Southern Green Beans

These Southern Green Beans are buttery, smoky, and slowly braised until they’re super soft, soaking up all that savory broth with bacon and onion. The kind you keep sneaking out of the pot before dinner. We love Southern food around here, and this is exactly why. Even a humble green bean gets this much love.

Canned green beans? We need to talk.

I didn’t grow up eating canned food, and I still don’t know how people eat canned vegetables and carry on with dinner like nothing happened. Meanwhile, I’m sitting there wondering if this is why so many kids refuse to eat their vegetables. Honestly, I’d like to hear their side of the story.

Make these Southern green beans with bacon once, and I think those cans will be staying on the shelf. There’s just too much buttery, smoky goodness here to go back.

Even Noah, who usually wants nothing to do with green things, asked for more. Which makes me think the kids aren’t the problem. Maybe we should try cooking the green beans before deciding they don’t like them. Opening a can doesn’t count. We only get so many dinners in this life. I’m not wasting mine on something I’m supposed to eat after the power’s been out for a week. 🙂

What Are Southern Green Beans?

Southern green beans are an old-fashioned side dish made by slowly simmering green beans with bacon or other pork, onion, and flavorful cooking liquid until they’re wonderfully soft and deeply savory.

If you’re used to quickly steamed or sautéed green beans with a little crunch, like Green Beans Almondine, these take a different approach. They spend some time in the pot, soaking up the smoky flavor as they soften. Their bright green color fades during cooking, and that’s perfectly fine. We’re letting these beans get nice and soft, with plenty of time to soak up all that smoky, buttery goodness.

Recipes vary from kitchen to kitchen. Some use bacon, while others use ham hocks or salt pork, and you’ll sometimes find potatoes sharing the pot.

Ingredients Needed

For exact ingredient amounts, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Here are the things you will need:

• Green beans – Fresh green beans are the star here. I snip off the stem ends and leave the beans whole, but you can snap them into shorter pieces if you prefer. Regular green beans work beautifully for this long, slow simmer.
• Bacon – It gives the beans their smoky, savory flavor. The fat is used to cook the onion and coat the beans, while the bacon continues flavoring everything as it simmers.
• Onion – Cooking it in the bacon fat softens it and brings out its sweetness. It practically melts into the broth during that long simmer.
• Chicken broth – This is the flavorful liquid the beans slowly cook in. It also helps loosen those delicious browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
• Butter – It adds richness to the broth and gives the beans that lovely buttery flavor. Combined with the bacon drippings, it makes every spoonful extra good.
• Seasonings – Garlic powder adds savory flavor throughout the pot, while brown sugar brings a touch of sweetness to balance the smoky bacon. Red chili flakes add a gentle kick, which you can adjust to your liking. Salt and pepper to taste, remembering that the bacon and broth already contribute salt.

How to Make Southern Green Beans

Brown the bacon: Cook the chopped bacon in a large pot over medium heat until nicely browned.

Saute onion: I leave both the bacon and the drippings in the pot, then add the onion. Let it soften for about 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Bacon and onion cooking together… always a good beginning.

Add the green beans and seasonings: Add the trimmed green beans and give them a good toss in those bacon drippings. Stir in the garlic powder, brown sugar, chili flakes, salt, and pepper, mixing everything so the beans get coated.

Pour in the broth: Pour in the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let the beans gently simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. This is where a little patience pays off. Give them time to soften and soak up that smoky broth.

I check the liquid now and then and add a splash of broth or water if the pot starts looking dry.

Final touches: Once the beans are soft all the way through, stir in the butter until melted. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve with the bacon, onion, and some of that delicious buttery broth spooned over the top.

Alpana’s Tips

• Give the bacon time to brown. That first step builds the flavor for the whole pot. Let the fat render and the bacon get some color before adding the onion.
• Keep the heat gentle. Once the lid goes on, you want a quiet simmer. A hard boil can cook away the broth too quickly and break up the beans as they soften.
• Let tenderness be your guide. I start checking around the hour mark, but thicker beans may need a little longer. Take one out and taste it. If it’s still firm, give the pot more time.
• Keep an eye on the broth. Pot size, lid fit, and heat all affect how quickly liquid evaporates. Add a little more when needed so the bottom doesn’t dry out. You can also add extra chicken broth if you like your beans a little brothier.
• Go gently with the spoon. Once the beans are soft, stir carefully so they stay together. They’ve had a lovely long simmer. No need to rough them up now.

What to Serve with Southern Green Beans

I love these alongside fried chicken, meatloaf, pork chops, or a Sunday roast. Add mashed potatoes, and suddenly everybody has a reason to sit down and stay a while.

They’re also wonderful with barbecue, where that smoky bacon flavor fits right in, or on a holiday table beside turkey or ham.

And please consider some cornbread. Once you get to that buttery broth at the bottom of your plate, you’ll want something to soak it up with. Leaving it behind would be a very sad ending to an otherwise excellent dinner.

Soft, buttery beans, smoky bacon, and that lovely broth just waiting for a piece of cornbread… this is why I’m happy to give green beans an hour on the stove. Don’t be surprised if everyone finishes their vegetables before anything else on the plate.

Somewhere, a mom is reading this with a can opener in her hand, thinking, “Does this woman expect me to snip fresh green beans?” Yes, I do. But once the lid goes on, you have a whole hour of “dinner’s cooking.” Pour yourself something nice and sit down. If somebody calls for you, you’re keeping an eye on the beans. Opening a can barely gives you that “ME” time you deserve every now and then.

More veggie side dishes:
Fried Green Tomatoes
Steakhouse Creamed Spinach
Southern Collard Greens
Creamed Peas & Onions
Cajun Butter Corn
Squash Casserole

Recipe Video

Southern Green Beans (Recipe + Video)

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

These Southern Green Beans are slow simmered with smoky bacon, onion, and buttery broth until perfectly tender. An old-fashioned Southern side dish that's perfect for Sunday dinners and holidays!

5.0 Stars (3 Reviews)

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Ingredients

• 8oz bacon, cut into pieces
• ½ onion, diced
• ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
• 2 pounds green beans (we keep them whole with ends snipped)
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

1. Place the bacon pieces in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is browned and has released its fat.
2. Add the diced onion and red chili flakes. Cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened.
3. Add the whole green beans. Toss well with the bacon and onion so the beans are coated in the bacon fat. Stir in the garlic powder, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir for 5-6 minutes.
4. Pour in the chicken broth. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen the browned bits and stir them into the broth for extra flavor. The broth does not need to completely cover the beans. Bring everything to simmer.
5. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to help the beans cook evenly. The beans should be very tender and infused with the smoky bacon broth. Check the liquid occasionally and add a splash of broth or water if the pot starts getting dry.
6. Stir in the butter after the hour of cooking, allowing it to melt into the green beans. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Serve with the bacon, onion, and buttery cooking broth spooned over the green beans.

Notes

1. Keep the green beans whole with the ends trimmed, or snap them in half for easier serving.
2. These are Southern-style green beans, so they should be soft and tender after simmering, rather than crisp.
3. The broth does not need to cover the beans completely. Keep the pot covered and stir occasionally so they cook evenly. Add a splash of broth or water if the liquid gets too low.

Nutrition Information

Yield 6 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 296Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 7gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 49mgSodium 965mgCarbohydrates 19gFiber 7gSugar 11gProtein 17g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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