I have a super easy side dish for you today → Green Beans With Bacon. This is a must try, family favorite and I’ve even included a short cut. I use precooked bacon. Sorry I know it’s a cheat and can be pricey but I love having bacon in the fridge that I can easily add to a dish without having to fry it. If I had to fry it for this dish I would simple leave it out. Not going to happen. Make sure you find the nitrate free bacon, especially if you eat a lot of it. We use Wellshire Farms. We even add it to our school lunches sometimes.
Here are some other ways to use pre-cooked bacon to make your life easier…
- quick school day breakfast
- add to pancakes or waffles
- on a sandwich
- in a salad
- cooked with roasted veggies
- on rice, risotto or quinoa
- in soup
- on a pizza
When I was little we would always get fresh green beans from my grandfather’s farm and there was nothing like them. Mom would slow cook them all day with lard, yes lard. So good! She added raw onions and fresh heirloom tomatoes at the table and that was often the main dish for dinner. Ah, those were the days. Southern slow cooked green beans are the best.
Any who, my family prefers crisp, fresh green beans so I did a quick parboil before I sautéed them. It makes them tender and more palatable for the kiddos. The bacon add lots of salty, smokey flavor without a ton of oil. Saute them longer if you want them to brown more. If you have leftovers, add chicken or some other protein and have a green bean salad for lunch the next day.
Check out Real Simple for tips on how to trim green beans quickly.
Green Beans With Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 pound of fresh green beans trimmed
- 4 pieces of pre-cooked bacon
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Fill a large pot 3/4 full of water and a heavy sprinkle of salt. Bring to a boil.
- Boil green beans for about 2-3 minutes or longer if you prefer more tender beans.
- Immediately take them off the heat, place in a colander and rinse generously with cold water.
- Heat a cast iron or other skillet over med high heat. Add 1-2 tbsp olive oil.
- Dry green beans and add to saute pan. Cut bacon into pieces and add to pan.
- Saute for about 5-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
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This looks so good – can’t wait to go get the ingredients to make this weekend!
Thanks Jeannie. Let me know how it works for you!