Every once in a while, I cook something delicious but don’t get around to posting about it. As I was going through some photos from late summer, I stumbled across the photos of this simple but tasty side and knew it was worth putting up on here. My kitchen was overflowing with cherry tomatoes and basil from my garden, and green beans were dirt cheap at the farmers’ market, so I put this together when I was feeling a bit lazy. But the end result was amazing – roasting the veggies concentrates their natural sweetness, and combined with herbaceous basil leaves, this makes for a great side dish (and I know I don’t post enough recipes for sides on here). I seem to remember that I actually mixed the end result with crumbled goat cheese which added a great creamy and tangy element, but even in its healthier vegan version, as written here, this is a dish worth making (or at least bookmarking for next summer).
Roasted Tomatoes and Green Beans with Basil
Yield: 3 – 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- 1 lb green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 3 – 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup basil leaves, chiffonaded*
*To chiffonade, stack a few leaves at a time, roll lengthwise, then cut across the rolled leaves, resulting in long, thin ribbons.
Method:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise, 1 lb green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces, and 3 – 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped with 2 Tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper, to taste, and toss well to coat.
- Spread the veggies in an even layer in a roasting pan or baking sheet, then bake until softened with edges caramelizing, about 15 – 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup basil leaves, chiffonaded. Serve hot.
