It’s hard to believe I haven’t shared this recipe until now. My family loves fresh green beans as a side dish and I make them often. This particular recipe is my “go-to” way of serving them.
Green beans and bacon are a perfect combination of flavors. The little bits of bacon and flavorful shallots make this an easy way to get everyone to eat their veggies.
I love that I can make the beans a little earlier in the day and at dinner time I can easily finish off this dish. Lots of people make these beans a similar way and feel free to change it up with any herbs or seasonings that might work for your family.
I am very particular about my beans. There is nothing worse than soft, mushy beans that have discolored during the cooking process. This is the reason I always blanch beans and other veggies when I make them.
It is a simple process, just boil beans for a few minutes and plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking process. Your beans will stay green and have a nice crunch, without being mushy.
I love using bacon “ends and pieces” for this recipe, the pieces are thicker and meatier. If your grocery store does not sell “ends and pieces”, just use thick-cut bacon in its place.
Fresh Green Beans with Bacon and Shallots
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed
- 3/4 pound bacon ends and pieces or thick cut bacon, chopped
- 2 large shallots, sliced into thin rings
- salt
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch beans in three separate batches, boiling for 3-4 minutes each (beans should be soft with a slight crunch ~ taste before removing the whole batch from the water.) Immediately plunge beans into a large bowl filled with ice water; let sit for two minutes before removing to a paper towel lined tray. Repeat with other two batches of beans. Soak up any excess water on beans with more paper towels, it's best if they are as dry possible. This process can be done several hours in advance if you choose.
- In a large skillet, fry bacon until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel lined plate. Over low heat, fry shallots until slightly brown, about 1-2 minutes. Return beans to the pan and toss with the shallots, slightly warming the beans as well. Remove beans and shallots from the pan, shaking off any excess grease, and place on a serving tray. Season well with salt. Sprinkle bacon on top and serve immediately.
I have no idea how these would be as a leftover since there has never been one bean left on the tray.
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