Sweet & Spicy Farmer’s Market ((Sheet Pan)) Green Beans
Freshly picked, tender green beans are one of my favorite garden ingredients (tomatoes, squash and herbs round our my favorites list – in case you were curious).
Although there are many ways to prepare fresh green beans ((blanched in a salad, steamed with lemon, boiled with potatoes, pickled, grilled, fried, sautéed…)) I decided to oven roast them on a sheet pan with the rest of my farmer’s market haul.
I think sheet pan roasted veggies areas easy (plus one pan make clean-up a breeze)! Since I am roasting green beans, which are notoriously tough and have little inherent moisture, I decided to quick-steam them first, by quick I mean 3 minutes. Well, that decision added a pot to the cleaning list – so cleaning efforts just doubled ((sorry)). But, trust me, the resulting tenderness of the green beans makes cleaning an extra pot well worth it.
Once the green beans are bright green & tender, run them under cold water to stop the cooking process and set them aside to drain.
Chop remaining ingredients:
- shallot, diced
- heirloom tomatoes, seeded & diced
- habanero and/or Fresno peppers (optional but adds a nice pop of heat)
- fresh garlic, finely chopped
- bacon (also optional — but is bacon truly ever “optional”??)
Combine everything in a large mixing bowl. Add your favorite brand of dijon mustard and a few spoonfuls of brown sugar, along with some much needed sea salt & a dash of black pepper. Toss to coat and pour everything onto the parchment paper-lined sheet pan.
Bake at 425° for 25-30 minutes until bacon is crisp and tomatoes are beginning to caramelize.
Now before you start omitting the habanero — when finely diced, this type of pepper adds a pop of obvious heat but also adds an unexpectedly nice pepper flavor. I recommend it — if you can handle a pickled jalapeño, you can handle the heat that comes from these teeny bits of habanero.
Back to the sheet pan veggies. Thanks to the brown sugar, the veggies and bacon caramelize perfectly. The salty bacon and the sweet heirloom tomatoes go nicely with the heat of the habanero. I think this may be my new favorite way to eat green beans!
- 1 lb fresh green beans, rinsed and trimmed
- 1 c heirloom tomatoes, diced & seeded
- 3 T chopped shallots
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 fresno chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped ((optional))
- 1 small habanero pepper, seeded and finely chopped ((optional))
- 2 strips smoked bacon (raw), chopped
- 3 T dijon mustard
- 1/4 c brown sugar
- 3 T canola oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Using a steaming basket, steam green beans for 3 minutes or until tender but still bright green. Once the green beans are steamed, rinse with cold water and set aside to drain.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, tossing to coat.
- Spread veggies & bacon across the sheet pan in a single, even layer. Place in a preheated oven and bake until bacon is crisp and veggies begin to caramelize, approximately 30 minutes. (Keep a close eye over the last 10 minutes of cooking to make sure the veggies aren't burning).
- When veggies are slightly caramelized and bacon is crisp, cooking is complete. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
- Serves 4
