Recipe for Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms, Balsamic, and Parmesan

Back in the days when most of my exposure to green beans meant the ones that came from a can, I wasn't too much of a green bean fan. Then Costco started carrying these lovely thin French beans, and I fell in love with green beans. They're expensive compared to most vegetables, so this is definitely something to make for a special dinner at my house, although the day I roasted the beans for this recipe I ate a big plate of green beans for lunch!

I do think that roasting vegetables is the greatest trick to add to your cooking repertoire, because nothing concentrates and sweetens the flavor of vegetables more than roasting. If you make these beans, promise that you won't crowd your beans on the pan, which I did because I was feeling stubborn and wanted to use the toaster oven. I ended up cooking these nearly 30 minutes, and at least 10 minutes of that time was the evaporate the moisture from the mushrooms, which wouldn't have been a problem if they'd been on a larger cookie sheet. If you spread them out better to roast, your beans will be a little crisper and greener than the ones in my photo (but my beans were still quite delicious and disappeared in no time!)

Cut mushrooms into slices that are about 1/2 inch thick. It's fairly important that mushrooms are the same thickness so they'll all cook the same. I removed the stems to use for something else, but in the end it didn't matter at all, and next time I'd just slice the mushrooms stem and all.

These are the beloved Costco beans that I love so much. They come in a two pound package. I cook about a pound at a time, and use my FoodSaver Vacuum Food Sealer to seal the bag and keep the rest fresh.

I put the beans and mushrooms into a Ziploc bag, then whisked together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, poured it into the bag, and squeezed the veggies around until they were all coated with the oil-balsamic mixture.

And here is the evidence of how I crowded the beans and mushrooms way too much on the pan. Do Not Do This! Use a big cookie sheet and spread them around as much as possible, and you'll save some cooking time and get crisper and greener beans.

Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms, Balsamic, and Parmesan
(Makes 4-6 servings, recipe created by Kalyn)

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced in 1/2 inch slices (I used brown crimini mushrooms, but any mushrooms will work)
1 lb. fresh green beans, preferably thin French style beans
1 1/2 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 T finely grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450F/230C. Wash mushrooms and let drain (or spin dry in salad spinner, which is what I did.) While mushrooms are drying, trim ends of beans and cut beans in half so you have bite-sized pieces. (An easy way to trim them is to gather a small handful of beans, stand them up on cutting board, holding loosely so they will fall down and have ends ends aligned, then trim. Repeat with other end.) Cut mushrooms into slices 1/2 inch thick.

Put cut beans and mushrooms into a Ziploc bag or plastic bowl. Whisk together olive oil and balsamic vinegar and pour over, then squeeze bag or stir so all the beans and mushrooms are lightly coated with the mixture. Arrange on large cookie sheet, spreading them out well so beans and mushrooms are not crowded. Roast 20-30 minutes, starting to check for doneness after 20 minutes. Cook until beans are tender-crisp, mushrooms are cooked, and all liquid on the pan from mushrooms has evaporated. Season beans to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper, then sprinkle with finely grated parmesan. Serve hot.

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South Beach Suggestions:

This is a perfect side dish for any phase of the South Beach Diet, or any other type of low-glycemic eating plan.

More Delicious Way to Cook Green Beans:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)
Stir-Fried Green Beans with Lemon, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts from Kalyn's Kitchen
Garlic Roasted Green Beans with Shallots and Almonds from Kalyn's Kitchen
Green Bean Salad with Greek Olives and Feta cheese from Kalyn's Kitchen
Greek Braised Green Beans (Fasolakia) from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska
Pomegranate Glazed Green Beans and Portobellos from Karina's Kitchen
(Want even more green bean recipes?I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.)