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Make Green Beans and Bacon for a savory and delicious side dish. With just a few ingredients, this recipe is simple but loaded with flavor.
Once you try green beans cooked with bacon, there isn’t any going back to eating plain green beans. There isn’t any comparison because the bacon just adds so much flavor.
If you have kids that are resistant to eating veggies, make this and watch the green beans disappear. Bacon definitely turns plain green beans into something special for an easy side dish recipe.
Everyone will really love green beans made with bacon. I am sure they will also love this Oven Roasted Squash Recipe or Crock Pot Green Beans.
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Recipe
This is one of our favorite side dish recipes. It is so tasty and also really simple. Whip this together in just minutes. It is easy enough for busy weeknights and fancy enough for the holidays. You only need a few minutes.
Just 4 ingredients for this easy green beans recipe. You don’t need anything complicated. This is super easy, making it the perfect side dish. This side dish is really easy but tastes delicious. The bacon flavor jazzes up the green beans for a fabulous side dish the entire family will love.
Ingredients
Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe and ingredients in the recipe card.
Variations Ideas
- Add Vegetables – Sometimes I like to add diced onion or potatoes to the recipe. If you like onions, add the onion when you add the bacon. Fry the bacon and the onions together.
- Seasoning – For a sweeter taste, add in a tablespoon of brown sugar.
- Change Meat – Instead of using bacon, you can use chopped up steak or ham.
How to Make Green Beans with Bacon
Step 1 – Dice the bacon into small pieces. Then cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat.
Step 2 – Then drain some of the bacon grease. I normally leave about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat to cook the green beans in.
Step 3 – Next, add the green beans to the bacon drippings. Sauté the green beans, stirring occasionally, until they are slightly brown and cooked to the tenderness that you prefer.
Step 4 – Finally, add the minced garlic and bacon to the pan. You can also add red pepper flakes if you like things spicy. Let this cook for another minute and then serve right away.
Expert Tips
- Bacon – Fry the bacon until crisp-tender for the best bacon. You can also use already cooked bacon or bacon bits. Once the bacon is finished, remove it from the pan and put on a separate plate. I like to place the bacon on paper towels to lessen the grease.
- Cooking Green Beans – You will need to keep a close eye on the green beans so they don’t run out of liquid. If the grease gets cooked off during the process, add a little water to the pan. Another idea is to add chicken broth instead of water.
Serving Ideas
Green beans go with almost any dinner. They are a very versatile side dish. However here are a few of my favorite recipes to serve bacon with.
- Baked Chicken Legs
- Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
- Simple Oven Baked Pork Chops
- Balsamic Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin Recipe
We love to serve for Christmas and Thanksgiving with our Slow Cooker Whole Turkey. They are delicious sprinkled with parmesan cheese or fresh squeezed lemon juice.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can easily make this recipe with canned green beans instead of fresh. Just reduce the cook time to 5-7 minutes. Once the green beans are added, heat them through and combine the flavors. The recipe is really good even with canned green beans. You cannot mess up this recipe. It is the best side dish recipe.
I almost always have canned green beans in the pantry. We also usually have bacon in the fridge to jazz up boring canned green beans. That’s all you need for an amazing side dish recipe.
The only thing you need to do prior to cooking the green beans is wash and trim the rough edges. There is no need to soak them before cooking.
Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will last about 4-5 days and are delicious leftover.
More Easy Green Bean Recipes
Easy Slow Cooker
Crockpot Green Bean Casserole
Easy Side Dishes
Oven Roasted Green Beans
Easy Side Dishes
Bacon Wrapped Green Beans
We love to hear from you. If you make this Green Beans with Bacon Recipe, please leave us a comment or a star review.
Green Beans and Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb Fresh Green Beans washed with the ends trimmed
- 6 slices Bacon diced into small pieces
- 2 tsp Minced Garlic
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
Instructions
- Cook the chopped bacon in a large pan over medium high heat until the bacon is the crispiness that you prefer.
- Move the bacon to a separate plate.
- Drain off some of the bacon grease from the pan. Leave approximately 2 Tbsp of the grease still in the pan to cook the green beans in.
- Then add in the green beans and sauté the green beans until the are slightly brown and the green beans are cooked to the tenderness that you prefer (10-15 minutes). Watch closely and add a small amount of water if all the grease gets cooked off while cooking.
- Add the minced garlic and bacon, cook for 1 minute and then serve immediately.
Easy & delicious.
So great to hear – Thank you for sharing!
My family loved this green bean side dish. My son, who does not usually like green beans, liked this recipe.
Yes
If using canned green beans, do you suggest draining the liquid off of the beans?
This side dish is perfection with the garlicky flavors and salty bacon. I keep my green beans at the crisp stage of cooking. The slight crunch of the bacon give a great texture. I paired these with the Marry Me Chicken and crispy Parmesan potatoes. Which became my family’s new favorite meal.
Enjoy!!!