a more intense flavor, throw in a teaspoon of lemon zest, too.
• Sliced Almonds – Add them at the same time as the garlic, and they’ll get a little toasted! This version reminds me of green beans almondine.
• Sauces – If you want to get fancy, drizzle your oven roasted green beans with my pesto sauce or tahini sauce.

Serving Ideas

I think these roasted green beans with parmesan and garlic go with almost anything! You just need a main dish for a healthy dinner:

• Chicken – You could pop chicken thighs in the oven 10 minutes before the green beans, but I like making garlic butter chicken, pan fried chicken thighs, or pan seared chicken breasts on the stovetop, because everything’s ready at once. Bonus: their sauces taste amazing drizzled over the veggies!
• Seafood – My baked salmon cooks in about the same amount of time, depending on how you like your fish. Or make my quick air fryer cod or sauteed shrimp while you’ve got green beans in the oven.
• Steak – Make it a classic steakhouse meal with a top sirloin or (my fave) filet mignon. You can even branch out to pork steaks.
• Turkey – My roasted green beans recipe is fairly small, and more servings would require multiple pans, so I recommend it for a smaller gathering. Serve my roasted turkey legs, turkey wings, or Crock Pot turkey breast with it!