Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a baking dish with the ½ tbsp olive oil or butter.
• If not already done, trim the tips from the green beans. Place the beans in a large saucepan, cover with water, add salt (to taste), bring to a boil, and cook about 10 minutes until the beans are tender but still bright green.
• While the beans cook, make the breadcrumb topping: place the day-old bread cubes, Parmesan shavings, walnuts or pecans, chopped garlic cloves, and the ¼ cup olive oil or butter in a food processor. Pulse 5–10 seconds (or until the mixture forms coarse breadcrumbs).
• Drain the cooked beans well and gently toss them with a little olive oil or butter and additional salt if desired.
• Transfer the drained beans to the greased baking dish in an even layer. Evenly spread the breadcrumb mixture over the beans.
• Bake in the preheated oven 15–20 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
• Remove from the oven, sprinkle lemon juice to taste over the dish, and serve.