Sauteed Green Beans with Bacon
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my Disclosure and Privacy Policy.
Sauteed Green Beans with bacon is the ultimate side dish. This recipe makes green beans downright irresistible! All you need are five simple ingredients to make this flavorful fresh green bean recipe. These beans are special enough for holiday dinners like Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter but easy enough for everyday meals!
Green beans are a personal favorite and I love them prepared all sorts of ways. What vegetable is better than fresh green beans? Roasting has been my go-to cooking technique for a while but last week I branched out. I decided to make sautéed green beans instead. When sauteing vegetables I typically opt for using a bit of extra virgin olive oil or butter but not this time.
I fried up some bacon and used some leftover bacon grease instead to make these sauteed green beans with bacon. Veggies with bacon are my kind of recipe! It was so good! Even my picky eater enjoyed them and now they are in regular rotation. Who doesn’t love the addition of bacon with their vegetables like this pasta with peas and bacon? So good!
Sauteed Green Beans Ingredients
To make this easy green bean recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- fresh green beans: Be sure to clean and trim. If you use haricot vert, also known as french green beans, you’ll want to reduce the cooking time.
- bacon: You’ll need a half a pound, or 7 to 8 slices of bacon. While you could opt for already cooked bacon, you won’t get the same flavor without the bacon grease. If you substitute precooked bacon, be sure to add one to two tablespoons of olive oil or avocado oil to your pan to cook the beans.
- garlic powder: If you’d rather use fresh garlic cloves, you’ll want to 2-3 cloves of freshly minced garlic.
- sea salt: Regular salt will also work.
- freshly ground black pepper: Nothing beats freshly ground pepper to taste!
Yes, that is it! Just five ingredients is that is necessary to prepare this amazing fresh green bean recipe that is such a simple side dish. If you have a pressure cooker, try these Instant Pot Green Beans which also features simple ingredients.
How to Cook Fresh Green Beans
If you’ve never made fresh green beans before, don’t worry. Green beans are a pretty forgiving vegetable and this is an easy recipe. You do want to make sure that you wash and trim them. Fresh string beans have ends that are tough, stringy and are really difficult to eat. Don’t ruin your side of green beans by skipping this step. If you get your green beans from the garden or you buy them in the store unprocessed, you’ll need to trim the ends.
I like to take my kitchen shears and simply snip off the ends. If you don’t have a good set of kitchen shears I highly recommend getting a pair for your kitchen. It is one of my most used kitchen items!
How to Make Sauteed Green Beans
Vegetables with bacon like these oven roasted brussel sprouts are full with flavor and green beans are no exception. I like to chop my bacon before cooking it for easier and quicker cooking.
For sauteed green beans you can cook them part way first, but I find that cooking them from start to finish on the stove top works fine as long as you stir them often. I like to put a lid on them to let the steam help cook them.
How long it takes to saute green beans will really depend upon both the thickness of your green beans and your desired tenderness. Around 15 minutes was just right for my green beans to get a tender-crisp texture. They still maintained a vibrant green color.
I tossed my bacon back into the pan to mix but do not to leave your bacon in there too long or it will continue to cook and may get crispier than you like.
And that is all there is to making sauteed green beans with bacon! While the bacon grease does had in extra flavor, you can also prepare this with olive oil and purchase precooked bacon that you add into the pan towards the end of your cooking. Next time I’m going to add a bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice over the top and see if I like that even better!
Serve them for a weeknight meal option or at your next gathering or special occasion. These delicious green beans with bacon are a great alternative to green beans almondine or green bean casserole for Thanksgiving. This tasty side dish would taste great paired with thin cut pork chops, bbq boneless chicken thighs, air fryer chicken drumsticks or this broiled tilapia recipe. The possibilities are endless!
Sauteed Green Beans with Bacon
Need a fresh green bean recipe? These sauteed green beans with bacon are a great option that is full of flavor! With just 5 ingredients required, these green beans are simple enough for every day, yet special enough for celebrations and holiday dinners! Everything is a little better with bacon, isn't it?
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans cleaned and trimmed
- 1/2 pound bacon 7 to 8 slices, chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
-
In large skillet cook chopped bacon over medium heat until desired doneness.
-
Transfer to plate lined with paper towels to drain.
-
Remove two tablespoons bacon drippings. Drain any remaining grease from skillet and wipe with paper towel.
-
Add bacon grease back into skillet. Pour in green beans. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper. Toss to coat green beans. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring often, around 12 to 15 minutes or until desired tenderness. (Cooking time will vary depending on thickness of green beans.)
-
Add bacon back into skillet and stir green beans. Transfer into serving dish and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
More Bacon Side Dishes
Want more vegetables with bacon recipes? Here are some great bacon side dishes to add to your menu!
- Cheesy Loaded Cauliflower Casserole from Wholesome Yum
- Peas and Bacon with Pearl Onions from New South Charm
- Cheesy Bacon Potatoes from Courtney’s Sweets
- Bacon Broccoli Salad from Eating Richly
- Cheesy Bacon Broccoli Stuffed Spaghetti Squash from Peas and Crayons
- Black Eyed Pea Salad from The Salty Side Dish
- Strawberry Salad with Bacon Roses from Oh, The Things We’ll Make
These look amazing! I love fresh green beans and bacon. Thanks for the recipe.
Such a delicious yet simple dish! I absolutely LOVE green beans and I can see myself eating a whole plate of your recipe! Yum!
This green bean recipe goes with just about anything! The bacon adds so much flavor and takes it over the top!