Oven Roasted Green Beans Tossed in Sweet & Spicy Mustard

Fresh green beans are probably my most favorite side ((except for mashed potatoes, fried okra, fried zucchini, sliced fresh tomatoes, Mexican creamed corn… hmm, no wonder I write a food blog. The struggle — it’s real.)) Well, even though I do have a long list of “favorites” when it comes to sides, these green beans are no less awesome.

And when combined with mustard – and oven roasted??! They really are spectacular. Mustard is my most favorite condiment, I have a collection of mustards that ((often)) get eaten straight out of the jar…on a spoon. I guess it’s true what they say, you don’t Really love something unless you can eat it straight out of the jar, while standing in front of an open fridge.

I am clearly in a weird mood.

Moving on. Fresh green beans + awesome mustard〈all oven roasted〉 = YUM.

Perfectly oven roasted green beans need to start off in a salty bath of boiling water. This helps to get them tender before they go into the oven. Simply boil for 5-7 minutes, until they reach your preferred level of tenderness and then toss them into an ice bath in order to preserve the beautiful bright green color.

Once the beans have cooled and the cooking has halted, drain them – removing as much excess water as possible.

Return the beans to the bowl, toss with your favorite mustard, a splash of cooking oil, salt, pepper & a bit of sugar.

My mouth just watered as I recalled how good these were. I almost had to end this recipe right here, for lack of green beans left to roast. The chilled tender green beans and that sweet and spicy mustard sauce — so very good.

Thankfully, I refrained from eating them all and had enough to oven roast.

15 minutes on 400° is all it takes to turn that mustard sauce into a sticky, sweet, spicy coating for the slightly crisp and still perfectly tender fresh green beans.