Green Beans with Bacon is a delicious and flavorful side dish you need on your dinner table this season. Crisp yet tender green beans come together with salty, crunchy bacon, and is flavored with garlic. The whole family will love these green beans!
Plus, green beans and bacon come together quickly in just 20 minutes (including prep!) with a handful of simple ingredients. Serve this quick and easy side dish on your holiday dinner table or any night of the week.
Why You'll Love These Green Beans with Bacon
- Quick and easy. You can make this green beans side dish in just 20 minutes with only 6 ingredients. This leaves you can more time to prepare your other dishes to serve with it. Choose a main dish with a similarly low cook time and you could have a complete dinner ready to serve in under an hour.
- A flavorful side dish. Despite just a handful of ingredients, these green beans with bacon are so flavorful. It's the perfect dish to serve as a side dish on busy weeknights, but fancy enough for large family dinners like Thanksgiving and Christmas. The perfect choice no matter the occasion.
- They're customizable. This delicious green bean recipe is all about the bacon and garlic, which adds so much flavor to it. But you can easily add, remove, or substitute ingredients in different ways to suit your family's tastes. For instance, add some nuts for extra crunch, add in extra protein for a more filling dinner, or switch out the protein for something else.
Ingredient Notes
To make these easy Green Beans with Bacon, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):
- green beans - fresh green beans work best, but you can also use frozen French cut green beans. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time and cook them through to make sure the centers aren't cold.
- bacon - we cut our bacon into 2-inch strips. You can use whatever thickness of bacon you like, as well as making it as crispy or as tender as you prefer. You can also swap it out with chicken, turkey, or veggie bacon if pork isn't your thing.
- garlic - freshly chopped garlic always adds the most flavor, but you can also use pre-minced garlic if you've got some on hand.
- balsamic vinegar - balsamic vinegar lends a very distinct taste and brings balance to the bacon and Brussels sprouts. But if you don't have any on hand, you can substitute it for lemon juice or a similar vinegar or acid like red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- salt and pepper
You will also need measuring spoons and a 10-inch skillet.
How to Make the Best Green Beans with Bacon
- Blanch green beans. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Drain under cold running water for a minute and set aside.
- Cook bacon. Add bacon to a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat until browned on both sides and crisp, about 3-4 minutes. Leave the bacon fat in the skillet and transfer the bacon onto a plate.
- Sauté aromatics. In the same pan, add onion and garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add in green beans. Stir in the blanched green beans and cook until warmed through, about 1-2 minutes. Stir well to coat.
- Add in bacon. Return the bacon to the skillet and add balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine and cook for one more minute. Serve immediately.
How to Serve
Green Beans with Bacon is delicious served as a light meal for lunch, or as a a side dish along with some dinner entrees (especially holiday mains) such as:
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken
- Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
- Roasted Pork Tenderloin
- Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Roast Beef
- Juicy Roast Turkey
Storage and Freezing Instructions
How to Store
Allow the sautéed green beans with bacon to cool to room temperature first, the place them an airtight container refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove over medium-low heat until warmed through.
How to Freeze
You can also freeze green beans and bacon! Spread the leftover green beans and bacon on a parchment-lined half sheet baking pan and freeze for 2 hours, then transfer it a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You can reheat straight from the freezer by sautéing until heated and crisp or baking at 450℉ for 10-15 minutes. You can also air fry leftovers at 400℉ for 7-12 minutes until warmed through.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Serve balsamic on the side. The balsamic adds a very subtle flavor, but if you don't like balsamic vinegar, you can serve a balsamic reduction or glaze on the side as an optional drizzle or dipping sauce.
- How to serve as an entree. Turn this delicious side dish into a main course dinner by simply adding in some more protein. Our favorites include ham, chicken, or turkey. Use leftover protein from a previous meal to make things even easier!
- Add more crunch. To add some more crunch, feel free to add in some toasted slivered almonds or chopped toasted pecans or walnuts. They add texture and a delicious nutty flavor that compliments the dish really well.
More Green Beans Recipes
- 15 Best Green Bean Recipes
- Green Beans Almondine
- Green Bean Fries
- Pesto Green Beans
- Green Bean Casserole
- Sautéed Garlic Green Beans
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Recipe
Green Beans with Bacon
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Green Beans with Bacon is a delicious, flavorful side dish that comes together quickly in 20 minutes (including prep!) with a handful of simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds green beans, ends trimmed
- ½ pound bacon strips, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Drain under cold running water for a minute and set aside.
- Add bacon to a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat until browned on both sides and crisp, about 3-4 minutes. Leave the bacon fat in the skillet and transfer the bacon onto a plate.
- In the same pan, add onion and garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the blanched green beans and cook until warmed through, about 1-2 minutes. Stir well to coat.
- Return the bacon to the skillet and add balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine and cook for one more minute. Serve immediately.
Notes
How to store: Allow the sautéed green beans with bacon to cool to room temperature first, the place them an airtight container refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove over medium-low heat until warmed through.
How to freeze: You can also freeze this side dish! Spread the leftover green beans and bacon on a parchment-lined half sheet baking pan and freeze for 2 hours, then transfer it a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You can reheat straight from the freezer by sautéing until heated and crisp or baking at 450℉ for 10-15 minutes. You can also air fry leftovers at 400℉ for 7-12 minutes until warmed through.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
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