Dress Your Green Beans With A Tangy, Garlicky Vinaigrette

Vinaigrettes are most commonly associated with salads, but green beans' grassy, sweet flavor beckons their usage too. The best part about the pairing is that a vinaigrette can go on green beans in any capacity — stir-fried or sauteed, baked or boiled, green beans will always taste infinitely better with a good vinaigrette that has plenty of garlic. The allium is often paired with the veggies to give them a subtle boost, but in vinaigrette, it takes center stage.

A few cloves of roasted garlic along with a vinaigrette dressing — like the one featured in this mustard green salad — is exactly what green beans need. Apple cider vinegar provides the tang while Dijon mustard delivers a strong, slightly spicy taste. Maple syrup highlights the natural sweetness of the beans, but it's the roasted garlic addition that ties everything together, taking the vinaigrette from a delicious dressing to something you can't get enough of.

Before building the dressing, you'll need to make oven-roasted garlic. Cut off ¼ of the garlic head and remove the skin before drizzling it with olive oil and salt. Wrapped in aluminum foil, the garlic should roast in the oven for 45 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it's cooled, squeeze the garlic into a food processor or mini blender and combine it with the rest of the vinaigrette ingredients. Coat your cooked green beans in the vinaigrette for a side that will have you coming back for extra helpings.

As long as Dijon mustard's piquant flavor is present, roasted garlic should be right there with it for the best vinaigrette for green beans. The nutty flavor tames the bite of the mustard while the sauce delivers its own spicy kick to the green beans. No matter how the veggies are dressed up or what ingredients comprise the vinaigrette, the mustard-garlic combo will always impress. If you're unsure of what to put in the dressing besides Dijon mustard and garlic, look at the ingredients of your green bean dish or what it's being paired with.

The tangy sauce can be used to further elevate an already delicious dish like fresh green bean almondine. The almonds bring a nuttiness that boosts the flavor of roasted garlic, with parmesan delivering an umami twist. The green beans are cooked with lemon juice to brighten up the dish while butter makes the veggies richer. For your acid, use white vinegar to leave the dressing with a punch without imparting a distracting flavor.

For something like slow cooker carnitas, a tart vinaigrette for green beans will brighten up the savory meat as well. Add in some squeezes of lime juice, along with the zest, for a vibrant dressing. Though it's tempered by the caramelized garlic, some honey will ensure that the limes don't come across as too sour. Dijon mustard provides a much needed bite, and a sprinkle of minced cilantro will back it up.