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This Quick and Easy Green Bean Skillet is an easy and delicious side dish that’s easy enough for a weeknight meal but fancy enough for a holiday meal!

So let’s talk about green beans. Whenever I have green beans at the holidays it’s almost always the traditional green bean casserole. If someone else cooked it then it’s complete with “cream of” soup. If I cook it I make it with a homemade sauce.

Any other time of the year I tend to either roast my green beans with a little bit of garlic or else I saute them with balsamic vinegar and garlic. I don’t really make them any other way.

So when I saw this recipe for an easy green bean skillet I took a look at it. The first thing I noticed was the bacon. Whenever you pair green beans and bacon the magic starts happening.

Ingredients:

bacon
garlic
shallot
French style green beans
butter
salt
pepper

Cut the bacon into 1 inch pieces and add to a skillet over medium heat. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon has browned. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
Drain all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease from the pan. Return the pan to medium heat and add the shallot and garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the green beans to the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes.
Add the butter, salt, and pepper, and heat until the butter has melted.
Stir in the bacon and cook for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve immediately.

The other thing I noticed about this recipe is that it uses French style green beans. I’m not a big fan of canned green beans but I do like how thin the French style ones are.

To make this recipe you basically fry up some bacon until it is crisp and golden brown. Drain off some of the bacon fat and then saute the shallots and green beans in the remaining bacon fat. I mean, how can you go wrong with this?

Plus this recipe takes around 15 minutes so it’s perfect for an easy weeknight meal. Double or triple the recipe and you have enough for a holiday meal.

I don’t eat meat. Can I make this vegetarian?

You sure can! Instead of making the bacon and using the bacon grease simply melt 2 tablespoons of butter and saute the onions in that at the start. While it won’t have quite the flavor it does with the bacon it will still be delicious!

Can I use fresh green beans in this recipe?

You can use fresh green beans but you need to cook them first. You can either steam them for about 5 minutes or boil them in water for 5 minutes before continuing on with the recipe. I would also recommend you cut them in half or even thirds for this recipe to work properly.

I don’t have space on the stove to make these. Can I make these ahead of time and warm them up?

Yes! Make them up to 2 days ahead of time. I wouldn’t mix the bacon into the green beans until you are ready to warm it back up as it will become soggy. Place it in a baking dish and refrigerate. When ready to heat up place in an oven at 350 or 375 and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the green beans are heated through.

At the holidays you could also sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese or slivered almonds to fancy it up a bit but honestly it doesn’t really need anything else.

You can even make this dish ahead of time and warm it up whenever you need it. It’s a great quick and easy side dish that kids and adults will both enjoy!

More Green Bean Recipes:

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