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Roasted Green Beans and Brussel Sprouts with Dates and Balsamic Vinegar
Roasted Green Beans and Brussel Sprouts with Dates and Balsamic Vinegar: a lot of words but not a lot of ingredients for a LOT of flavor.
Green beans and Brussel sprouts are roasted with sweet/tart balsamic vinegar. Dates add a punch of sticky, chewy sweetness.
You don’t even need a bowl! Everything can be prepped directly on the baking sheet and bam! You have an easy side dish ready in just 30 minutes.
This is a fast, one-pan, Paleo, Whole30 and vegan green vegetable side dish for a crowd. Even those in the crowd who think they don’t like vegetables.
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How to make balsamic roasted green beans and brussel sprouts
First, let’s talk how to trim Brussel sprouts: slice off the root end and halve the sprouts through the root. Or, if the sprout is really large, quarter it.
Toss the sprouts on a baking sheet with oil, vinegar and salt and roast.
I particularly like a heavy, thick stainless steel sheet pan like this one. Thinner ones will heat up too quickly and burn your food. Nonstick pans are much darker which again means food will cook too quickly and burn faster.
If you like, you can like the stainless steel pans with parchment.
Meanwhile, trim the ends of the green beans if necessary. Sometimes I’ll buy pre-trimmed beans to save myself time.
Once the sprouts are halfway done, take them out of the oven. Add the dates and toss the beans with the oil, vinegar and salt directly on the sheet and slide back into the oven to roast. The beans don’t need as long to roast which is why you won’t add them at the beginning with the sprouts.
And that’s it! Roasted Brussel sprouts. Roasted green beans. Sweet and tangy balsamic vinegar and sticky, sweet dates. So simple. You could also double the recipe using two baking sheets.
Get a little fancy.
You can dress this dish up by topping it with:
- Toasted nuts (sliced almonds or chopped hazelnuts work particularly well here)
- Chopped herbs like parsley, basil or mint
- Swap out half or all of the dates for dried cranberries or dried cherries (to keep it from getting too sweet, and to keep it Whole30, I prefer fruit-sweetened dried cherries or unsweetened dried cherries)
- Take a page out of the Italian vegetable handbook and use golden raisins and pine nuts
- If you’re not vegan/vegetarian, add chunks of bacon to the pan with the sprouts
Serve with crunchy plantain chip chicken, jammy balsamic pork chops (can never have too much balsamic!) or easy pork tenderloin.
Oven roasted Brussel sprouts are always good. But why not double your veggies for extra texture and nutrients? This dish has it all: easy, flavorful, healthful and endlessly customizable.
Other recipes you might like:
- Easy Roasted Asparagus with Lemon
- Chinese-Inspired Roasted Carrots and Asparagus
- Whole Roasted Butternut Squash
- Brussels Sprouts Casserole
Roasted Green Beans and Brussel Sprouts with Dates and Balsamic Vinegar
An easy, one-pan side dish that's Paleo, Whole30 and vegan.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Brussel sprouts
- 4 tbsp. avocado or olive oil, divided
- 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp. fine sea salt, divided
- 12 oz. green beans
- 1/2 cup dates
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 425 degrees.
- To prep your sprouts, trim off the little root end and slice them in half through the root, discarding any dirty outer leaves but keeping any other leaves that fall off (they'll get crispy in the oven!).
- On a large baking sheet, toss the sprouts and leaves with 2 tbsp. avocado oil, 1 tbsp. vinegar and 1/2 tsp. salt. Turn most or all of them cut side down so they really caramelize. Roast for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, chop the dates crosswise into halves or thirds. Trim the ends of the green beans if necessary.
- Take the sprouts out of the oven, scoot them to one side of the sheet with a spatula and add the beans to the empty half of the pan. Toss the beans with 2 tbsp. avocado oil, 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar and 1/2 tsp. salt. (Careful, the pan is hot! You could do this separately in a bowl and then add it to the pan, but I'm lazy and don't want one more thing to wash).
- Sprinkle the dates around the veggies, trying to make sure they are touching the pan so they caramelize a bit in the oven. Put the sheet back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes, depending on how big your sprouts are.
- Add the veggies to a serving bowl or platter and toss them with the final tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and freshly ground black pepper. Taste and season with more salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.
Notes
You can double the recipe, using two baking sheets. If you double the ingredients but only use one pan, everything will steam instead of roast and you won't get that delicious caramelized flavor and texture.
It's best to eat these right away as the more they sit around, the softer the beans get. If you're okay with that, you can make them a day in advance and warm in a low oven (don't add your optional fancy toppings above until you're ready to serve). I wouldn't make them any farther in advance than that as the salt will draw out too much moisture and everything will get really soggy.
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This was so good! Don’t skimp on the balsamic. Next time time I will add nuts. Easy and delicious.
Oh good! So glad you liked it. Thanks for letting me know. And adding nuts is a great idea!
Excellent!
I so enjoy your site and your recipes. Would you please consider adding a print option so we can enjoy your recipes a little more easily. Thank you.
Thanks so much! There’s a print button under the image in the recipe card. I’ve checked on my desktop and mobile and see it. Do you not see it on your end?
What a great, flavofrul side dish, also love the idea of dates in there too!
Yay, this is perfect. I’m always looking for a green bean recipe for the holidays that is not a green bean casserole (Iknow, everyone loves the green bean casserole but me). This is a yummy option for me!
Dates and balsamic make this easy recipe SOOOO next level! yummy-yummy-yummy!
I love this idea for a Thanksgiving side dish– or an any day side dish! I bet it’s great served cold as leftovers too.
Yep. Cold, room temperature, hot…it’s all good. 🙂
So much to love on this one pan! Easy to make and so much flavor!
Thanks!
The roasted green beans and brussels sprouts are so tasty, but it’s the dates that take them to the next level! Such a delicious balance of savory and sweet!
Exactly – thanks 🙂
Love the sweet and savory combo with the dates thrown in there! My family loves green beans and brussels sprouts, so I know this will be a hit! Thanks!
Awesome! I hope they enjoy it 🙂
I’m definitely having these with your crunchy plantain chip chicken!
That is a great idea 🙂
You are the king of making veggies exciting!
Aw, thanks!
Love green beans and brussels, haven’t tried them with dates yet, must give it a go!
The dates really make a difference!
I really loved the sweet and salty combo…the flavors really popped and it was so simple to throw together!
Good to know – thanks!
Two of my favorite holiday veggies in one dish! This looks fantastic.
Exactly – why choose? 😉
This is a must for my Thanksgiving feast! Bookmarking your recipe!
Great!
Yum! This looks amazing! I don’t use balsamic often enough, and the dates in this sounds wonderful. Pinning to make!
That’s so funny – I have to stop myself from putting balsamic in everything. 😉
green beans and Brussels sprouts are among my favourite vegetables! I can’t wait to try roasting them with dates.
Mine, too! Enjoy!