Roasted Green Beans With Greek Dressing

When I was a little girl my mother used to take my brother and me to the supermarket. To keep up from driving her crazy should would get us something to nosh on while she pushed us around in the cart. My brother always had something potato chippy, but I was happy with some raw string beans. My love affair with green beans has continued to this day and I adore practically anything with greenbeans, especially if they are roasted. Needless to say, I adored this dish, not just for the green beans, but for the combination of ingredients which made this truly a superb side dish. I actually roasted the green beans on one of those top-of-the-stove ridged roaster pans. I used a garlic and chili pepper infused olive oil, the smell was heavenly! I tossed them with half walnuts, and half pine nuts. Instead of oregano I used za'atar, a Middle Eastern spice. Together with some fresh feta it was an adventure to eat. The flavor combinations are Middle Eastern/Mediterranean, you almost feel like you are sitting by the Mediterranean Sea, feasting on this salad, with a cold glass of white wine with which to wash it down. Bev, this one is a winner!

This was a tasty way to serve beans that would be nice with any Greek-themed meal or as a side to meat or fish. I followed the recipe exactly as directed and thought the seasonings were just right. However, the beans were a bit crunchy for my liking. Next time I think I'd parboil them for a couple minutes before baking, just enough to take the edge off.

These green beans were fantastic. This was the first time I ever had roasted green beans and I was not disappointed. I think the 10 minute cook time was just right as I like mine crisp-tender. The slight sweetness of the vinaigrette complemented the salty tang of the feta and the onion quite nicely. I halved the recipe for the three of us and I am so sorry I did--I could have eaten all of it myself! I think pecans or pine nuts would also work very well in this recipe. Thanks for posting.

This review is for the roasted green beans. I was planning to do the beans with the vinaigrette, onions, and feta, but they didn't make it that far. They were almost gone before the time dinner came around because my kids were sneaking green beans while they were playing a board game. I'm sure the dressing is wonderful and hopefully I'll be able to try it someday. Following a comment in Sackville's review, I roasted them for just a bit longer to soften up the beans a bit. They were perfect at about 7 minutes pre- and post- stir. Thanks Bev.