My Southern Style Green Beans with Bacon will become a family favorite in your house too!
This Southern Style Green Beans recipe is easy-peasy to put together and it makes a pot of beans that’s meltingly tender and super delicious.
The beans are cooked slowly for a long time with a bit of bacon and come out of the pot tasting, honestly, better than any veggie I’ve ever tried! Even kids love them.
My family loves, loves, loves green beans. It’s been one of our family staples for forever.
The first thing I ever taught my daughter to do in the kitchen was to snap and clean green beans. We sat at her little toddler table and chatted like girlfriends do and had the best times! How I wish a had a photo of that!
I serve these tender Southern Style Green Beans at least once every other week or whenever I’m in the market and the green beans look good.
Recipe Notes For Southern Style Green Beans:
After rinsing off the beans, it’s important to dry them off fairly well, this way, when you cook them in the hot bacon dripping there’s no excess water to splatter. I just roll them up in a clean dish towel and let them dry while the bacon is cooking.
Some people like a little onion cooked with their green beans. While they’re delicious made that way, it’s just not how it was done in my house. If you’d like to try this recipe with a bit of onion, chop up 1/2 to 3/4 cup of yellow onion and saute it in the bacon drippings for about 5 minutes, with the heat on medium-low, before adding the green beans. Cook the rest of the recipe as directed.
Whatever you do, don’t drain the bacon drippings from the pan. The drippings are what make these beans amazingly tender and crazy, crazy delish!!! If you drain off the drippings you’ll have some kind of cooked green beans, but they certainly aren’t Southern Style Green Beans!!!
Use fresh green beans, please! Those of you who read this blog regularly know I love using convenience foods when the time is right. This is NOT one of those time friends. The thought of this recipe being made with frozen makes me shudder! Really, it just does……..
Southern Style Green Beans
Ingredients
- 4 Slices Bacon Cut Into Small Pieces
- 2 Pounds Fresh Green Beans Ends Trimmed and Snaped in Half
- 2 Cups Chicken Broth
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Rinse beans in a colander, then wrap up in a clean dish towel to dry.
- Cook bacon pieces in a large saucepan until crisp. Add green beans to the pan and continue to cook on medium heat, tossing beans well to coat in bacon dripping, until beans turn bright green about 3 minutes. Slowly add the chicken broth, then the salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer on low, covered with the lid cracked just a bit, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Drain if desired (I don't. I serve them with a splash of the cooking liquid on the top) and check and adjust seasoning, then serve.
Nutrition
More Vegetable Side Dishes:
- Scalloped Corn – Golden corn cradled in a rich homemade custard with just the right amount of smokey bacon topped with a crunchy breadcrumb topping!
- Sauteed Asparagus – Perfectly tender and flavored asparagus!
- Roasted Garlic Asparagus with Feta – Tender asparagus infused with garlic and perfectly coated with feta!
- Easy Baked Beans – With three sweet ingredients and some savory bacon, you’ll have the whole world in your hands when you serve up a batch of my Easy Baked Beans!
More Southern Dishes…
- Jambalaya– Take a trip down the bayou with the best Jambalaya recipe for busy cooks! This smoky, meaty entrée will conjure warm evenings with a zydeco beat.
- Hoppin John Recipe –Break out a batch of our sassy bacon infused Hoppin John Recipe. The “Cajun holy trinity” ramps up the flavor, with an assist from the black-eyed peas!
- Crock Pot Pork Chops – feature bone-in pork chops, smothered in mushroom and onion gravy, and cooked to tender, juicy perfection!
- Crockpot Baked Beans –Our crockpot baked beans are thick, meaty and delicious! These beans are the perfect compliment to your dinner table, potluck, or BBQ all year round!
More 5-Ingredient Recipes…
- Bisquick Sausage Balls – assemble in mere minutes to form bite-sized snacks that are full of flavor & perfect for dipping! Moist, meaty, & of course- delish
Source: Gonna Want Seconds
Patrick says
April 24, 2019 at 2:01 amAwesome! Everyone love the green beans.
Kathleen says
April 24, 2019 at 7:39 pmYay! Great to hear! Thank you 🙂
jessica says
December 13, 2018 at 2:09 amHi Kathleen! I’m so excited to try your recipe as I’ve been searching for a green bean recipe that resembles my grandmother’s green beans. I noticed in the recipe it says that it serves 4-6 people but in one of the comments, you shared with someone that it serves 8-10 people. Just wanted to clarify if you think that the recipe as it is written (i.e. 2 lbs of green beans, etc.) would serve 8-10 people. Thanks!
Kathleen says
December 13, 2018 at 2:17 amHey Jessica. You’re absolutely right, 2 pounds serves 8-10! Updating the servings now <3
Ash says
December 11, 2018 at 10:38 pmOmg just finished with fine 1m ago and they look lovely ! Thanks ! Pic looks just like yours!
Kathleen says
December 13, 2018 at 12:13 amSo happy to hear it, Ash!
Jaymie says
December 6, 2018 at 3:21 amThis recipe has been one of our favorite dishes to do lately. The bacon grease and chicken broth bring awesome flavor. It’s the perfect side with mashed potatoes. Thanks for sharing!
Kathleen says
December 7, 2018 at 4:32 amJaymie, so happy to hear you like the green beans!
Karina Soto says
November 21, 2018 at 4:16 pmIs it ok to prep the green beans the day before Thanksgiving? The part where I have to trim and halve them?
Kathleen says
November 21, 2018 at 4:43 pmHi Karina. Yes, absolutely. I’d store them in an airtight container 🙂
Lizla M Emerick says
November 12, 2018 at 3:23 pmI made this recipe over the weekend and everyone loved them. I’d say cooking time was about 45 min but the hour didn’t have any affect either. I kept them warm in the oven until served. Very easy recipe to follow. Thank you for sharing.
Kathleen says
November 13, 2018 at 3:51 pmHi Lizla. You are so welcome! I’m really happy you found the instructions easy to follow and appreciate you telling me so. I really work on that! I want everyone to be successful when they try one of my recipes. <3
Diana says
November 10, 2018 at 2:25 pmI pressure can my garden green beans…has anyone tried? They are not mushy like store bought, but not crisp like fresh.
Tylo says
November 9, 2018 at 2:29 pmAnyone ever make these and then just heat them up? Want to make for thanksgiving but it is a 2 hour drive so they would need to be reheated.
Kathleen says
November 9, 2018 at 4:59 pmTylo, I reheat these all the time. Obviously, after they’ve been cooked completely, then reheated, they get a bit softer. But there’s no flavor loss! You could always cook them 3/4’s of the way through, then finish them when you arrive at your destination. Hope that helps! Happy Thanksgiving <3
Tylo says
November 8, 2018 at 12:20 pmAnyone have any luck reheating these? Want to make them for thanksgiving but have a 2 hour drive. Would be much easier if I could make in the morning and just heat up when we get there!
Becky says
September 24, 2018 at 2:04 amExactly the recipe I’ve been looking for!! Made these for a crowd last night and they were a hit. The green beans of my youth! Thanks for sharing!
Kathleen says
September 24, 2018 at 8:29 pmOh, Becky, that makes my day!!! So happy they were a hit <3
Penny says
August 9, 2018 at 5:34 amDo you ever add new potatoes?
Kathleen says
August 12, 2018 at 9:14 pmHi Penny. I don’t because my Grandma didn’t. I know a lot of people love them that way! I bet its a delicious combo <3
Dorothy Burkitt says
December 10, 2018 at 11:15 pmMy mom always added small whole potatoes. When the potatoes were done the beans were done.
Kathleen says
December 13, 2018 at 12:31 amThank you for sharing that Dorothy. I love that she used the potatoes as a kind of vegetable thermometer! <3
adeleaiken@gmail.com says
July 11, 2018 at 1:37 amhave you ever cooked these and then frozen them? I need to make way ahead!
Kathleen says
July 11, 2018 at 5:33 pmHi, no I haven’t. I think if I was to need to do so, I’d only partially cook them-maybe halfway through. The process of freezing them will break down the green beans. You don’t want them to get mushy. Then when you’re reheating them, plan a little extra time in case they need more simmering. Hope that helps. Let us know if you give it a try <3
SarAh says
June 7, 2018 at 5:41 pmHow many people would you say this serves?
Kathleen Smith says
June 7, 2018 at 6:11 pmHi Sarah. It will serve 8-10 🙂 Enjoy!
Candice says
November 5, 2016 at 1:07 amEeeek I forgot to snap my green beans in half. Don’t think it’ll be too much of a problem just maybe a little more time? What do you think?
Kathleen Smith says
November 12, 2016 at 12:59 amYes, I think you’re exactly right 🙂
jen says
October 26, 2016 at 1:10 amhmmm…do you think I could follow the recipe through step 2, then put them in a slow cooker?
Kathleen Smith says
October 27, 2016 at 7:18 pmHey Jen, I haven’t tried it but sounds like a smart idea! Lmk if you try it and how it works out!
Mike Connelly says
September 12, 2016 at 8:13 pmThank you for sharing this recipe. I have never seen a printed recipe before now but I have been cooking green beans this way for nearly 50 years. I’m not even sure where I first experienced the taste and texture but it was probably in Louisiana where I spent summers as a child.
My wife and her family, all yankees, love pole beans cooked this way!
Kathleen says
September 13, 2016 at 9:31 pmI’m happy to hear that’s how you make your beans too! Thanks for sharing that, Mike 🙂
Joyce says
September 10, 2016 at 7:46 pmCan I do this with Brussel sprouts
Kathleen says
September 11, 2016 at 4:39 amHey Joyce, I’ve never tried this with Brussel sprouts. Sounds interesting!
Evangeline says
August 15, 2016 at 12:51 amThank you for the recipe, made this tonight and tastes really good!
By the way, I hardly see your page, the right side of your page has ads keeps popping up, and there’s no way to turn it off, clicked it once and opened a page for me.
Kathleen says
August 15, 2016 at 9:08 pmHi Evangeline. I’m sorry those ads are popping up.They are not from this site. What I’ve been told by my tech people is that another site you visited planted a cookie. If you update your OS (operating system) the other site will not be able to exploit this glitch. I hope this helps. I hate that people are having that experience on my site!!!
Teresa says
August 14, 2016 at 6:23 pmHi Kathleen I’m new to your blog but I must say your green beans sure look & sounds great can’t wait to try! I have some fresh canned greens will they work ?
Kathleen says
August 15, 2016 at 9:00 pmHey Teresa. I only use fresh green beans in this recipe 🙂
Laura says
August 12, 2016 at 1:34 amI thought southern style green beans have the addition of some brown sugar? I would eat dinner occasionally at a southern lady’s home and she had the most amazing green beans. She had in them bacon, butter and brown sugar.
Kathleen says
August 12, 2016 at 3:54 pmHey Laura. Well, I’m sure many cooks do include the sugar, this is the way I was taught to make them 🙂
Damian says
June 26, 2016 at 3:53 pmI’m allergic to chicken can you substitute beef bullion and water for the chicken broth? Any other suggestions?
Kathleen says
June 28, 2016 at 9:14 pmHi Damian. Yes, beef bouillon would work out really well. You can also use vegetable bouillon 🙂
the1chery says
June 4, 2016 at 11:32 pmThese were absolutely delicious. But you don’t have to cook them for an hour. I cooked mine for half an hour and they were perfect. Just my two cents. 🙂
Kathleen says
June 5, 2016 at 3:19 amThanks Chery! I love hearing your two cents! So glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Tonia says
May 8, 2016 at 1:53 pmI am going to try this today for the Mother’s Dinner I’m cooking this afternoon. Thank you for sharing. It looks so good.
Kathleen says
May 9, 2016 at 4:02 amHi Tonia! Loooove this recipe! Enjoy 🙂
Tricia says
April 8, 2016 at 1:29 pmI make my green beans this way but I have been using beef broth or a beef bouillon cube when I don’t have the broth. My daughter’s mil from Roanoke gave me the idea several years ago. Also, when I can’t find fresh I drain the canned beans and use them. They are almost as good as the fresh!
Kathleen says
April 8, 2016 at 8:10 pmHi Trish. Thanks so much for sharing. I’ll have to try out the beef broth!
Jess W says
March 10, 2016 at 7:27 pmThese remind me of my Mom’s. I can almost hear her saying, “don’t touch my bacon grease!” Everything is better with a lil bacon. Great post!
Kathleen says
March 11, 2016 at 1:01 amThank you, Jess! I totally agree-everything is better with a little bacon!
Diana says
January 1, 2016 at 11:41 pmThank you for this recipe. My ex mother in law introduced it to me about 20 years ago. I’ve tried to duplicate it from Internet recipes, but somehow none of them are really right. This one is. Thank you.
Kathleen says
January 2, 2016 at 1:25 amHi Diana! So glad to hear it!
Amy says
November 27, 2015 at 1:04 pmI made these this year for Thanksgiving. They were so delicious and so easy to make! Great recipe.
Kathleen says
November 28, 2015 at 3:51 amThanks so much Amy 🙂
Sara says
November 19, 2015 at 7:56 pmHow would you make this if you couldn’t get your hands on fresh green beans?
Kathleen says
November 20, 2015 at 1:22 amHi Sara. Honestly, I only make this with fresh green beans!
Lori says
June 25, 2015 at 1:52 amJust made these and loved them! So tender and full of flavor…sharing with everyone I know! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Kathleen says
June 25, 2015 at 5:47 amHey Lori.So very glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks so much for sharing my recipe. I really appreciate it!!!
Lisa says
May 31, 2015 at 7:18 pmthis recipe looks delicious. How many times would I have to double this to make enough for 50 people?
Kathleen says
June 3, 2015 at 6:05 amHey Lisa. I’d probably make make 8-9 times the recipe.
sunita says
May 26, 2015 at 5:54 pmilike green beans
recipe of green beans so yummy
Kathleen says
June 3, 2015 at 12:42 amThank you Sunita!
Marigene says
May 21, 2015 at 11:42 pmMy favorite way to have green beans and I am not even from the south!
Kathleen says
May 22, 2015 at 10:13 pmHi Marigene. This is my all time favorite way to eat green beans, too. I crave these all the time!
Dana says
May 19, 2015 at 3:08 amThey sure do look good.I will try this,thanks for the recipe.
Kathleen says
May 19, 2015 at 3:24 amHey Dana! I sure hope you enjoy!!!
sharon skidmore says
April 25, 2015 at 1:37 pmthe word you were looking for is shudder, not shutter which is a window covering. FYI only.
Kathleen says
April 25, 2015 at 5:24 pmOh Sharon, thank you. I hate when I do that. The older I get, the more it seems to happen LOL. Going back and correcting it now 😉
Kelly says
April 23, 2015 at 11:16 pmHi, Great recipe foe So. style greenbeans!! If in a hurry try KFC string beans. They ROCK!!!
Kathleen says
April 24, 2015 at 12:42 amHey Kelly. Good to know!
Joanne says
April 23, 2015 at 11:50 amI could see even the pickiest eaters eating a whole plate of these!!
Kathleen says
April 24, 2015 at 12:42 amThanks Joanne 🙂
Marianne says
April 22, 2015 at 11:10 pmi made a big pot of southern-style Limas today, then I saw this on Facebook. The recipe is almost identical and I had to chuckle at our similar taste in food. I’ve tried quite a few of your recipes and they were all keepers.
Kathleen says
April 23, 2015 at 12:41 amHey Marianne. Isn’t funny how food can connect us! Your Lima Beans sound delicious!
Penny says
April 22, 2015 at 8:23 pmI love Southern style green beans. I love your addition of chicken broth and the way you sauteed them in the bacon fat. Will have to try it Kathleen.
Kathleen says
April 23, 2015 at 12:42 amHi Penny! Hope you try them and enjoy them as much as we do 😉