These green beans with bacon make an easy and delicious side dish. In this recipe, onions and garlic are gently sautéed in butter. Then we add fresh green beans and crispy bacon and cook them with a little beef broth until tender. This is a great Thanksgiving side dish, but simple enough for any night of the week.
Quick side dishes are a plus when you are preparing a holiday meal or on busy weeknights. Green beans and bacon are a favorite at my house and so is this creamed spinach and green bean casserole. It doesn’t need to be a special occasion to make a fantastic side dish everyone will enjoy.
Ingredients
- Bacon – Regular cut bacon will work best. Thin sliced won’t get us hearty pieces and thick sliced may be too chewy.
- Green Beans – Fresh green beans stay snappy and have a vibrant green color.
- Aromatics and Spices – the green beans and bacon are flavored with onions, garlic, salt and black pepper.
- Broth – A little bit of broth makes a sauce and helps steam the green beans. We use beef broth because it gives the dish rich flavor.
- Butter – Use regular or unsalted.
Recipe tips
- If you are sensitive to salt use low sodium bacon, low sodium beef broth and unsalted butter. Then adjust the salt at the end, if needed.
- This easy side dish is best when it is made with fresh green beans instead of canned or frozen. In a pinch, use frozen green beans but let them thaw out, drain well and pat dry with a paper or kitchen towel.
- The cooking time will depend on how tender you like your green beans. If you like them snappy use less time. For tender green beans cook them a little longer. Keep in mind that the residual heat in the skillet will continue cooking the green beans (even after you remove them from the heat), especially if they are covered.
- We make the green beans and bacon on the stove top saving precious oven space when making a large holiday meal. Cook the bacon one day ahead of time if you like making it in the oven. Chop it up and place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Cook the bacon, methods to choose from:
Oven – Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the bacon on the baking sheet, without overlapping. Cook for approximately 20 – 25 minutes, until it is cooked and crispy. Check out step by step instructions on how to make oven bacon.
Microwave – Line a large, microwave safe plate with 2 good quality paper towels. Arrange the bacon slices on the plate and place 2 paper towels on top. Microwave for 3-4 minutes on high heat. Check on it by carefully lifting the paper towel. Give the bacon an additional 1-2 minutes and check it again. Continue until it’s cooked crisp. Be very careful removing the plate from the microwave it will be very HOT!
Skillet/stovetop – Arrange bacon in a large skillet, without overlapping. Cook on medium heat until it’s crispy, turning occasionally.
When the bacon is cool enough to handle, crumble or chop it.
Instructions
Melt the butter in a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted and foamy, add the onions. Cook them gently for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Add the green beans, bacon, salt, pepper and beef broth. Raise the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil. Immediately lower the heat to medium-low and cover. Keep the broth at a simmer, raise or lower the heat as needed.
Cook for 5-8 minutes until the green beans reach the desired tenderness.
Taste the bacon green beans and add salt, if needed. As a reference we did not add any extra to ours.
You may also like these side dish recipes:
Green Beans with Bacon
Ingredients
- 6 Bacon Strips Cooked Crispy crumbled or chopped
- 12 ounces Fresh Green Beans washed, ends trimmed and cut into 1 – 1½ inch pieces
- ½ Small Onion finely diced
- 1 Garlic Clove minced
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- ½ cup Beef Broth
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Cook the bacon until crispy (see post for instructions using the oven, microwave or skillet).
- When the bacon is cool enough to handle, crumble or chop it and reserve for later.
- Melt the butter in a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted and foamy, add the onions. Cook them gently for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the green beans, crispy bacon, salt, pepper and beef broth. Raise the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil. Immediately lower the heat to medium-low and cover. Keep the broth at a simmer, raise or lower the heat as needed.
- Cook for 5-8 minutes until the green beans are tender. The cooking time will depend on how tender you like your green beans. Keep in mind that the residual heat in the pan will continue cooking the green beans even after you remove them from the heat.
- Taste the bacon green beans and add salt, if needed. As a reference we did not add any extra to ours.
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