Roasted Frozen Green Beans (Low Sodium)

Have you ever experienced "veggie fatigue"? (OK, I admit, I just made up that term myself!). You know you "should" eat your veggies, you WANT to eat your veggies, but you're tired of the "same old, same old". Well, our recipe for Roasted Frozen Green Beans is the perfect solution!

There are several reasons you're gonna want to give this recipe a try. Our recipe for Roasted Frozen Green Beans is:

• So easy to make!
• Super-yummy!
• Nutritious!
• Low Sodium & Kidney-Friendly

Jump to:

• Roasted Frozen Green Beans: Easy to make!
• Roasted Frozen Green Beans: Super-Yummy!
• Roasted Frozen Green Beans: Nutritious!
• Frozen Roasted Green Beans: Low Sodium & Kidney-Friendly
• Ingredients of Roasted Frozen Green Beans
• Variations to Roasted Frozen Green Beans
• Wrap Up
• Roasted Frozen Green Beans (Low Sodium)

Roasted Frozen Green Beans: Easy to make!

As you may already know, we strive here at the Everyday Kidney Cook to help you enjoy delicious, low sodium and kidney-friendly food that won't break the bank or have you in the kitchen all day making complicated dishes. We want to help make your lives as easy as possible! Here's a couple reasons why this recipe is a cinch to make:

Limited Prep time

In this recipe, you take frozen green beans right from the freezer, mix them with a few ingredients, and put them straight in the oven. Your prep time is less than 5 minutes! So, if you can measure and stir a few ingredients, you can make this recipe!

Limited Ingredients

In addition, our Roasted Frozen Green Beans recipe only uses 2 main ingredients plus some common spices. You probably have most of the ingredients in your kitchen or pantry right now! (We'll talk about the ingredients a little later).

Roasted Frozen Green Beans: Super-Yummy!

One of the challenges of cooking for a special diet such as low sodium or kidney-friendly (which often includes low potassium and/or low phosphorus, in addition to low sodium) is making food that still tastes good! This recipe uses a couple of techniques that allow you to have all of the flavor without the salt and other unwanted ingredients.

Roasting Enhances Flavor

This recipe uses dry heat (the oven) to cook the green beans at a relatively high temperature of 425 ℉. The result is browning and caramelization of the green beans which greatly enhance the flavor. I like this recipe best when the green beans are starting to get a little brown and crispy!

Liberal Spices

When you're not using salt, using generous amounts of other no salt herbs and spices can really ramp up the flavor! You are, in essence, making these other herbs and spices the stars of the dish, rather than salt. I suggest using about twice the amount of other spices that you would normally use.

For a more detailed discussion of cooking techniques, how to use herbs and spices and other ways to prepare delicious food without adding significant sodium, be sure to check out our article: 10 Tips for a Tasty 2 Gram Sodium Diet (From a Dietitian).

Roasted Frozen Green Beans: Nutritious!

While I'm not a fan of labeling food as "good" or "bad", I will say that our Roasted Frozen Green Beans is not lacking in the nutrition department! Below we discuss a few reasons that this recipe can be considered "nutritious":

A Good Source of Fiber

Like most vegetables, green beans are a fairly good source of fiber. One serving of our Roasted Frozen Green Beans contains about 3g of fiber.

Fiber Intake Recommendations:

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, recommends the following total fiber intake according to age and gender: 

Women 31–50 years: 25 grams  

Men over 50 years:  28 grams

Men 31–50 years: 31 grams

Women over 50 years: 22 grams

Benefits of Fiber

We all know that fiber is "good for you". But how is it good for you? And how much do you need? According to the Mayo Clinic, benefits of a diet adequate in fiber include:

• Digestive benefits: a few of which include bowel regularity, reduced risk of diverticular disease and reduced risk of colon cancer.
• Heart health benefits: including lowering cholesterol, lowering blood pressure and possibly reducing inflammation.
• Blood sugar control: Helps lower or control blood sugar levels for those with diabetes and reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes for those who do not.

Contains "Healthy Fats"

The extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil used in this recipe are both good sources of heart-healthy mono-unsaturated fat.   In addition, animal studies suggest avocado oil not only helps decrease both cholesterol and triglycerides, but it also decreases blood pressure. In the study, blood pressure was decreased to a similar extent as a common blood pressure medication called losartan.

A Good Source of other key vitamins and minerals

Fun Fact: Did you know that frozen vegetables contain just as much, or possibly higher amounts, of vitamins and minerals as does fresh? The reason: frozen vegetables are usually picked at the peak of ripeness and then flash-frozen, which locks in the nutrients.

According to a Harvard publication, fresh fruits and vegetables begin to lose nutrients as soon as they're harvested. So, if you don't eat fresh fruits and vegetables within a few days, they often have lower amounts of vitamins and minerals than frozen. In some cases, even lower than canned!

Green beans are a good source of many vitamins and minerals. Our recipe for Roasted Frozen Green Beans contains at least 5% of the Daily Value of the following:

• Vitamin C
• Vitamin K
• Thiamine
• Riboflavin
• Iron
• Magnesium

Low in Carbs

If you have diabetes and need to watch or monitor your carb intake, "non-starchy" vegetables, such as green beans, are usually considered a "free food". In other words, they are low enough in carbs that you usually don't need to "count" them. (Providing that you consume a reasonable amount). This recipe contains about 7.5g of carb per serving.

Frozen Roasted Green Beans: Low Sodium & Kidney-Friendly

This recipe can easily fit into a low sodium, low phosphorus & low potassium diet.

Low Sodium

Recommendations from the American Heart Association, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and National Kidney Foundation for adults is to limit sodium intake to no more than 2300mg per day.  A limit of 1500 mg per day is often recommended for some individuals, such as those with high blood pressure and some with kidney disease.

This recipe only contains 3.9 mg of sodium per serving!

Low Potassium & Low Phosphorus

Depending on the stage of kidney disease and blood test results, not everyone with kidney disease needs to limit potassium & phosphorus. (Please consult your kidney doctor or dietitian for recommendations specific to your needs).

However, I wanted to make sure all of our recipes at The Everyday Kidney Cook could safely be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of the stage of kidney disease. Therefore, our recipe for Roasted Frozen Green Beans is also low in potassium and phosphorus.

Phosphorus content is 36 mg. Potassium content is 191 mg.

Ingredients of Roasted Frozen Green Beans

As mentioned earlier, this recipe is so simple, and only contains a few ingredients-- 2 ingredients plus a few spices, to be exact!

Frozen Green Beans

This recipe calls for 1 pound (16 ounces) of frozen green beans. I used fine cut. You could use regular cut green beans, but you may need to cook them longer.

Avocado or Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

As outlined above, the avocado and extra-virgin olive oil used in this recipe has many health benefits, particularly related to heart health. I prefer the avocado oil for this recipe due to its milder flavor and higher smoke point. It does tend to be more expensive than extra-virgin olive oil, however

Spices

This recipe uses ample amounts of only 3 basic spices that most people who cook low sodium usually have on hand.

• Garlic Powder: In case you haven't noticed from its frequent use in my recipes, I love garlic! Make sure you use garlic powder in this recipe, and not garlic salt! Or, use fresh or minced garlic, if preferred.
• Onion Powder: As noted above, take care not to use onion salt. You could also use onion flakes or even fresh minced onion.
• Ground Black Pepper

Feel free to experiment with other no salt herbs and spices. Our article, 10 Tips for a Tasty 2 Gram Sodium Diet (From a Dietitian) lists some of the most common spices that everyday people have found to be helpful in their low sodium diet journeys!

Variations to Roasted Frozen Green Beans

Variations of this recipe to consider include:

• Add 1-2 Tablespoons of balsamic or your favorite vinegar before baking, or drizzle with balsamic glaze after baking right before serving. You could also add a squeeze of lemon juice before or after cooking, as well.
• Experiment with different low salt spices. For example, try paprika (smoked or sweet), italian seasoning, red pepper flakes or chili powder.
• Sprinkle the entire recipe with 2-4 Tbsp. of grated parmesan cheese before serving. Every 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan added to the entire recipe (not to each serving) will add 54mg of sodium, 14 mg of phosphorus and 6 mg potassium per serving.

Our article, 10 Tips for a Tasty 2 Gram Sodium Diet (From a Dietitian) outlines how vinegars and lemon juice can brighten the flavor of a food and almost mimic the taste of salt. This article also discusses how a small amount of flavorful cheese, such as parmesan, can add tons of flavor to a low sodium dish!

Wrap Up

Our recipe for Roasted Frozen Green Beans is flavorful and so easy to make using simple ingredients. It also provides many health benefits and is appropriate for a low sodium, low potassium & low phosphorus diet. In addition, you can tailor this recipe to your own taste preferences by experimenting with different spices and adding vinegar, lemon juice or parmesan cheese.

Our Roasted Frozen Green Beans would go great with these other low sodium and kidney-friendly recipes from The Everyday Kidney Cook:

• Low Sodium Macaroni & Cheese (Dump & Bake)
• Easy Low Sodium Sausage
• Low Sodium Chicken & Noodles (Slow-Cooker)
• Easy Low Sodium Sloppy Joes (Kidney-Friendly)
• Simple Salmon Stew Recipe

Enjoy! Let me know how you like it!