Green Beans with Bacon

Green Beans with Bacon made with green beans, bacon, and seasoning are fresh, crisp, and savory, ready in under 15 minutes!

It’s super easy to make the perfect vegetable side dish when it comes to green bean recipes, and in this kitchen we’re making Roasted Green Beans, Spicy Chinese Sichuan Green Beans, and Green Bean Casserole for the holidays!

GREEN BEANS WITH BACON

Green Beans with Bacon is the perfect vegetable to serve as a holiday side dish. This recipe is savory, salty, and crispy all in one. I always start with really fresh green beans, because this dish is all about that crisp-tender crunch you get from the bean. It’s my go-to when I have to feed a large crowd in a short amount of time.

The bacon fat takes this side dish recipe to a whole new level. You can use a tablespoon of olive oil if you don’t want to use the bacon fat, but the flavor is going to change. I get asked time and time again for this side dish recipe, because of how good it is. As far as green bean recipes go, this is hands down my favorite one.

HOW TO SEASON GREEN BEANS WITH BACON

The bacon in this recipe is already salty, so there’s no need to add any additional salt to the recipe. You also don’t need any added fat due to the bacon grease, which adds a ton of flavor to the green beans.

After you blanche the green beans, just cook the bacon over medium-high heat until almost crispy, then add green beans and toss with pepper.

If you want more flavor, try 1/2 teaspoon garlic, chopped onions, or a tablespoon of brown sugar to the bacon while it’s cooking. Do not use precooked bacon, because it won’t have the bacon grease to cook the other ingredients. It will also add an off flavor to the fresh green beans.

HOW TO BLANCHE GREEN BEANS

Boil a large pot of water. Usually we’d salt the water, but the bacon is already salty so we’re skipping this step. Add green beans to the boiling water for a total time of 2-3 minutes, they should be bright green and just starting to get tender when you remove them.

Make sure you use fresh green beans, not canned. The canned beans are already soaking in water, making them too soft to achieve that crispy texture.

When they’re out, immediately add them to an ice bath. This will stop them from cooking further, until you warm them again in the skillet with the bacon. What you’ll end up with is a tender-crisp bean that’s perfect in every way.

HOW TO TELL IF YOUR GREEN BEANS ARE FRESH

You can tell if you have fresh green beans by holding the bean and feeling the texture. If your beans bend without snapping, or the bean feels too soft or turns color, they are old and not the best choice for this recipe.

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WHAT ELSE TO SERVE WITH GREEN BEANS WITH BACON

• Scalloped Potatoes
• Roasted Turkey Breast
• Ultimate Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
• Perfect Garlic Prime Rib

TIPS FOR MAKING GREEN BEANS WITH BACON

• If you want to lighten up the dish a bit, cook the bacon then drain off the bacon drippings. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the skillet if you need more fat.
• You can add powdered or fresh garlic, chopped onions, or a squeeze of lemon juice when cooking the bacon to add more flavor. If you add onion and garlic cloves, cook until starting to caramelize, then add the bacon.
• Substitute the bacon for pancetta if you have it.
• This is a great recipe to throw together last minute because it only takes 15 minutes to cook. Frozen green beans are already blanched, if you use them just defrost and go straight to the saute step.
• Trim the ends of your green beans before using them in this recipe to avoid the fibrous woody texture the stem-side of the bean has.

5 from 6 votes

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Green Beans with Bacon

Green Beans with Bacon made with green beans, bacon, and seasoning are fresh, crisp, and savory, ready in under 15 minutes!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword green beans with bacon

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 127 kcal

Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients

• 1 pound green beans
• 4 bacon strips diced
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. In a large skillet add 1/4 cup water and the green beans on high heat and bring to a boil, cooking for 3 minutes.

2. Remove green beans and water, wiping dry with paper towels and add in the bacon, cooking until crisp before adding in the green beans and tossing with bacon and pepper.

Recipe Notes

Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.

Nutrition Facts

Green Beans with Bacon

Amount Per Serving

Calories 127 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 14mg5%

Sodium 152mg7%

Potassium 282mg8%

Carbohydrates 8g3%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 785IU16%

Vitamin C 13.9mg17%

Calcium 42mg4%

Iron 1.3mg7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.