Roasted Green Beans with Tomato-Caper Relish
This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read My Disclosure
Roasted Green Beans with Tomato-Caper Relish is the perfect easy, elegant side dish for anything you’re grilling this summer. Fresh green beans are roasted until slightly charred to bring out their flavor, then dressed with a tangy-sweet fresh tomato relish. It’s a simple yet impressive side that celebrates the best of summer’s fresh flavors!
“Excellent dish, really love the relish – huge hit!”
Why This Recipe is a Keeper!
I think the best summer side dishes are those that feel fresh and creative, yet simple enough to let the seasonal produce shine as the star of the show. Almost like a warm salad, this roasted green beans recipe has the perfect combination of flavors, highlighting the best qualities of green beans and tomatoes.
Fresh green beans are roasted until slightly charred in places to bring out their subtle sweetness, while the relish, with its tangy, slightly briny caper flavor, balances the tomatoes’ sweetness and acidity.
This roasted green beans recipe is:
- Simple and easy! The relish can be whipped up while the green beans roast in the oven.
- Seasonal! This dish highlights the fresh summer produce of green beans and tomatoes, making the most of their flavors. The relish is tangy, slightly sweet, salty, and a little briny thanks to the capers. It perfectly complements the green beans’ crisp-tender texture and savory, nutty, roasted flavor.
- Light and Lower-Carb: With its refreshing, bright flavor profile, it’s the perfect side dish for summer, served with anything you’re grilling.
- Make-Ahead: The tomato-caper relish can be prepared up to 1 day in advance.
Light and flavorful, Roasted Green Beans with Tomato-Caper Relish is a quick, easy addition to a relaxed dinner, bringing a fresh, vibrant touch to your warm-weather meals!
How to Make Roasted Green Beans with Tomato-Caper Relish:
Recipe Ingredients:
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this roasted green beans recipe. The exact quantities are on the recipe card below.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:
- Green Beans: You’ll need approximately 2 pounds of fresh green beans. Young, tender green beans (The French call them haricot verts) are preferable so you don’t have to break them into pieces. However, you can certainly use large green beans and do that. You’ll want to trim the stem ends, but the tip end is perfectly fine to eat.
- Diced Fresh Tomatoes: One large tomato, seeded and chopped with the juice reserved, is the base of this relish. You can also use plum tomatoes, as long as you end up with approximately 1 1/2 cups of diced tomatoes. I don’t advise using canned tomatoes. You can use cherry or grape tomatoes; simply halve or quarter them, depending on their size.
- Red Onion: Can substitute a finely chopped medium shallot.
- Capers: Capers are the young, pickled green flower buds of the caper bush, delivering a salty, briny punch of flavor. Find them in the pickled vegetables aisle.
- Red Wine Vinegar: Red wine vinegar adds a bright tang that balances the sweetness of the roasted green beans and honey. White wine vinegar or apple cider can be substituted.
- Honey: Honey balances the acidity of the tomato and red wine vinegar, as well as the capers’ brininess. Agave nectar can be used in place of honey.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Gather and prep all the ingredients.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place the green beans on a nonstick baking sheet or on one lined with nonstick aluminum foil. Drizzle green beans with olive oil and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Roast for 15 to 20 minutes or until almost tender and lightly browned in places.
- While beans are roasting, prepare the relish. Combine all relish ingredients in a small bowl.
- Stir and adjust the seasoning and the sweet-tangy balance.
Chef Tips and Tricks:
- I’ve tried numerous ways to speed up the process of trimming green beans, but honestly, there is no quick and easy way. It’s really only the stem end that needs to be trimmed off. The tip end is tender and perfectly fine to eat. You can:
- Do them one by one and enjoy the zen of it.
- Line several of them up on a cutting board and cut the ends. I find it time-consuming to line up those beans, then grab the knife and cut, but it works.
- Grab two or three at a time and break the stem end off with your other hand.
- Grab two or three from your pile where you see stems together and snip them with kitchen shears.
- Roast the green beans until they’re just beginning to blister rather than fully soft. The slight char adds smoky flavor and contrasts beautifully with the bright, tangy tomato-caper relish.
- Taste before serving. Depending on the tomatoes’ sweetness, you may want a touch more vinegar, honey, or salt to balance the flavors.
Recipe FAQs:
Yes, cherry or grape tomatoes work beautifully in this relish. Simply halve or quarter them, depending on their size. Their natural sweetness pairs especially well with the tangy capers and vinegar.
Yes, the Tomato-Caper Relish can be made up to 1 day in advance. Refrigerate until needed, then let them come to room temperature before topping the green beans so the relish doesn’t cool them down too quickly.
I don’t recommend roasting the green beans in advance. Have them all prepped with the stem ends trimmed so they’re ready to pop in the oven. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper, then roast as directed.
Adding the fresh Tomato-Caper Relish after the green beans come out of the oven keeps the tomatoes bright and fresh while preserving the beans’ lightly charred texture. If roasted together, the tomatoes release too much liquid, and the beans won’t brown as well.
Serve with:
- Lamb Chops with Anchovy Butter
- Skirt Steak with Peperonata
- Roast Split Chicken Breasts with Potatoes and Shallots
- Crab-Stuffed Flounder
More great Green Bean recipes!
- Garlic Green Beans
- Greek Green Beans
- Thai Sweet Chili Green Beans
- Mediterranean Braised Green Beans with Tomatoes
Get all my vegetable side dish recipes at Vegetable Side Dish Recipes – From A Chef’s Kitchen.
Roasted Green Beans with Tomato Caper Relish
Ingredients
Green Beans
- 2 pounds green beans, stem end trimmed
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Relish
- 1 large tomato (3/4 pound), seeded and chopped (reserve any juice) (1 1/2 cups)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion, or shallot
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons drained capers
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste and tolerance
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, if desired
Instructions
Green Beans
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place the green beans on a nonstick baking sheet or on one lined with nonstick aluminum foil. Drizzle green beans with olive oil and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Roast for 15-20 minutes or until almost tender and lightly browned in places.
Relish
- While the beans are roasting, prepare the relish.
- Combine all relish ingredients in a small bowl.
- Place beans in a serving bowl and top with relish. Serve immediately.
Notes
- You can use cherry or grape tomatoes; simply halve or quarter them, depending on their size.
- Can substitute a finely chopped medium shallot for the red onion.
- White wine vinegar or apple cider can be substituted for the red wine vinegar.
- Agave nectar can be used in place of honey.
- Trim only the stem ends. The tapered tip is tender and doesn’t need to be removed.
- Choose the trimming method you like best. Trim beans one at a time, line up several and slice off the ends, snap off the stems in small batches, or snip a few at a time with kitchen shears.
- Roast until lightly blistered. A little char adds smoky flavor and pairs perfectly with the fresh, tangy tomato-caper relish.
- Taste and adjust. Before serving, add a little more vinegar, honey, or salt if needed to balance the sweetness and acidity.
- The Tomato-Caper Relish can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate until needed.
- Let the relish come to room temperature before topping the beans so it doesn’t cool the beans too quickly.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are automatically calculated using unbranded products and are estimates only. Actual results may vary based on ingredients used and portion sizes. Adjust as needed for dietary restrictions, allergies, or health concerns.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I was short on time and oven space so did beans for 8 in an instapot. Beans were a bit over cooked. The tomato relish made up for the fact the beans were softer than I would have liked. Hardly any beans left over!
Excellent dish, really love the relish – huge hit!
Hi, Sharon, Thanks so very much and happy you enjoyed and the relish worked out so well. Thanks again!