Southern-Style Green Beans
These Southern-Style Green Beans are made with fresh green beans and they're cooked until they're soft and tender. Added bacon gives them a delicious smoky flavor. This Southern comfort food side can't be beat!
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 4 thick cut bacon slices, about one cup
- 1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
- 1/4 ts. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 lbs. fresh green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tsp. coarse kosher salt
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tbsp. salted butter
Instructions
- Add bacon to a large Dutch oven, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until crisp, about 9 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon and remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Keep rippings in Dutch oven.
- Add onion to drippings in Dutch oven, and cook, stirring often, until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add onion to the Dutch oven, and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper, and cook stirring constantly about 1 minute.
- Add green beans, chicken broth, salt, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and cover and simmer until green beans are very tender, 40 minutes to 1 hour. Mine were done at 40 minutes.
- Stir in the butter and cooked bacon and cook until heated through and the butter is melted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and discard bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Serve with a slotted spoon.
Notes
You need to use fresh green beans for this recipe. No canned beans.
I cook mine on low for 40 minutes and the beans are the consistency that I really love. Everyone's stove is a bit different, so just cook your beans intil they're nice and soft.