This Bacon Green Bean recipe is an easy side dish, full of flavor and quick to make!
Fresh green beans are sauteed with bacon and garlic until tender crisp and then seasoned to perfection.
A Favorite Side
I love side dishes and veggies that are simple and don’t require a huge list of ingredients, green beans (with bacon of course) fit the bill perfectly!
Ingredients
GREEN BEANS Fresh green beans are the best option as they can be cooked to tender-crisp. Frozen (or even canned) will do in a pinch but have a softer texture.
BACON I prefer raw bacon (instead of pre-cooked) in this recipe as the little bit of bacon fat is used to cook the beans and it adds great flavor.
If you only have pre-cooked bacon (or real bacon bits) use a bit of butter to cook the beans.
FLAVOR Garlic adds lots of flavor but it can burn quickly so it is added at the very end of the recipe.
Options: Garnish with sliced almonds, parmesan cheese, or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Kitchen Tip: If topping these with nuts or seeds, cook them in a dry skillet until they are just barely browned. This intensifies their flavor and makes them extra crunchy!
To Prep Green Beans
- Rinse the beans and line a small handful of them up on a cutting board.
- Use a sharp knife to cut off the very tip. Line up the opposite end and cut of the tip on the other side.
Green beans can be prepped several days in advance. This makes them easy to cook (plus they’re great to snack on).
- Fry bacon until crispy & drain.
- Cook green beans in bacon fat until lightly browned.
- Add garlic, bacon, and seasoning according to the recipe below.
KITCHEN TIP: Save extra bacon fat in a glass jar in the refrigerator and use it for adding a bacon-y flavor to veggies, mashed potatoes, and stir-fries!
Leftovers
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll keep for up to 4 days.
- Reheat in the microwave or on the stove.
- Cooked bacon green beans can be frozen up to 10 months in a zippered bag with the date labeled on the outside.
Great Green Bean Recipes
- Green Beans Almondine – only 5 ingredients
- Roasted Green Beans
- Air Fryer Green Beans – use fresh or frozen
- Sesame Air Fryer Green Beans
- Classic Green Bean Casserole – a classic side dish
- Bacon Wrapped Green Bean Bundles
- Green Bean Salad – fresh & crunchy
Did you make these Green Beans with Bacon? Be sure to leave a comment and a rating below!
Green Beans with Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 pounds green beans washed, ends trimmed
- 6 slices raw bacon chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place chopped bacon into a frying pan and cook until crispy.
- Remove bacon and set aside on a plate lined with paper towel.
- Discard all but (approx) 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings.
- Turn heat to medium. Add green beans to pan and cook until they are lightly browned, stirring occasionally (about 8 minutes).
- Add garlic and bacon, toss and cook for 1 minute more.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Side Dish
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My husband loved this. Did partially cook onions first then mushrooms then beans.
Threw in 1 T granule chicken stock which acted like salt.
Cooked for a while then covered.
Delicious !!
Oh, the lemon juice on top added the top of the taste pallet.
I didn’t know lemon juice could make dishes so delicious taking
it from a 4 to a 5.
Thank you so much for this recipe.
So happy you enjoyed it Carol!
This was delicious. The only change I made was to blanch and dry the green beans, which helped them get done faster on a hot skillet. Thank you!
Great tip Sarah!
Very good! I only had room in my pan for 1# of green beans because I chose the wrong pan, but it was so easy and delicious. Will definitely make again.
Thanks Deanna, glad you loved it!
I’m adding crushed pistachios and diced green onions.
Sounds delicious, thank you for sharing!
The beginning talks about garlic but it’s not listed in the ingredients. Are you supposed to put garlic in it?
I apologize for the confusion, I’ve updated my recipe system and this one was pulling an older version of the recipe. I’ve updated it.
This is also delicious done on the grill.
Oooohhh, that WOULD be yummy!! Great idea!
Gave it a try with lemon and mushrooms. AWESOME
Sounds delicious to me Karnett!
I had never tried this one with bacon. But, it sounds to me, I love green beans recipe. Can’t wait to prepared this one. Thanks, for sharing this recipe with us.
Enjoy! :)
Will canned green beans work for this recipe?
You can use canned or frozen green beans in this recipe but I strongly suggest fresh for the very best flavor and texture.
Is the lemon just for extra flavor…I am asking because I have a family member allergic to citrus fruits….
Yes, it’s for flavor and could definitely be skipped.
I also put in fresh mushrooms and garlic.. yummy ..
Do you cook the greenbeans first?
No, just in the frying pan. This keeps them tender crisp!
This recipe gets twice as awesome if you add some chopped sweet onion and some red and yellow sweet peppers to it.
That is our favorite way to enjoy green beans …. we add some crumbled Feta sprinkled over before serving …. puts us ‘over the top’ on the “enjoyment” meter.
Oh that sounds so delicious!! I’m going to try that next time I make it!