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Fresh Green Beans with Bacon on a platter with blue towel in background.
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5 from 3 votes

Fresh Green Beans with Bacon

Green beans cooked in a rich broth full of smokey bacon, savory onions and aromatic garlic make these Fresh Green Beans with Bacon exceptionally flavorful. With easy prep-ahead instructions, they make the perfect side dish to serve at your next holiday dinner or weeknight meal!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Calories: 87kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 oz bacon thinly sliced
  • ¼ medium yellow onion diced, can substitute with sweet or white
  • 1 tablespoon garlic minced
  • teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¾ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 lb fresh green beans trimmed
  • 1 cup water plus more if needed

Instructions

  • Cook bacon on medium heat until almost crispy, approximately 5-7 minutes.
    3 oz bacon
  • Add onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until onions are soft, approximately 5 minutes.
    ¼ medium yellow onion, 1 tablespoon garlic, 1½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¾ teaspoon pepper
  • Add green beans and water. The water should come up about ⅓ to ½ way up the green beans. Give everything a good toss. Cover and bring to a boil. You will know it is boiling when lots of steam is escaping from under the lid. Immediately turn off the heat without removing the lid. Allow to steam for 10 minutes.
    1 lb fresh green beans, 1 cup water
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Notes

Tips & Tricks
  • Really pay attention to the doneness of your bacon before adding in the onion and garlic. If it isn’t cooked enough the bacon will never get crispy, but if it is overcooked the bacon will burn while the onion and garlic are sauteing.
  • Don’t over-steam them or they will get mushy. You can always turn the burner back on and steam them a bit more but once they are overdone there is no going back.
  • Always check the green beans for seasoning before serving. Often they need a touch more salt and/or pepper.
 
Make Ahead
There are two ways this can be done.
1) Trim the green beans, slice the bacon, dice the onion, and mince the garlic up to 3 days ahead. Store each component separately in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container. Proceed with the recipe as follows when you are ready to cook. 
2) After prepping all the ingredients, cook the bacon and then the onion/garlic mixture until the onions are soft. Turn off the burner and allow the pan to come to room temperature. Add in the green beans right on top of the bacon, onions, and garlic. Store with the lid on in the refrigerator overnight. When it is time to cook proceed with the directions as written.
For A  Crowd
Read the section in the post for all the tips for serving to a crowd. 

Nutrition

Calories: 87kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 682mg | Potassium: 194mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 522IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg