Green Beans and Carrots with Chermoula Sauce

Green Beans and Carrots with Chermoula Sauce are an interesting side dish that features the herb-based sauce called Chermoula! If you want to make a lower-carb version of this recipe just use more green beans and fewer carrots.

PIN Green Beans and Carrots with Chermoula Sauce!

I don’t think there are any awards for Thanksgiving side dishes, but if there were I’d nominate Green Beans and Carrots with Chermoula Sauce as the Most Interesting New Side Dish. And when I say interesting, what I mean is we couldn’t stop eating it, all the while remarking how plain steamed green beans and carrots had been transferred into something amazing by the Chermoula sauce. And if you’ve never tried this interesting herb sauce, you have to try it!

What is Chermoula Sauce 

Chermoula (also spelled Charmoula) is sometimes referred to as cilantro pesto, and it’s a North African sauce made of chopped herbs and spices. It’s often served as a sauce on fish, but it’s also used on vegetables and meats. Chermoula is similar to Chimichurri Sauce, which is a South American sauce served on meat.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

• French-style green beans
• carrots
• large clove garlic
• coarsely chopped cilantro
• coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
• extra-virgin Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
• hot or Smoked Paprika (affiliate link)
• ground cumin (affiliate link)
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

What if you don’t enjoy the flavor of cilantro?

If you’re not a cilantro fan, there are versions of the sauce that use more parsley and less cilantro, and even some versions with only parsley. Feel free to make those changes and adapt the Chermoula Sauce ingredients to your own taste.

How to make Green Beans and Carrots with Chermoula Sauce:

(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)

1. This recipe will look prettiest if you use the thin French-style green beans, although I’m sure regular beans will also taste great.
2. Start by trimming the ends of the green beans and then cutting the carrots into thin strips that are the same thickness as the beans.  (I cut the carrots slightly shorter than the beans.)
3. I used this wonderful vegetable steamer that I inherited from my stepmother Norma, but if you don’t have a steamer you can rig one up with a small metal colander inside a pan.  The pan you use for steaming needs to have a lid. 
4. Start steaming the carrots first, because they take longer to cook.
5. While the carrots cook, start assembling the parsley, cilantro, garlic, and spices for the sauce.
6. Once carrots have steamed for about 3 minutes, add the beans and steam for 4-5 minutes more. 
7. The vegetables should still be slightly tender-crisp; check one after four minutes to see how they’re doing.
8. To make the sauce, use a food processor to chop the garlic, parsley, and cilantro (or more parsley), then add the olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, ground cumin, and salt, and pulse until it’s well combined and chopped.
9. Drain the cooked veggies for a couple of minutes, then toss then with about half the Chermoula sauce.
10. Arrange the vegetables on a serving platter and drizzle over the rest of the Chermoula sauce.  Serve hot or warm.

More Recipes with Green Beans and Carrots:

• Garlicky Green Beans Stir Fry
• Maple-Glazed Carrots
• Air Fryer Carrots with Moroccan Spice Mix
• Garlic Roasted Green Beans with Shallots and Almonds
• Roasted Carrots and Mushrooms

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 6 servings

Green Beans and Carrots with Chermoula Sauce

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Total Time 18 minutes

Green Beans and Carrots with Chermoula Sauce are absolutely a treat; try this interesting way to serve carrots and green beans!

Ingredients

• 1 lb. French-style green beans, ends trimmed
• 1/2 lb. carrots, trimmed into sticks the same thickness as beans (I cut the carrots slightly shorter than the beans)
• 1 large clove garlic, slightly chopped
• 1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 3 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 T lemon juice (I use my fresh-frozen lemon juice)
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. hot or smoked paprika
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Add a few inches of water to a steamer (or large pot with a steamer insert) and bring to a boil.
2. While water is heating, trim the ends of the green beans, and cut carrots into sticks about the same thickness as the beans.
3. When water starts to boil and steam, add the carrots and steam for 3 minutes.  Then add green beans and steam for 4-5 minutes more, or until all the vegetables are tender-crisp.
4. While the vegetables are steaming, chop the garlic a few times and wash, dry, and coarsely chop the cilantro and parsley.
5. Add garlic, cilantro, and parsley to food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the herbs and garlic are starting to look finely chopped.
6. Then add the olive oil, lemon juice (I use my fresh-frozen lemon juice), paprika, and ground cumin and pulse until all ingredients are combined.  (I’d start with the smaller amount of paprika and cumin and taste to see if you want more.)  Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
7. When the vegetables are done, drain for a few minutes and then place them in a bowl and toss with about half the sauce.
8. Arrange vegetables on a serving platter and spoon over the rest of the sauce.  Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper as desired, and serve hot or warm.
9. Make-Ahead Tips for Thanksgiving:  The sauce can be made one day ahead and stored in the refrigerator.  Let it come to room temperature before using in the recipe.

Notes

Recipe from Fine Cooking with minor adaptations by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 148Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 274mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 6gSugar: 8gProtein: 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet/ Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
The use of carrots would make this recipe limited to phase 2 or 3 for the original South Beach Diet. The carrots might make this too high in carbs for traditional low-carb diets, although if you check the net carbs you might be surprised. And of course you can use even more beans and fewer carrots if you prefer.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Side Dishes for more recipes like this one. Use theDiet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe
This recipe was posted in 2011. It was last updated with more information in 2021.

Share This: