Roasted Beans? Who’da Thunk It?

Roasting is one of my favorite ways to cook vegetables, but I’d never roasted green beans until a colleague mentioned that she does hers that way. That sparked my interest--and this easy, delicious recipe.

I toss the beans with just enough olive oil to coat them. This adds flavor, as does a teaspoon of butter in the bread crumbs; the result is just 3/4 teaspoon of fat per serving. But if you’re on a strict no-fat diet, spray the beans with nonstick olive oil cooking spray and omit the butter from the crumbs.

Roasted Green Beans

Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes * Vegetarian

1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs, toasted

1 teaspoon butter, melted

1 pound green beans

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

Nonstick cooking spray

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Toss the toasted bread crumbs with the butter.

Remove the ends and any spots from the beans and rinse them in cold water. Drain. Toss the beans in a large bowl with the oil, oregano, garlic and salt. Spoon the beans in a single layer onto a 15x10-inch jellyroll pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Roast the beans until they’re tender, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Drizzle them with the lemon juice and toss.

Arrange the beans on a platter and spoon the bread crumbs over the top.

4 servings. Each serving: 76 calories; 622 mg sodium; 3 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 4.12 grams fiber.