Howdy friends! This recipe is my Dad’s famous green beans, which he used to make alllll the time!
As a kid, did your parents serve you green beans from the can?! When I was really little, canned green beans and canned corn were my main veggies… at least as far as I can remember. I’m sure my mom will read this and tell me I’m wrong! But somewhere along the line, both of my parents discovered actual green beans in the produce aisle. Green beans went from my least favorite vegetable to one of my MOST favorite vegetables instantaneously!
My husband, Jeremiah, has said the same thing about green beans. It kinda makes you wonder why people still eat canned green beans? It must be that they’ve never tried the real thing. So if you’re one of those folks, PLEASE try this recipe! Fresh green beans are AMAZING! And they’re not even hard to make. Some vegetables – like EGGPLANT – need to be made the right way or they’re gross. But green beans are almost impossible to screw up.
This recipe is very, very simple. My dad’s version involved bacon bits that he bought in a jar at the grocery store. As a budding nutritionist, I feel like this probably isn’t your healthiest choice. But I haven’t actually gotten my hands on a jar of bacon bits recently to read the ingredients, so this is all just a hunch. In any case, my version of the recipe involves frying up some bacon. The nutritionist in me ALSO says that bacon in general isn’t the healthiest thing ever. But the foodie in me needs balance and everything in moderation, yes?
So, back to the bacon! I usually take scissors and snip the bacon into little bits. Then I fry em’ up until they’re nice and crispy, and then place on a paper-towel lined plate. Then I drain the grease out of the pan and add in cooking fat, julienned onions and green beans and saute away! The recipe goes fast and is a super tasty side dish. I like to have it as my side with my Simple Whole Crispy Chicken.
Pin this recipe!
- 4 strips of bacon
- 1 onion
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup water
- 1 lb fresh green beans, ends removed
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Use scissors to snip each strip of bacon into little bits (about ½ inch wide). Add cut bacon to a large pan, and saute over medium heat stirring frequently until cooked and crispy. Turn off the heat, place bacon on a paper-towel lined plate, and pour the bacon grease out of the pan.
- Julienne cut your onion. Here's how to do it: Cut your onion in half and remove the paper. Cut side down, slice small ¼ inch strips.
- Melt butter and add olive oil to your pan over medium heat. Once heated, throw in your julienned onions and saute for two minutes. Then add in your salt, water and green beans. Put the lid on the pan and allow to simmer over medium to medium-low for 8-10 minutes. At 8 minutes, take one green bean out to taste test and determine if it's tender to your liking.
- Take the lid off the pan and stir in garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute for one to two minutes more, stirring frequently, just until the excess water dissipates and you smell the wonderful garlic aroma. Take off the heat and mix in the bacon.