These were actually supposed to be baked green bean fries, but alas, when your beans won’t stand up and be all french-fry-like, we call them baked green beans instead. Despite the disappointing lack of crispness to our attempt, these tasted really sensational and would make a terrific side item. Who doesn’t love another way to get your yummy, healthy veggies in anyway?
The other great thing about this recipe is that you can file it under Thank you, Lord, It’s CHEAP. To save even more buck-a-roos, see if your store carries a store brand parmesan cheese. Still, a good block of parm is a splendid thing to have on hand, so even if you have to go for a slightly pricier brand, you’ll get lots of tasty bang for your buck.
Literally the only work you have to do is grating the cheese. Once that’s done, just spread the beans onto your baking sheet, toss with salt, pepper, garlic powder and the grated cheese and pop it in the oven. So you can also file this recipe under Thank you, Lord it’s So Quick I Didn’t Have Time to Blink!
If you, uh, find yourself sprinkling on some extra cheese, we won’t tell on ya.
The reason, probably, ours didn’t become crisp as the recipe says they should is because I got frozen green beans. Which I could’ve sworn was the only option listed in the ingredients list and/or recipe directions. You’d think I could adequately decipher such a short recipe, but apparently this works just fine – and probably better – with fresh green beans. We’ll give the fresh option a try next time.
Still, for frozen and for fast and for cheap, this is a pretty sensational-tasting side. And you get these bonus crispy parmesan pieces if you, uh, add more cheese like we did. Who knew? *wink*
Baked Parmesan Green Beans
from The Dashing Dish
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: about 1 hour Level: Easy Serves: 4
- 1 (14 oz) bag of frozen whole green beans (or about 4 cups fresh)
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
If using frozen green beans, pop the bag of green beans in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, or until just de-thawed (or you could leave them out at room temperature for a few hours). If using fresh green beans, wash and snip off the ends.
Place green beans on prepared baking pan, making sure they are evenly spread out, and none are laying on top of each other, (this will ensure even crispiness!) Sprinkle seasonings and parmesan cheese evenly over green beans.
Place green beans in the pre-heated oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy! (To make them extra crispy, I like to broil them for an extra 1-2 minutes before pulling them out of the oven). Enjoy immediately with low sugar ketchup or dipping sauce of choice.
Notes:
If you’re using frozen green beans, you can try blotting them once thawed on some paper towels to soak up some of the water in them. We possibly could have done this a little longer or ahead of time to allow more water to drain from ours.