Fresh Green Haricots Verts with Roasted Vegetables

Name: Fresh Green Haricots Verts with Roasted Vegetables
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 pound thin green beans (Haricot Vert), trimmed; 4 Tbsp butter or olive oil; 8 green onions, sliced thin; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 10 cherry/grape tomatoes; 1 red pepper, diced; 1 yellow pepper, diced; 3 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped fine; 2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped fine; 2 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped fine; 1 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest; olive oil; ¼ cup pine nuts; Freshly grated sea salt and black pepper

August 30, 2020 52 Comments

For me, the color green is probably the most beautiful color on earth! And Fresh Green Haricots Verts with Roasted Vegetables highlights a vivid, yet deep hue of green so beautiful when plated next to any entree! Actually, they just may steal the visual show!

When I lived in Arizona, someone once said to me in reference to the colors of the Southwestern landscape, “you’re either a green person or a brown person”, which at that time I realized that I’m definitely a ‘green’ person. In my natural surroundings, green just signifies life!

Have you ever seen those skinny, slivers of green beans in your food market? Well, those are French green beans. I simply love to use small and delicate French green beans or filet beans, known to many in French as Haricots Verts. The flavor is identical, yet they cook very quickly due to how thin they are.

PRONOUNCED: AH-Ree-Ko Ver (the “h”, “t” and ‘s’ are silent). In French, literally “Haricot” means bean and “vert” means green.

What is the difference between green beans and haricots verts?

There’s more of a difference between French and American green beans than just having a different name. Haricots verts are longer and thinner than American green beans. Plus they’re more tender, and have a stronger, more developed, and robust bean flavor that many people just love. You see these slender beans served more often around holiday celebration tables.

Although you can harvest American green bean varieties early in an attempt to have skinny green beans, it’s not a good idea. This is because haricots verts are not the same as young, immature American green beans. They have a full green bean flavor early in their development and are tender at a thin size early on. American green beans are the exact opposite in that they are much thicker and don’t become tender until the late stages in growth when they are larger in size.

How to Prepare Haricots Verts

Preparing haricots verts is quite simple, nothing differs from American green beans: Just wash and trim the ends (if preferred, but not necessary to trim). Either roast or steam them. By themselves, haricots verts deliver an impressive side dish with minimal need to dress up.

And the peppers in my garden and the local farmers’ market right now are so shiny and bright that I had to add them to the green beans. After a good roast, everything is lightly coated with a warm garlic-onion-herb mixture with just a touch of lemon zest. This dish is so easy and healthy! We could eat an ENTIRE platter of these wonderful crunchy beans!

Just look at the color of these vegetables!! Simply gorgeous!

Now, let’s get down to talking about ROASTING vegetables!

Roasting is a favorite way of prepping veggies for us. Why? Roasting magically enhances flavors to perfection! Somehow during their time in a hot oven, vegetables transform and become both crispy and juicy at the same time! You can roast at any time of the year with whatever vegetables are in season. It’s also easy to do year-round with whatever produce is in season!

I’m a firm believer in roasted vegetables. Not only can nearly every vegetable be cooked in this way, but roasted vegetables are also wildly popular and a delicious pleasure to eat! So if you’re wanting a break from the usual steamed veggie side dish . . . then try roasting your vegetables. You’re in for a yummy surprise!

Plus, roasting is a cooking skill that’s so crazy, insanely easy.

And finally . . . and this is a biggie: For those who struggle with picky eaters who push their veggies away at the table and just give you fits, well, roasting adds a caramelized sweeet taste to any vegetable that can convert any veggie skeptic into a veggie-lover!!

This is simply one of the most beautiful and delicious side dishes ever!!

The Italian parsley, basil, and chives came straight out of my garden today

Just look at the HUGE size of the basil in comparison to the yellow pepper next to it.

I’ve never seen such large basil leaves.

Just incredible!

I just can’t get enough of this color ~ ~ now, this is eye candy to me!

PIN FOR LATER!

Yield: 4 servings