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 holiday side dish, but simple enough for any night of the week.
Quick side dishes are a plus when you are preparing a holiday meal and 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.
These green beans are made on the stove top saving precious oven space when making a big meal. Leaving room in the oven for a tasty sweet potato casserole and sausage stuffing that’s always a crowd-pleaser.
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 – this dish is 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.
Cook the bacon
- 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 20-25 minutes, until it is cooked and crispy. For step by step instructions: 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 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 and add salt, if needed. As a reference we did not add extra to ours.
Recipe tips
- Use low sodium bacon, broth and unsalted butter if you are sensitive to salt. Adjust at the end, if needed.
- This easy side dish is best when it is made with fresh green beans. 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.
- To save on prep time cook the bacon one day ahead of time. Chop it up and place it in an airtight container keep it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Storing
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Freezing is not recommended.
For more information on food storage and safety guidelines visit U.S. Department of Agriculture and foodsafety.gov.
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Check out the Web Story for this bacon green bean recipe for a quick visual on making this delicious side dish.
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.
Karen
I made this green beans and bacon with frozen (cooked)
French cut greens and it turned out delicious, will make it this way again
Elizabeth
Hi Karen,
I love French cut green beans! Happy you enjoyed them, thanks for stopping by.