A new take on a traditional holiday side dish: roasted green beans with buttermilk dressing and crispy shallots. The green beans are roasted until tender and slightly charred. The buttermilk dressing is punchy, garlicky, and full of fresh thyme flavor. And the crispy shallots are the perfect classic topping to make these beans extra special.
roasted green beans – the details
I’m not a huge fan of the traditional green bean casserole. I love the flavors, but when I think of a casserole, green beans just aren’t my ideal vegetable to include. I want a vegetable that’s inherently softer and incorporates more easily into a creamy, homogenous mixture.
So, when I set out to create a green bean side dish for the holidays, I wanted to change it up and do something different than a casserole. But, I still wanted some of the same elements – lots of savory flavor, a little bit of creaminess, and definitely some form of fried onions.
These roasted green beans with buttermilk dressing and crispy shallots were the result, and they are absolutely delicious.
When cooking green beans, I’ve always stuck to the same method of blanching and then sauteing them. I had actually never roasted them before, but after doing it once, it’ll now be my go-to cooking method.
Roasting the green beans could not be easier – toss them with olive oil, spread them into an even layer on a sheet pan, season them well with salt and pepper, and throw them into the oven. After just 25 minutes, they’re slightly charred and perfectly tender, with much more flavor compared to blanched beans.
The buttermilk dressing adds a really nice creamy element, mimicking the creaminess of a traditional green bean casserole. It’s full of tang from sour cream, lots of garlic, and plenty of fresh thyme.
And of course, no holiday green bean side dish would be complete without a little crunch on top. I used shallots for this recipe – you’ll thinly slice them, coat them with a little bit of flour, then fry them in a shallow amount of olive oil until golden and crisp.
It all comes together beautifully, with a really nice mix of simple flavors and contrasting textures.
PrintRoasted Green Beans with Buttermilk Dressing
roasted green beans drizzled with buttermilk dressing and topped with crispy shallots
servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs green beans, trimmed
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 4 large garlic cloves, grated
- 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ lb shallots, peeled + thinly sliced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the green beans on a half sheet pan. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Toss well to coat. Spread the beans into an even layer. Season well with salt and black pepper. Roast for 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the sour cream, buttermilk, grated garlic, thyme, granulated garlic, and onion powder to a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Season with salt and lots of freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Heat a 12” skillet over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to come up the sides of the skillet about ¼ of an inch. Combine the shallots and flour in a bowl and quickly toss to coat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the shallots in an even layer, shaking off any excess flour. Fry the shallots until golden brown and crisp, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium-low as needed so the shallots don’t burn. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Plate the green beans on a serving platter with the buttermilk dressing and crispy shallots over top. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves.
great dish, love it, thank you, so much better than my boring old green beans recipe, love the shallots too