Perfect Green Beans with Bacon

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This recipe for Perfect Green Beans with Bacon is a great side dish for any dinner.

If you are looking for a vegetable side dish to accompany a steak, roast, chicken, turkey, or ham dinner this is it!

Green beans can be prepared in many ways and complement a wide array of main dishes. The bacon and onions add a comforting richness to this side dish making it a perfect vegetable side dish for any weeknight dinner as well as entertaining for an elaborate holiday dinner. In the Perfect Green Beans with Bacon recipe, the green beans are kept whole for an elegant restaurant-like presentation.

Try another of my great side dishes: Perfect Mashed Potatoes Every Time.

In this recipe for Perfect Green Beans with Bacon, the green beans are boiled separately to keep the vibrant green color.

Previously, I owned a small cafe. During that time, I did a lot of catering. I made a lot of crudités platters (vegetable platters) and learned the best way to cook green beans for the crudités platters. Using the model of that method as the base of this recipe, the green beans boil separately in an exact amount of water, and salt for an exact amount of time. Boiling the green beans separately in 2 quarts (8 cups of water) with 1/4 cup of salt for 7 minutes keeps the green beans a beautiful vibrant green color.

Use the time while the water is coming to a boil, and then the green beans boil for 7 minutes to cook the other ingredients separately in a saute pan. First, saute the bacon. Remove the cooked bacon from the saute pan. Then saute the onions, and garlic in one to two tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat. This is about the same amount of time for all the ingredients to be done. Next, add the green beans directly from the boiling water with tongs, a slotted spoon, or a spider strainer spoon. Then, toss all ingredients together gently. Completely coat the green beans with bacon, onions, and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Sauté for another minute or two to bring all of the flavors together.

Ingredients

2 pounds of green beans 

one onion 

three cloves of garlic  

half a pound of bacon 

salt and pepper to taste

Items I used:  Wüsthof chef knifeCutting BoardAll-Clad Dutch OvenDiamond Kosher Salt

How to Make Perfect Green Beans with Bacon:

Ingredients:
  • 2 pounds of green beans 
  • one onion 
  • three cloves of garlic  
  • half a pound of bacon 
  • 8 ¼ cups water, divided (8 cups to boil green beans, ¼ cup to deglaze saute pan)
  • ¼ cup salt (salt for boiling green beans)
  • salt and pepper to taste
Green Beans with Bacon ingredients
step by step instructions:

First, wash green beans and dice the onions and garlic.

Second, fill a stock pot or Dutch oven with 2 quarts of water. To have the most vibrant green beans, you need to put 2 quarts (8 cups) of water into a large stock pot with ¼ cup of salt. Then, bring salted water to a boil.

Green Beans with Bacon fill pot with 2 quarts of water
Green-Beans-with-Bacon-1/4-cup-of-salt-to-water

Once the water is boiling, add green beans. Boil green beans for 7 minutes.

Use the time while the water is coming to a boil, and then the green beans boil for 7 minutes to cook the bacon. You can leave the bacon whole while cooking it and then cut it into smaller pieces later. Or you can cut the bacon first and then fry it in small pieces. (I find it easier to cook the bacon whole and cut the bacon when it is done and crispy. Also, it takes longer to remove the bacon from the pan in small pieces.)

Green Beans with Bacon cook bacon

Once the bacon is cooked remove the bacon from the pan. Remove all but 2 tbsp of bacon drippings and add in one finely diced onion. Lightly salt the onion and add ¼ cup of water to deglaze the bacon fond. (Fond is the brown bits on the pan that hold a lot of flavor.) Use a wooden spoon to release the fond and mix it into the water.

Green Beans with Bacon side view on serving platter
Green Beans with Bacon add onion to bacon grease
Green Beans with Bacon add water to onions to help cook faster and deglaze the pan
Green Beans with Bacon cook onions

Continue to boil off all the water and cook the onions. The water does two things: one it releases the fond and two it helps the onions to cook and caramelize much faster.

Once the onions are almost done cooking, add three cloves of minced garlic. Continue to saute making sure to not burn the garlic.

Green Beans with Bacon onions are cooked add green beans
Combine All ingredients and toss together

Once the green beans have cooked for 7 minutes (no longer than 7 minutes – error on less time than longer), remove the green beans from the boiling water. I like to use a spider or tongs to remove the green beans from the boiling water and add them directly into the sauté pan.

Green Beans with Bacon onions are cooked add green beans with spider
Green Beans with Bacon onions are cooked add green beans last one
Green Beans with Bacon onions are cooked add green beans add in bacon

Next, toss the green beans with the onions, garlic, and chopped bacon. Salt and pepper to taste.

Finally, place on a serving platter and enjoy!

Green Beans with Bacon onions are cooked add green beans plate on serving platter
Green Beans with Bacon side view on serving platter

Perfect Green Beans with Bacon

Print Recipe
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:10 minutes
Total Time:25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds of green beans
  • 1 onion
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 lb bacon
  • 8 ¼ cups water, divided (8 cups to boil green beans, ¼ cup to deglaze saute pan)
  • ¼ cup salt (salt for boiling green beans)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • First, wash green beans and dice the onions and garlic.
  • Second, fill a stock pot or Dutch oven with 2 quarts of water. To have the most vibrant green beans, you need to put 2 quarts (8 cups) of water into a large stock pot with ¼ cup of salt. Then, bring salted water to a boil.
  • Once the water is boiling, add green beans. Boil green beans for 7 minutes.
  • Use the time while the water is coming to a boil, and then the green beans boil for 7 minutes to cook the bacon. You can leave the bacon whole while cooking it and then cut it into smaller pieces later. Or you can cut the bacon first and then fry it in small pieces. (I find it easier to cook the bacon whole and cut the bacon when it is done and crispy. Also, it takes longer to remove the bacon from the pan in small pieces.)
  • Once the bacon is cooked remove the bacon from the pan. Remove all but 2 tbsp of bacon drippings and add in one finely diced onion. Lightly salt the onion and add ¼ cup of water to deglaze the bacon fond. (Fond is the brown bits on the pan that hold a lot of flavor.) Use a wooden spoon to release the fond and mix it into the water.
  • Continue to boil off all the water and cook the onions. The water does two things: one it releases the fond and two it helps the onions to cook and caramelize much faster.
  • Once the onions are almost done cooking, add three cloves of minced garlic. Continue to saute making sure to not burn the garlic.
  • Once the green beans have cooked for 7 minutes (no longer than 7 minutes – error on less time than longer), remove the green beans from the boiling water. I like to use a spider or tongs to remove the green beans from the boiling water and add them directly into the sauté pan.
  • Next, toss the green beans with the onions, garlic, and chopped bacon. Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Finally, place on a serving platter and enjoy!
Course: Side Dish
Keyword: Green Beans, Side Dish
Servings: 8

Items I used:  Wüsthof chef knifeCutting BoardAll-Clad Dutch OvenDiamond Kosher Salt

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