I’ll admit, I'm not usually overly excited by green beans. Most of the time, they’re a ‘take it or leave it’ kind of vegetable for me.
But it's a whole different story when they're roasted. Roasted green beans, with tangy lemon juice and salty roasted feta cheese… I couldn’t stop eating them. Truly, I’d happily eat these as a snack or side dish every day of the week.
Roasting green beans instantly elevates this simple green vegetable by at least three degrees of tastiness. They're crispy on the ends, chewy in the middle, and so much more exciting than boiled or steamed beans.
And, even better? These roasted beans are actually made with frozen green beans! So you can keep the beans in the freezer, ready for whenever you get around to roasting them up.
I absolutely love using frozen vegetables, for a few reasons:
- They help to reduce food waste, as you can just use as much as you need, and keep the rest for later.
- They're just as nutritious as fresh vegetables (or sometimes even better, according to the British Heart Foundation).
- If your plans change and you don't end up needing a particular vegetable after all, it won't go to waste.
- Frozen vegetables can be just as budget-friendly as fresh (and sometimes even cheaper!).
I added some feta and lemon juice to my roasted beans, which made them absolutely irresistible - if you think you like feta cheese, wait until you try little crumbs of roasted feta cheese. But even if you'd prefer to skip these extras, the green beans are spectacular on their own.
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❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The flavours are incredible.
- It's an easy side dish that uses very few ingredients.
- Roasting is such an easy way to elevate a vegetable and make it really special.
- These roasted green beans are really versatile, and would be perfect to serve alongside a special meal (perhaps even Thanksgiving or Christmas!) - or even just as a healthy snack.
🥗 Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make this recipe:
- frozen green beans. You can use fresh green beans too, if you prefer, but I actually prefer the texture when they're roasted from frozen.
- feta cheese - a little goes a long way! You don't need much at all.
- lemon juice - fresh is best
- butter (for a bit of luxury)
See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.
👌 Top tip
If you're not keen on my choice of feta cheese + lemon, you can easily add all sorts of other flavour combinations to your roasted frozen green beans, to match the meal you're serving them with. Try adding your favourite dried spice blend, or a dollop of any kind of paste (pesto, curry paste, etc.).
📋 Instructions
Here's how to make this recipe - see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Toss the frozen green beans in a little oil, and spread them out on a baking tray. Don't pile them up too much - a wide, shallow metal tray is best. Sprinkle with plenty of salt and pepper.
Step 2: Roast the green beans until they're almost cooked. I like my beans nice and crispy on the edges - they should just be starting to brown very slightly.
If you're not adding the feta and lemon juice, you can give the beans a few extra minutes in the oven, then eat them plain.
Step 3: Scatter the beans with some crumbled feta cheese, some small cubes of butter, and a good squeeze of lemon juice.
Step 4: Return them to the oven for about 5 more minutes, until the feta cheese is crispy, and the melted butter has coated the beans.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! You can roast fresh green beans using the same method as above. They usually cook slightly more quickly than frozen green beans, and also tend to come out with a more al dente texture. Try both and see which you prefer!
Definitely - just skip the feta cheese (or use a vegan version, if you can find one), and use a vegan butter substitute.
This recipe is written specifically for green beans, but you could certainly try it with other similar types of beans, like mangetout (snow peas) or runner beans.
You can also roast non-green beans - like these roasted black beans.
These roasted green beans can be reheated in the microwave. However, the texture is better if you eat them soon after roasting. If I was cooking for guests, I'd probably partially roast them in advance, then just before serving I would add the feta and lemon, and roast for a further 5-10 minutes.
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📖 Printable Recipe
Roasted Frozen Green Beans (with Feta + Lemon)
If you've cooked this recipe, don't forget to leave a star rating!
Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 400 g (~ 14 oz) frozen green beans
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 30 g (~ 1 oz) feta cheese, finely crumbled
- 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Toss the frozen green beans in a little oil with some salt and pepper. Spread them out on a baking tray, and roast at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for 15-20 minutes.
- Give the beans a stir, then spread them out again. Sprinkle with finely crumbled feta cheese and some small cubes of butter, along with a good squeeze of lemon juice. Return to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes, until cooked to your liking.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
Lynn Walker says
So easy and delicious! Over here in the states, we have a company called Penzeys that makes the best herb and spice combinations and I used their Greek Seasoning on the beans with the feta. It's a mix of salt, oregano, garlic, lemon peel, black pepper, and marjoram. It added just that little kick of spice and this is now my favorite green bean recipe. Thanks so much!
Becca Heyes says
Ooh that sounds lovely.
Jackie @ Domestic Fits says
Roasted and with feta, sounds perfect :)
Sarah says
This looks delish! I love feta cheese so much that I could mix it with anything and it would be delightful.
SueJ says
I have never thought of roasting green beans before! I will definitely try this. :)