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Home / Recipes
25 minutes
4.62 from 36 votes
10 Comments

Old Fashioned Green Beans

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by: Joanna Cismaru
11.21.19
Updated: 03.01.20

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These Old Fashioned Green Beans only require a handful of ingredients, easy to make and requires very little time. Simple ingredients but lots flavor!

a braiser full of green beans with bacon, salt, and pepper

Hubs made his monthly trip to Costco last week and bought me a bag of gorgeous fresh green beans. I love green beans but I don’t cook enough with them. However, I couldn’t pass out an opportunity like this because these beans were super fresh -what  can I say they inspired me!

Bacon and green beans are great together, a classic, marriage made in heaven, so if I was going for an old fashioned recipe, adding bacon was a no brainer. You want to crisp up the bacon perfectly because this will add a nice crunch to the beans and tons of flavor.

I added soy sauce and brown sugar for that sweet and salty combination. Add the beans, cover up the pot and cook for 15 minutes and you’ll end up with perfect green beans every single time.

The beans will still have a nice crunch to them, and amazing flavors from the bacon and brown sugar. Bacon does make everything taste better.

bacon sizzling in a braiser with a wooden spoon

Ingredients

  • Bacon – None of that precooked crumbled stuff, be sure to cook this up fresh so that your beans have some smokey and delicious fat to cook up in.
  • Beans – Fresh Green beans! Feel free to trim the ends and clean them up a bit, but keep the beans whole.
  • Sugar – I used brown sugar today, it pairs so well with the bacon and will caramelize nicely.
  • Soy sauce – This will add depth and umami to our dish as well as some great color. I recommend using low sodium since we have lots of salt from the bacon and the seasoning in this dish.
  • Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.

Not A Fan Of Green Beans?

This recipe is very versatile and can be used on different types of vegetables. Try it on carrots, broccolini, asparagus, peas, or whatever your favorite veggies just so happen to be!

How To Make Old Fashioned Green Beans

  1. Cook the bacon: Add the chopped bacon to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until the bacon is nice and crisp and most of the fat has rendered, should take about 5 minutes.
  2. Combine the sauce: Add the soy sauce, brown sugar and water to the skillet and stir. Bring to a boil.
  3. Cook the beans: Add the green beans and toss them around a bit, so they get covered in the sauce. Reduce the heat to a medium-low, cover the skillet with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes. The green beans should be crisp-tender when done.
  4. Season with salt and pepper if needed, then serve.
a platter of green beans covered in sauce and bacon

How To Serve

This side dish is perfect alongside some savory mains, pair them up or just eat a big bowl on their own, I won’t judge.

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Storing Leftovers

This dish will store well in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days. These beans will also freeze well! Just store in an airtight container or tightly wrapped for 4 – 6 months in the freezer.

a plate of green beans with bacon and chicken

More Delicious Sides To Try:

  • Brandy Glazed Carrots
  • Loaded Scalloped Potatoes
  • Italian Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
  • Greek Potato Foil Packs
  • Garlic Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
  • Avocado Tomato Salad
  • Green Beans and Chanterelle Mushrooms
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  • Green Bean Casserole from Scratch
  • Garlic Herb Red Potato Salad
  • Cowboy Caviar

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side view shot of green beans and bacon in a pan being stirred by a wooden spoon

Old Fashioned Green Beans

4.62 from 36 votes
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 25 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 4
Print Pin Rate
These Old Fashioned Green Beans only require a handful of ingredients, easy to make and requires very little time. Simple ingredients but lots flavor!

Ingredients

  • 10 bacon strips chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce low sodium
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar packed
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 1/2 lb fresh green beans
  • 1/8 tsp salt or to taste
  • 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Add the chopped bacon to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until the bacon is nice and crisp and most of the fat has rendered, should take about 5 minutes.
  • Add the soy sauce, brown sugar and water to the skillet and stir. Bring to a boil.
  • Add the green beans and toss them around a bit, so they get covered in the sauce. Reduce the heat to a medium-low, cover the skillet with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes. The green beans should be crisp-tender when done.
  • Season with salt and pepper if needed, then serve.

Video

Recipe Notes

  1. This recipe is very versatile and can be used on different types of vegetables. Try it on carrots, broccolini, asparagus, peas, or whatever your favourite vegetables are!
  2. This dish will store well in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days. These beans will also freeze well! Just store in an airtight container or tightly wrapped for 4 – 6 months in the freezer.
  3. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
 

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 309kcal (15%)Carbohydrates: 19g (6%)Protein: 10g (20%)Fat: 22g (34%)Saturated Fat: 7g (44%)Cholesterol: 36mg (12%)Sodium: 716mg (31%)Potassium: 482mg (14%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 11g (12%)Vitamin A: 1195IU (24%)Vitamin C: 20.8mg (25%)Calcium: 71mg (7%)Iron: 2.1mg (12%)
Course:Side Dish
Cuisine:American
Keyword:green beans, old fashioned green beans
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!

Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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Comments

  1. Angela says

    September 29, 2020 at 2:02 pm

    5 stars
    Super easy and very tasty! I added half of a finely diced onion in with the bacon. When I added the green beans, I also added one ear of fresh corn that I sliced off the cob. To make the beans truly taste “old fashioned,” I cooked them an extra five minutes (just like grandma did). There was nothing crisp or firm about them. They were cooped to death just like my family likes them.

    Reply
  2. Karen says

    July 31, 2020 at 4:00 pm

    5 stars
    OMG we just picked fresh garden beans & tried your recipe so delicious & feel this will become a fav – I didn’t have bacon on hand but will try it with next time. Thank you Jo – 😋

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team 2 says

      July 31, 2020 at 4:05 pm

      Yum – Fresh beans!!! You are so welcome 🙂

      Reply
  3. Jackie says

    August 11, 2019 at 3:59 am

    Hi
    Where is the recipe for the gorgonzola orange chicken.

    Reply
    • Nicole Beaulieu says

      August 12, 2019 at 3:04 pm

      Hi there! We never ended up posting that recipe, unfortunately.

      Reply
  4. Bob Jones says

    February 16, 2019 at 5:38 am

    Your videos do not work, example Old Fashion green beans.

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      February 16, 2019 at 2:48 pm

      If you’re blocking ads in your browser, the videos won’t work.

      Reply
  5. cheflolaskitchen says

    November 21, 2018 at 7:21 am

    I love anything green beans! It’s so easy to make and looks yummy. I must try this.

    Reply
  6. Justine says

    March 8, 2018 at 5:29 pm

    5 stars
    OMG vegetables with bacon? Brilliant!

    Reply
  7. mary says

    January 18, 2017 at 8:13 am

    Only one word for this – Brilliant!

    Reply

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I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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