Along with beautiful springtime weather usually comes busier schedules for families due to more outside activities. So for this month’s recipe column I decided to share a quick, healthy, tasty, roasted string bean side dish. It pairs great with chicken, steak, seafood, and the like. Sometimes I like to serve it as a salad, and since salads are one of my favorite things to eat, I figured why not! But either way it’s served, it’s delicious! Enjoy!

Simple Oven Roasted String Beans
2 lbs. string beans, edges trimmed and discarded
2-3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Garlic powder, to taste
Sea salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425° F. Add string beans to a large bowl. Drizzle beans with extra-virgin olive oil, add garlic powder, sea salt and pepper, toss. Spread out evenly onto a baking pan.

Roast beans, tossing once halfway through the baking time. Roast until beans are lightly caramelized and crisp tender, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Serve.

Note: You can add three or four crushed garlic cloves in place of the garlic powder, if desired. You can also let string beans cool after roasting, place them in a bowl, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, apple cider or balsamic vinegar, toss, and place string beans in the refrigerator for one or two hours. Toss once more and serve as a “roasted string bean side salad.” Add slivered almonds for a boost of protein and crunch, too!

As always, Bon Appetit!

Lisa Ann Panzino DiNunzio is author of Seasoned With Love, Treasured Recipes, Lisa Ann’s Seasoned With Love II, and children’s books Snicker Learns An Important Lesson and Readers’ Favorite 5-Star rated Little Twinkle Learns Her Purpose.