Roasted Green Beans

Ahhhhh, fall. It brings an abundance of fresh produce. I love green beans! I could be happy with an entire pot of green beans all to myself.  Sometimes I’m not very good at sharing. Taste of Home put out a recipe for how to roast green beans in the oven, so I decided to try it. I’m always looking for a different way to prepare things, especially when we have an abundance. These were so good that Barry and I ate the entire batch….which was supposed to be enough for 6 people. Oops. We were popping them like M&Ms.  I think it was a contest to see who could eat more.

When we were snapping beans, we left out several whole beans that were straight and unblemished. They were pre-puberty beans. While we did it, Annie sat in the floor and poured out the beans that we were putting in the pans. She’s just here to help.

Beans from a home garden are usually pretty dirty. I poured them in the sink and gave them a good wash. If you get your beans from the store, they’ll look pretty clean. But you still need to wash them. Think about how many people handled those beans…….did they wash their hands in the bathroom? Probably not. I’ve seen too many women leave the stall and walk straight to the door. What is wrong with people?? Anyway, this is not the place for a Stacy rant.

To make these roasted green beans you’ll need salt, pepper, sesame seeds, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. Usually I don’t post recipes with strange ingredients. I know most of you have already tuned out because you don’t have rice wine vinegar and sesame oil in your kitchen. If you do any amount of cooking, these are two ingredients that are nice to have. The vinegar isn’t very expensive. Sesame oil is a little more expensive and it’s a small bottle. However, you use very little when you DO use it. It smells so good and makes things taste delicious! A little goes a long way, so I encourage you to buy some. It’s sold in the Asian food section and at any asian grocery online.

Mix all your marinade ingredients together in a small dish or measuring cup. I use my glass measuring cup a lot for things like this. Take a big whiff. Man, oh man. It smells like Kobe Japanese Steakhouse! Resist the urge to drink it. Now is a good time to preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Now, put your washed green beans in a big ole bowl. Technically you could put them on your cookie sheet to do this part, but I don’t have a good history of stirring on cookie sheets. I tend to get a little overzealous and things end up in the floor. When I stir, I really stir. I get into it. Messy things happen. Pour your marinade over the beans and give them a good stir. Make sure they’re totally coated.

Now, lay them out on a cookie sheet. It’s a good idea to make sure they’re in a single layer so they’ll cook evenly. If you’re OCD, you can lay them out individually and make them all nice and neat. As you can see, I’m not OCD with my green beans. However, if you’d like a list of what I am OCD about, you can email my husband to get an extensive list.

You’ll bake a total of 25 minutes. Halfway through, you’ll need to stir the beans so they can get cooked on all sides. Be careful when stirring, or you’ll have several that fall to the floor. I have experience with this part. My dog is well fed.

Roast the beans until they’re tender. It might take you less or longer than 25 minutes. Every oven is different. I always burn cookies in my mom’s oven. However, instead of calling them burned, I just like to say they’re extra crispy. It works for KFC.

These are very good – a nice change of pace from normal green beans. If you like Japanese food, you’ll love these little babies.  The sesame seeds and oil really make this recipe stand out.

I love food that I can eat with my fingers. This fits the bill. It would be great for kids, since they like to play with their food. I’m a kid at heart and love playing with my food.