Everyone at the table will love this recipe for green beans with bacon and shallots. Always popular for Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner.
Table of contents
❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe
One-pan prep – You’ll cook the beans, onion, and bacon all in one easy-to-clean skillet.
Loaded with flavor – Plenty of salt and pepper with bacon makes the humble green crave-able.
Versatile! – Yummy enough for a holiday meal but easy enough for Thursday night dinner.
🧂 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You’ll find the full measurements and instructions in the printable recipe at the bottom of the page.
- Bacon
- Fresh green beans
- Small onion
- Chicken broth or stock. (Either kind is fine!)
- Salt and pepper
🥣 Equipment
- A large cast-iron skillet with a lid. (If you don’t have any cast iron, any heavy large skillet will do)
- Paper towels
- Serving dish
🍴Instructions
Step One
Cook the bacon on low heat, until crisp and browned in a large heavy-bottomed skillet. Remove to a paper towel- don’t clean it out of course! Add the onion and cook until softened.
Step Two
Add the green beans and stir, almost like you are stir-frying, until they turn a brighter green.
Add the salt, pepper, chicken broth, and cover the skillet for a few minutes to soften the green beans. How long you cook them at this stage is totally personal preference! I like mine crisp-tender, so I let them cook for about 3 minutes. If you like them soft, leave them a few minutes more.
Step three
Then add the bacon back in and serve right out of the hot skillet!
🥫 Storage instructions
Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
👩🏻🍳 Expert tips
- Wash and trim the green beans ahead of time or while the bacon is cooking. You want them ready to go when the time comes.
- Use the freshest beans you can!
- You can add fresh garlic with the onions and a splash of lemon juice at the end for more fresh flavors.
- If you don’t feel like dicing up the bacon, just cook it and crumble it up.
🔍 FAQs
Nope, the bacon makes sure they don’t need any oil or butter.
It’s totally up to you. Some people like them softer, some firmer. Taste and decide.
🍽 Serve it with
- All the traditional Thanksgiving dinner dishes
- White cheddar scalloped potatoes for a special occasion.
- Any main course that needs a veggie dish to make it more exciting.
📘 Related Recipes
- Bacon Brussels Sprouts are another delicious choice.
- Home fries in cast iron come out perfectly browned and crispy
- And baked beans bake up perfectly in cast iron too!
📖 Here’s the recipe
Homestyle Green Beans In a Cast-Iron Skillet
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon diced
- 1/4 cup onion minced
- 1 pound fresh green beans washed and trimmed
- 1/4 cup chicken broth or stock
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Crisp the bacon. Cook the bacon on low heat, until crisp, in a large, heavy bottomed skillet. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Do not clean out the skillet
- Cook the onion. Add the onion and cook until translucent and slightly browned, on medium-low, for about 5 minutes.
- Cook the beans. Add the green beans and stir fry on medium until bright green but still crisp. Add the chicken broth and cover for 2-3 minutes until green beans are crisp-tender. (If you prefer them softer, cook an additional 2-5 minutes.)
- Season. Add the salt and pepper. Check for seasonings and add more if needed. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Hope you enjoy this recipe!