Fresh green beans make a wonderfully easy side dish to any meal. These green beans are blanched and sauteed with bacon and onions. Three simple ingredients came together in a heavenly combination of flavors.
Green Beans
This easy side dish is absolutely soul warming with a healthy factor from fresh green beans and sinful comfort of bacon.
It may be hard to imagine how three simple ingredients coming together can create such a taste delight but it’s true. Each bite includes slightly sweet and crunchy green beans, salty bacon, and sweet caramelized Vidalia onion.
A perfect side dish to many dinner options. It will make a great fresh addition to Thanksgiving and Christmas menu and well as any other holiday.
These Bacon Green Beans will go nicely along side of steak, chicken, and seafood.
Depending on how soft or crunchy you prefer veggies, this side dish will be ready on about 30 minutes. It will take even less time if green beans are blanched ahead of time.
Blanching Green Beans:
How do you achieve beautiful, vibrant green color and retain the crunch of the green beans? They should be blanched first.
Don’t be scared of the extra blanching step, it only takes about 10 minutes and is well worth it. Blanching can be done ahead of time to make it easier. After beans are blanched and patted dry, they can be refrigerated or frozen.
To blanch green beans, trim the ends off green beans where the bean attached to the vine. (Green beans can also be bought already trimmed.)
Prepare ice water bowl by combining cold water and a couple of cups of ice in a large mixing bowl.
Bring a large pot of water to boil and drop green beans in it. Boil them for about 3-4 minutes (depending on thickness).
Take green beans out of the hot water and immediately into the ice water. This will shock green beans and stop the cooking process, preserving color and crunch.
After green beans have cooled (just a couple of minutes), take them out onto a paper towel to pat dry.
Use green beans immediately or refrigerate or freeze them.
To freeze, pat green beans dry and potion them into freezer bags. Take most of air out, close, label, and freeze.
Some more delicious side dishes:
Brussels Sprouts with Garlic Butter
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Green Beans with Bacon and Onions
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs fresh green beans
- 12 oz bacon center cut is best or one with most meat vs fat
- 1 Vidalia onion
- salt
Instructions
Blanching green beans:
- Snip the ends off green beans where the bean attached to the vine. You can cut green beans in half or leave them whole.
- Prepare ice water bowl by combining cold water and a couple of cups of ice in a large mixing bowl.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and drop green beans in it. Boil them for about 3-4 minutes (depending on thickness).
- Take green beans out of the hot water and immediately into the ice water.
- After green beans have cooled, take them out onto a paper towel to pat dry.
Saute:
- Preheat a large cooking pan over medium heat.
- Slice bacon strips, width-wise, into small, thin strips.
- Slice onion thinly.
- Add bacon to the hot pan and saute for a couple of minutes, until bacon starts to brown.
- Add onions and saute until onions are softened and start to brown.
- Add green beans and season with a little bit of salt.
- Saute green beans for 15-20 minutes, mixing from time to time. Time will depend on how soft or crunchy you prefer green beans.
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