Garlic and Bacon Green Beans sautéed in olive oil and butter in a large skillet on the stovetop - an easy and delicious way to prepare the green beans for the holiday menu. The beans are crispy and crunchy. A perfect recipe for the Fall and the Winter.
I love garlic with just about anything, and the green beans are no exception! Sauteed garlic tastes GREAT with green beans and bacon!
This is a great side dish for many types of grilled meats, and it's especially good for the holiday menu on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's Eve.
Thanksgiving Main Courses to serve with this side dish:
- Roast Duck - an ultimate Thanksgiving main course! This Roast Whole Duck has tender and juicy meat, crispy skin, and it’s glazed with the honey-balsamic glaze to give the duck a beautiful roasted look.
- Roasted Cornish Hen - roasted paprika Cornish hen with root vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes) and onions.
- Roasted Turkey Breast (Boneless) with Garlic Herb Butter – this is a rolled turkey breast recipe and is a great alternative when you don’t feel like cooking the entire turkey.
Other green Thanksgiving side dishes:
- Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Brussels Sprouts, Pecans, and Cranberries - colorful Thanksgiving salad with lots of veggies and nuts!
- Creamy and Crunchy Salad with Peas, Bacon, and Pecans - easy and beautiful side dish for Thanksgiving!
- Dijon Mustard Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Apples, and Gorgonzola cheese - Brussels sprouts smothered in heavy cream and mustard with bacon, apples, Gorgonzola cheese and nutmeg. Cooked on stove top.
How to make green beans with bacon:
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, add 1 pound of fresh green beans and ½ teaspoon of salt. The water should be just above the beans.
- Boil on medium heat for 5 minutes. Drain the beans.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet on medium heat.
- Add 6 cloves of minced garlic and saute, constantly stirring, for about 30 seconds.
- Add chopped cooked bacon (drained of fat) and green beans (cooked and drained).
- Saute on medium heat for about 1 minute to combine all ingredients.
- Remove from heat. Season with more salt, if needed.
Ideas for Thanksgiving Salads
- Winter Fruit Salad with Maple Lime Dressing - the ingredient list includes red apples, pears, clementine oranges (or mandarin oranges), kiwi fruit, dried cranberries, and pomegranate seeds.
- Butternut Squash and Spinach Salad with Pecans, Cranberries, Pomegranate - perfect healthy Thanksgiving salad with Poppy Seed Honey-Lime Dressing.
- Honey Mustard Brussels Sprouts Salad with Cranberries and Pecans - this holiday salad is all about crisp, shredded Brussels sprouts tossed with slightly sweet honey mustard vinaigrette, dried cranberries, and chopped pecans.
- Warm Quinoa and Brussels Sprout Salad in Honey Mustard Vinaigrette - this salad is loaded with pecans and cranberries. It is a nutrient-packed salad that is high in fiber and antioxidant properties. A perfect addition to a healthy menu!
Garlic and Bacon Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans , fresh, rinsed, ends trimmed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 6 garlic cloves , minced
- 6 bacon strips , cooked, drained of fat, chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, add green beans (water should be just above the beans), and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, drain the beans.
- Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook it, constantly stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add chopped cooked bacon (drained of fat) and green beans. Saute on medium heat for about 1 minute to combine all ingredients. Remove from heat. Taste and add more salt, if needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Teresa Casarez
Made this recipe and was delicious and so easy and have made it several times and everyone lives it and have shared
Hays
Can this be reheated/prepared the day before? I dont have a microwave so dont know how I would reheat. Thank you
Julia
Yes, you can reheat it. Reheat it in a large skillet on the stovetop, on medium heat.
Ron
Why wouldn't you just saute the garlic in the bacon fat?
Julia
I cook the bacon separately, in the oven, and then discard bacon fat.
Kevin Lewis
Amen! Never ditch this fat. Cook the bacon first and then saute the green beans in the same pan.
Jo
This looks great but we're going to probably have 8 people for Thanksgiving should I just double this?
Julia
Yes, you can double this recipe.
Sheri Shenk
Supposed to bring green beans to family Christmas dinner. This looks great, but now I find the main dish will be HoneyBake Ham. Maybe too much bacon all at once? Think maybe green beans with slivered almonds would be a better match?
Julia
I don't think it's too much bacon, but green beans with almonds sound delicious, too!
Patricia
Great idea! I love this recipe but wondered how I might adjust for those who don’t eat bacon.
I appreciate your pallet and aesthetic. Your videos really show off your recipes. You’ve win me over. I’m subscribing!
Patricia
“won” not “win”
Julia
Thank you! Do you eat prosciutto? Prosciutto is an Italian dry-cured ham, it's quite different from the bacon in flavor and is very delicious!
If you don't eat meat at all, you can add roasted pecans or roasted slivered almonds.
Carol Gapol-Bowen
UNCURED TURKEY BACON!
Anne Jameson
There is no such thing as too much bacon
Julia
I love bacon!
Michelle
No such thing as too much garlic! LOL
Lucy
I wonder how it holds up for a potluck, does it have to be served hot?
Julia
It would be a great choice for a potluck!
Amanda
I made this when I had to do a fast thanksgiving meal for about 20 when my sister in law broke her oven. It was a perfect side dish. I actually keep this saved in one of my browser tabs so I don’t lose the recipe on my phone haha!
Julia
Thank you, Amanda! Love reading comments like yours. 🙂 So glad you enjoyed this recipe and made it for 20 people - WOW!
Loretta
How would you prepare this a day ahead for 150 people? It is a fund raiser dinner. Thanks
Julia
Wow, Loretta, that's a huge task - to cook for 150 people. I don't think I will be of big help to you as I have no idea how to cook for that many people!
Amanda
If it’s servings size is for 4 people.
You are going to have to just compensate for the math and increase accordingly...
Colleen
Would you happen to have the nutrition information for this recipe?
Patrick
Great recipe; simple, fast and delicious. Brought a new twist to an old favorite and topped with Frenches onion rings.
Candice Clark
Why on earth would you waste all of that delicious flavorful bacon grease? I made this by cooking bacon in a frying pan and using the bacon grease to sauté everything and it was phenomenal. You had a really great idea but it definitely needed some tweaking. So I guess thanks for starting point
Julia
Thank you, Candice! I am glad you enjoyed the recipe! I usually precook my bacon in the oven, so the fat is already drained, but your way of cooking this dish, with the bacon grease, is delicious, too!
Patrick
Great recipe; simple, fast and delicious. Brought a new twist to an old favorite and topped with Frenches onion rings. I'm glad to read people are adjusting to their likes. This is want makes a creative cook. The original recipe is perfect and rather than find fault it gave you a starting point to adjust to your liking. It apparently sounded appealing to those finding fault so run with it and make it your own.
Claudia Greenley
damn you're rude, candice.
Brian Soriano
Going to try this for thanksgiving, looks good, just wondering if i can add another vegetable for color? If so which one?
Julia
Sliced and roasted bell peppers will work well!
Steve
Too much Garlic. I made it for the family and it didn't go. The comment was more bacon and a lot less garlic.
Julia
Thanks for stopping by! I am glad you tried this dish. Just use less garlic next time (I love lots of garlic, though).
Marichu
One of my favorite
Candy
Thinking of making the green bean with garlic and bacon dish.... wondering if I could prep everything ahead of time and then do the final step of combining everything in the sauté pan just before dinner?
Julia
Yes, you could - if you prep everything the same day.