Roasted Green Beans with Cranberries and Walnuts
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Roasted green beans with tart cranberries and crunchy walnuts make the perfect simple yet elegant holiday side dish.
If you’ve never tried roasted green beans, you’re in for a real treat. Unlike boiled green beans that can be bland and squeaky, roasting brings out their natural sweetness and gives them a tender, caramelized flavor. In this version, dried cranberries add a pop of color and tart-sweetness, while walnuts bring a savory crunch. It’s a simple yet elegant side dish, perfect for the holidays.
What You’ll Need To Make Roasted Green beans with Cranberries & Walnuts
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by toasting the walnuts.
While the walnuts toast, rehydrate the cranberries: Place the cranberries in a small heat-proof bowl.
Cover with boiling water and let sit until the green beans are cooked.
To roast the green beans, line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Toss the green beans with the garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and sugar directly on the prepared baking sheet.
Roast the beans for 15 minutes, then stir with a spatula to promote even cooking. Continue roasting until beans are tender, slightly browned and just starting to shrivel, about 10 minutes more.
Add lemon zest, lemon juice, drained cranberries, and walnuts.
Toss well.
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice if desired.
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Roasted Green Beans with Cranberries & Walnuts
Roasted green beans with tart cranberries and crunchy walnuts make the perfect simple yet elegant holiday side dish.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh green beans, stem ends trimmed
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced into quarters
- 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, from one lemon
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice, from one lemon
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place the walnuts on the prepared baking sheet and bake until until fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on the nuts so they don't burn. When cool enough to handle, transfer the nuts to a cutting board and coarsely chop. Place the foil back on the baking sheet (you'll use it for the green beans) and increase the oven temperature to 450°F.
- Place the cranberries in a small heatproof bowl. Cover the cranberries with boiling water and set aside.
- Directly on the foil-lined baking sheet, use a rubber spatula to toss the green beans with the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and sugar. Roast the green beans for 15 minutes, then stir with a spatula to promote even cooking. Continue roasting until the beans are tender, slightly browned and just starting to shrivel, about 10 minutes more.
- Drain the cranberries.
- Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, drained cranberries, and toasted walnuts to the green beans. Toss well, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 104
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Sugar: 9 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 301 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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I love this recipe ! I made a balsamic vinegar and butter reduction to drizzle over the top before serving. Yum !
Okay, this may seem like a dumb question, but…If I make this ahead and reheat, would I add everything together before re-heating, or just re-heat the cooked green beans, then add the remaining ingredients? Is it better to re-heat in the oven, or in the microwave? Thanks! This recipe looks perfect for Christmas dinner!
You could reheat everything together in a casserole dish in the oven, but I would suggest undercooking it just a bit the first time around so the green beans don’t get too soft.
Made this recipe a few years ago and searched for it again…it was a hit at Thanksgiving!
Wonderful! I’ve never tried roasting green beans! Loved them. I added thick cut portobello mushrooms and for the nuts, I had cranberry/ candied pecans mix in the pantry so I thought what the heck, let’s try them! Every recipe I make, always turns out perfect! Thank you!
Did you roast the mushrooms with the beans the whole time? Thank you.
What is the temperature for the oven? Is 400F ok? I want to make this for thanksgiving this year!
Hi Maggie, See the first line of the recipe; it is 450°F 🙂
OMG, this is so wonderful! LOVE all the ingredients individually and they are spectacular put together! So easy to make, too.
I’ve never liked green beans before – until I tried this recipe. They’re perfectly scrumptious this way! I tried it for the first time several months ago and we now have this as a side dish regularly – I don’t change anything in the recipe.
Has anyone tried other nuts? I’m allergic to walnuts.
Can I make this a day ahead of when I plan to serve it?
Hi Carol, Yes, that’s fine.
Based on all the great reviews, I plan to make the green beans with cranberries and walnuts for Christmas. I noted that it can be made ahead and reheated. Would reheating in a covered casserole dish be okay. I assume maybe for 30 minutes. Thank you.
Hi Libby, Yes, that would be perfect.