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Southern style green beans simmer slowly on the stovetop with bacon and onions until the fresh green beans are tender, flavorful, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious! These country-style vegetables are an easy side dish to serve with pan-fried pork chops, chicken fried steak, roasted chicken, or shrimp and grits.
Table of Contents
If you love green bean recipes, be sure to try these slow cooker green beans, a pan of Arkansas green beans with bacon, Amish green beans with brown butter, and roasted green beans, too!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Flavorful: These Southern-style green beans are slow-cooked with savory ingredients like bacon, onions, and garlic, infusing the beans with a rich and complex flavor.
- Comforting Tradition: These green beans are a staple in Southern cuisine, evoking feelings of nostalgia and comfort. They’re often associated with family gatherings, holidays, and cherished recipes passed down through generations. Maybe they remind you of your mom or grandmother, too?
- Versatile Side Dish: Whether served alongside fried chicken, barbecue ribs, or a Thanksgiving turkey, old fashioned southern green beans complement a wide range of main dishes, adding a satisfyingly hearty veggie to the meal.
Very good beans. I used a paper towel to blot a bit of the bacon grease up. I cooked mine for 45 minutes and the texture was great – soft without being soggy. They went well with your cornmeal crusted catfish. Will definitely make these again. Thanks for the recipe.
– Nadia
What Makes Southern Style Green Beans Different from Other Green Bean Recipes?
There’s a bit of a Green Bean Debate out there: namely, whether they should be cooked-to-death-until-they’re-so-tender-they’re-almost-mushy or whether they’re best when they’re still bright green and just crisp-tender.
Today, we’re focused on old fashioned southern green beans, which are cooked low and slow until they’re fall-apart tender. These country-style beans are typically simmered in broth or water alongside a smoky meat — such as bacon, ham hocks, or smoked turkey — as well as other seasonings. The end result is a pot of soft, richly-flavored beans that are a tasty companion for almost any entrée.
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for the best southern style green beans recipe. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Bacon: infuses the beans with smoky, salty flavor. Ham hocks are also commonly used in southern-style green bean recipes, making them a nice substitute for the bacon here. You can also add flavor to the green beans with a smoked ham bone, smoked sausage, smoked turkey wings, or smoked pork neck bones.
- Green beans (string beans): fresh green beans are ideal when available; however, you can also substitute with frozen cut green beans or frozen French-style green beans. Snap or cut off the ends to trim them before chopping. If using frozen green beans, you do not need to thaw them before adding them to the pot.
- Onion: for added flavor.
- Chicken broth: simmering the green beans in a rich broth adds more flavor to the vegetables than you would otherwise get with just water.
- Sugar: a touch of sweetness to balance the savory flavors in the dish. Add extra sugar for a sweeter taste. You can also substitute with brown sugar instead of granulated sugar.
- Soy sauce: for a savory, umami flavor.
- Salt and pepper: the total amount necessary will depend on the saltiness of your broth and bacon, so adjust according to personal preference.
Directions
Making southern style green beans from scratch is incredibly easy. This is the method to use if you want to cook fresh green beans so they are soft! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Cook the bacon until crisp.
- Add the onion to the drippings in the pot and cook until softened.
- Stir in the green beans, chicken broth, sugar, soy sauce, black pepper and half of the cooked bacon.
- Bring the liquid to a boil, cover with a lid, and cook until the green beans are tender, about 45 minutes.
- Taste and season with salt, if necessary.
- Garnish with the reserved bacon and serve!
Serving Suggestions
These southern style green beans with bacon are the perfect addition to any down-home comfort food dinner. Pair the vegetables with fried chicken, Dutch oven pork roast with gravy, Cajun pork chops, and Southern meatloaf. Don’t forget to round out the meal with some cornbread, biscuits, mac and cheese, crispy red potatoes, or collard greens, too!
Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: These green beans just get better as they sit and the flavors come together, so feel free to make a big batch in advance.
- How to Store: Stored in an airtight container, the leftovers will last in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.
- How to Freeze: Allow the green beans to cool completely before transferring to freezer-safe containers or bags. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. You might find that the fats (from the bacon) solidify when the green beans cool, which is no problem. You can either spoon off some of the hardened fat, or just reheat the pot and stir the fat back into the broth. Remember, fat is flavor!
- How to Reheat: Place the beans, broth, and other ingredients in a skillet or Dutch oven on the stovetop. Cook over low heat, just until warmed through. You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave until warm, about 30-60 seconds.
Recipe Variations
- Add more seasonings to the green beans, if desired. You can use seasoned salt or garlic salt instead of regular salt, or try garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, or crushed red pepper flakes.
- Finish the green beans with a splash of vinegar for a bright, acidic touch.
- For added heat, season the veggies with Cajun seasoning or Creole seasoning, some hot sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, or a dash of cayenne.
- Garnish with fresh herbs (such as chopped parsley, thyme, chives, or basil), a dash of hot sauce, a dash of vinegar, or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for a bright finishing touch.
Expert Tips
- Stir the pot occasionally while the green beans are cooking. This will ensure even cooking and flavor.
- The total amount of salt necessary will depend on personal taste preference, and on the saltiness of your broth and bacon. As a result, taste and season as you go!
- Adjust the total cooking time to suit you preferences. Thirty minutes might be sufficient if you like more in-tact, sturdy beans, while a full hour might be necessary for a really broken-down, tender pot. That’s the beauty of using a Dutch oven (rather than a slow cooker or Instant pot) — you have full control and can easily take them off of the heat when necessary.
More Recipes with Green Beans
Three Bean Salad
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Green Beans and Mushrooms
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Southern Style Green Beans
Ingredients
- 5 slices bacon, chopped
- 2 lbs. fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in half or thirds crosswise
- 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or cast iron braiser, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 5-7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the drippings in the pot.
- Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5-6 minutes. Add the green beans, chicken broth, sugar, soy sauce, black pepper, and half of the cooked bacon into the pot with the onion. Set the remaining half of the bacon aside to use as a garnish at the end.
- Bring the broth to a boil; reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer (stirring occasionally) until the green beans are very tender, about 40-45 minutes. Taste and season with salt, if necessary. Garnish with reserved crispy bacon.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in April, 2021. The photos were updated in May, 2024.
I am with you on green beans! Having grown up in WV where green beans were cooked till soft with bacon or ham, I had a hard time getting used to crisp tender green beans after moving to MA. Now I appreciate both, but agree that they are completely different vegetables!!
Yesss! Perfectly said, Sue! I hope you’ll try this version 🙂
Very good beans. I used a paper towel to blot a bit of the bacon grease up. I cooked mine for 45 minutes and the texture was great – soft without being soggy. They went well with your cornmeal crusted catfish. Will definitely make these again. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks, Nadia! So glad that you enjoyed them!
Do frozen green beans taste as good as fresh in this recipe? What is easiest way to prep fresh beans? I’m have arthritis in my hands and it’s harder for me to break my beans.
Same here, and I gave up on breaking or snapping them. After rinsing the fresh beans well, I use a sharp knife & my cutting board and it goes pretty fast and not hard on my hands.
Thanks, Gail!