Name: Easy Roasted Green Beans w/ Bacon
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 32 oz bag of Fresh Green Beans; ½ pound Bacon, regular thickness; ¼ cup Olive Oil; ½ tsp Salt; ¼ tsp Pepper; ½ tsp Garlic Pepper

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This is the easiest way to make roasted green beans, cooking them in the oven, and who doesn’t love bacon too!

Just plain green beans are ok, but these oven-roasted green beans are so much better. I’m not a big vegetable lover, so this is one of my go-to vegetable recipes that makes eating them so much tastier. Between the olive oil, spices and the tasty bacon…who wouldn’t love these, even the kids!

So enjoy these oven-roasted green beans and try some of the other combinations mentioned here for a different combination. They have a taste that goes so well with other things, so roast them the same way and then just garnish with cheese, sesame seeds, tomatoes, onions,….and the list goes on.

What is the Difference Between Green Beans and String Beans?

You have probably heard of string beans and are wondering if they are different than green beans. It’s a common question. There is no difference between the two, just different names for exactly the same veggie. Sometimes it’s just growing up in a different location or in a different time period, but you’re still eating the same thing.

Are Green Beans Healthy?

Green Beans are a really healthy vegetable. They are high in vitamin A, C, K, folic acid and fiber. They also contain calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium. They are also one of those good veggies that are low in calories, low in fat, low in carbs and contain fiber and protein.

How Many Carbs are there in Green Beans?

For 1 cup of green beans, there are only 4.3 NET Carbs. Pretty good, because 1 cup gives you a pretty good size portion. You could always have more than a cup if you have enough carbs allowed for your day.

When you add bacon to your green beans it doesn’t add any more carbs. That’s why we made this recipe to have a half pound of bacon, not just a few slices. You can never have too much bacon, so pile it on and enjoy.

What Ingredients are in Roasted Green Beans?

Fresh Green Beans -Make sure that your green beans and fresh and crisp. That way they will roast up better.

Olive Oil – Use extra virgin olive oil because it has the most flavor and is also great for you.

Salt and Pepper – 2 common spices that you can use in almost any food that you eat and go perfect here.

Garlic powder – Also a common spice that I use on so many recipes. Sometimes you want the garlic taste without chunks of garlic that may overpower your food and this is how to do it. It also is easier to prepare.

Bacon – Who doesn’t love bacon! The best bacon, in my opinion, is Oscar Mayer because has a minimum shrinkage and the best flavor. I have tried different brands over the years thinking: “it’s on sale so let’s try it,” only to be disappointed time and time again.

Oscar Mayer may cost more but it’s well worth it. If you watch the sales at the stores near you, you may be surprised and see it on sale. When it goes on sale with a savings of $3-$4 per package I stock up. It usually has an expiration of a month or two and you can always freeze it too.

How do You Prepare Green Beans?

We’re going to walk you through everything you need to do BEFORE actually cooking the green beans including: washing, trimming and if you need to soak them.

Washing Green Beans

Place your fresh green beans in a large colander and rinse them off. It’s very important to make sure to dry them well afterward because if you don’t they will be soggy beans instead of crispy beans.

How do you Trim Green Beans?

When you have fresh green beans, it’s easy to get them ready for roasting. If they are fresh trim them, you should be able to just snap off the end with the stem.

All you need to do is take the fat part of the green bean in one hand and the end in the other and bend until it snaps. It will naturally break in the right point.

If for some reason they don’t snap off easily, then just take a small paring knife and cut them off.

If you are going to cut them in half this would be the perfect time to do it. If not then leave them whole, whichever you prefer.

Do you Need to Soak Green Beans Before Cooking?

You may have heard that beans need soaking overnight. From my experience you do not have to soak green beans before roasting them, fresh beans are ready to go as they are.

The kind of beans that need soaking are not green beans but they are dried beans such as lentils and white beans and cannelloni beans.

Do you Need to Blanch Green Beans Before Cooking?

Some people like to blanch their green beans before cooking them, but in my experience, you do not have to do it before roasting them.

Blanching is for the purpose of freezing fresh green beans. It’s the process of parboiling them and then freezing them. If you tried to freeze them without blanching them they would probably not freeze too well. In fact blanching and freezing is the way that they come when you buy them frozen in the grocery store.

How do you Blanch Fresh Green Beans?

If you do want to blanch and freeze green beans, first to rinse and dry them and then snap off the ends. Place in boiling water for 3 minutes, then chill the beans in ice water for 3 minutes.

Place them in a single layer in the freezer 1-2 hours. Then take them out of the freezer and transfer them into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 year.

If you have a garden and grow green beans then blanch away and stock your freezer for the winter. You can take them out and make them so many ways without having to go out and buy them when they are more expensive.

How to Season Green Beans and Make them Taste Good

Yes they are a vegetable, but that doesn’t mean that green beans can’t taste good too! There are so many yummy combinations that you can make to them that even your kids will be asking for more!

Well, my first go-to ingredient to add to green beans is of course bacon!!! Because tell me please what dish isn’t better with some bacon added to it??

If you can’t eat bacon or you just want a veggie that is all veggie without any meat added to it then there are a lot of other combinations. Coat them in olive oil and add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Now your plain green beans are now bursting with flavor.

You can also try any number of these combinations:

Pesto

Sesame Seeds

Lemon Zest

Feta Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Garlic and Tomatoes

All of these ingredients can be tossed with the green beans after they are cooked as garnishes. Take it from me, I’m not a big vegetable lover but by adding these few simple ingredients it makes them very good.

How do you Cook Roasted Green Beans? (Step by Step)

Now that we have a few good ideas, let’s go step-by-step how to roast string beans.

The first step is to lay them out on a cookie sheet. Try to keep them flat and in one layer, but it’s ok if some of the green beans overlap a little. This way it will be easier to coat them.

Pour your olive oil and spices over the top of the green beans and mix it all in well. Once they are totally coated, place them in the oven.

What Temperature do you Roast Green Beans at?

The best way to cook your green beans is to bake them at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes so that they come out more crispy. If you cook them longer at a lower temperature you run the risk of them getting steamy and in turn soggy.

How to Make Roasted Green Beans Crispy?

Here are a few ideas to make your green beans crispy. The first thing you have to do is to make sure to dry them off good before roasting them.

Cook them at a high temp, 450 degrees for about 10 min. Then be sure not to overcook them. You want them to have a slight crisp to them.

If you cook them at a low temperature they will steam and become soggy so a good rule of thumb is to take them out of the oven when they are still bright green. When they are overcooked they start to become more of an olive green color.

If you think your oven roasted beans need a little more crisping then you could always broil them for a quick minute. Just be sure to keep your eye on them so that they don’t burn.

Variations of Roasted Green Beans

Green beans are so versatile and there are so many other tasty things you could do to your beans so that it changes the flavor. It’s almost like eating a new vegetable.

You could add some parmesan or romano cheese. Cheese has so much flavor and adds a different taste and texture to things. So if you can eat dairy go for it, the more the better!
If you like spicy things you could add some crushed red pepper flakes for a little kick
Mushrooms are always a good combination and tomatoes are also a good addition to green beans. While your beans are hot add tomatoes and onions and blend together for best results.
If you want your beans to be cold, then you could cool them off also add tomatoes and onions and make it like a cold bean salad or even put them on top of a green salad as a garnish.

Other Diets this Green Bean recipe is good for

Keto/ low carb – Green beans and bacon are both good choices in keeping your carbs low. Bacon has no carbs and this recipe for green beans are only 2 net carbs per ½ cup serving.

Gluten-Free – There is no gluten in either bacon or green beans so enjoy as much as you want without a worry

Dairy-Free – This is a recipe that has no dairy in it unless you decide to add some cheese to your beans.

What Can I Serve with Roasted Green Beans?

So many things go well with oven-roasted green beans. They can be served hot or cold. Any form of protein goes well with green beans. Any meat, roast beef, hamburgers, chicken, turkey, fish of all kinds. Plus you can throw some on top of a salad or make a green bean salad with oil and vinegar.

We have made a few recipes that we have posted on our site that would go well with green beans, Such as our pork chops, roasted turkey, glazed ham, baby back ribs, and prime rib which are all fantastic!

Can I Eat Green Beans on Keto?

Yes for sure you can eat green beans on Keto. They are one of the many veggies that are low in carbs and go so well with so many things. Our recipe is only 2 net carbs for ½ cup so you can have several servings for only a few carbs and they are high in fiber and nutrition so they will fill you up and keep you filled up for a longer period of time.

Because there are so many other good things that mix with green beans you could make them different ways every day and make you think you are eating a different veggie.

Can you Reheat Roasted Green Beans?

What’s great is you can even reheat Oven Roasted Green Beans. You don’t want to heat them for too long so that they don’t overcook. I would suggest a minute or two in the microwave will heat them well and not cook them any further.

How to Store Green Beans

You can store your Oven Roasted Green Beans in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about 5 days, if they last that long. The leftovers usually get eaten in our home the very next day, with the first come first serve rule.

How to Freeze Green Beans

And yes the green beans can also be frozen. Place your green beans in an airtight container and then place the container in a Ziploc freezer bag to prevent freezer burn and the better they have been wrapped the longer they will last, 6 months to a year.