My Nana’s Famous Green Bean recipe! Made with just a handful of ingredients including bacon, this easy green bean recipe make a delicious addition to any meal! One of the most requested recipes from my family – year-round! Enjoy these tasty green beans with the ultimate Chicken Fried Steak and the BEST dinner rolls for a family dinner you won’t forget!
Green Bean Recipe
Growing up, my Nana was my biggest supporter of my efforts in the kitchen. Almost every day after school I would go to her house and we would make something. Usually involving chocolate. My Nana had a sweet tooth just like me.
Green Beans with Bacon
So much of my time is spent developing new recipes that I often forget to share family recipes that totally rock my world. I’ve shared my Nana’s To-Die-For Carrot Cake, her Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Crunch Balls and her Sausage Gravy and I just couldn’t wait another day to share this one with you all.
One of my Nana’s recipes that is near and dear to my heart is Nana’s famous green beans. My Nana would serve up these mouth-watering green beans for all sorts of special occasions.
What my Nana never realized was how much more special each of those occasions became with the addition of her famous green beans to the menu.
Fresh Green Bean Recipes
I’m always on this lookout for fresh green bean recipes or string beans recipe because that is one of my favorites to grow in the garden each summer.
We love to make these green beans in the slow cooker too.
Can I Add Potato?
You’ll notice that in my slow cooker version of this recipe above, I have potatoes in with the green beans. That’s something that my Nana would do on occasion and I love the additional flavor and texture the potatoes add to this side dish.
They also help to stretch it when needed.
You can absolutely add potatoes to this dish – you really only need one russet, diced. Stir it in with the green beans.
Green Bean Recipe Ingredients
Four ingredients you guys. That’s it. Each plays a critical role so don’t leave any of them out!
- Fresh green beans – canned green beans can also be “doctored” up using this recipe
- Bacon
- Onion
- Chicken broth or water (use the broth os stock if you can)
To this day, they are frequently requested and often enjoyed throughout the year by my family. They never fail to make it to my sister’s birthday dinner, our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, and any other time we have fresh green beans available.
What Makes These Green Beans the Best?
The beans are cooked with bacon and onions for as long as possible until they become so tender and flavorful that it’s hard to resist snatching one or two each time you check on them. Green bean recipes with bacon are the BEST because the smokiness of the bacon adds so much flavor to the dish.
We frequently serve a “real” vegetable or salad with these green beans because they are just too good to count. My Nana’s Green Beans will be served at our Thanksgiving meal and again at Christmas this year, and every year.
Enjoy!
More Must Make Side Dishes
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Twice Baked Potato Casserole
- Best Ever Broccoli Salad
- Best Ever Cranberry Sauce – just read the reviews!
- The Best Turkey Gravy recipe – complete with all my tips and tricks for silky smooth gravy
- Stuffing Recipe with Sausage Cranberries and Apples
How To Make The Best Green Beans
My Nana’s Famous Green Beans
Ingredients
- 6 slices of bacon
- 2 pounds of rinsed and trimmed fresh green beans
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth or water
- salt and pepper to taste I usually don't add salt because the bacon is plenty salty
Instructions
- Cut the bacon into small pieces and cook over medium heat in a heavy 3 qt saucepan until the bacon is fully rendered.
- DO NOT remove any of the bacon grease - it's what makes these green beans so amazing!
- Add the onions and saute with bacon until transparent.
- Add green beans and pepper and stir making sure the bacon drippings are getting mixed in well.
- Add chicken broth and reduce heat to low.
- Cover and continue cooking the green beans for 30 minutes up to two hours, stirring occasionally. Make sure there is liquid in the bottom of your pot so that the beans don’t get scorched.
- Check for seasoning levels and add salt and pepper if necessary.
- Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Originally published November 22, 2013.
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Carole says
I just made Nana Green Beans. Absolutely delicious!
Esther H says
I like to cook mine just like Connie’s Mom does, with potatoes and sometimes I will add some diced tomatoes just because. THEY ARE SO GOOD EITHER WAY!!
deborah says
my mom and grandma cooked their greenbeans all day too so do i i dont see how anyone can eat a cruchy greenbean like all the cooks on tv dose i have never had a cruchy greenbean and i dont want to start now i am 65 years old.my granny and mom often used fatback o cook their brown beans and geenbeans the bst eaten in va there ever was with corn bread and not the sweet kind.
Di says
This is the same recipe my grandmother used. She sometimes added waxy potatoes to the mix.
Kerstin says
We love your Nana’s Famous Green Beans. This has become our go to recipe for green beans for a few years now. Perfect for Thanksgiving and all year round. Thank you!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
That makes me so happy! Thank you!
Danielle Postell says
Do you serve with the broth or just pull the beans out and serve?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I usually scoop out the beans and put in a serving dish and then drizzle some of the cooking broth over the top so they don’t dry out at all. Plus there’s a lot of flavor in it!
Roy P says
My Mom was cooking green beans straight from the garden one day. Talking on the phone and scorched the beans. Not burned mind you but scorched brown. Well she was going to throw them out but was on the phone and forgot to. I came in from work and fixed a plate of food and was eating. She said no don’t eat that I burnt them. Looked her right in the eye and said please keep cooking them like this.
And that was 45 yrs ago and we are still scorching our beans. Tried this recipe and yes I scorched the beans after tasting like written. To me ur beans are good but mine taste better LOL . Loved you’re beans also.
Judy says
Would it still be good if I use turkey bacon?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Definitely!
Sandy says
Trish, I love your Nana’s green bean recipe. Exactly how my g-ma made them!
Lori says
The bacon and the onion are perfect pairings with green beans!
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
This looks really delish! A must-try for Thanksgiving!
Brenda says
This is an easy way to do green beans, love the bacon!
Liz says
Nothing better than a tried and true family recipe especially when bacon is involved! This is one tasty side dish!
Barbara Schieving says
How great that you were able to spend so much time in the kitchen with your nana. These beans are great.
Joanne says
These are SO good. So simple too!
Carie says
Delish
Aysegul Sanford says
These green beans are the best. So similar to how my mom used to make them.
Jennifer Farley says
The bacon adds such a great element! Thanks for sharing!
Kristi says
These were delicious!
Stephanie L Helms says
Hello! These are delicious, a wonderful recipe! I was curious though, how many cans of beans could we use to substitute the fresh? Thank you.
Becky says
Made for Easter and thee were a big hit. House smelled so good while cooking. They
Were mouth watering delicious. You know when they’re done because they melt
Into your mouth. I used Montreal steak seasoning instead of pepper.
No salt. Chicken broth so yummy. My son and husband who won’t eat green beans loved them. I can’t wait to make them again! Thanks!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
EXACTLY. You just got me craving these – I think they are going to have to happen this weekend lol! Thanks for stopping by!
Pamela Nihiser says
Hi, I would love to try these just wondering how changing the chicken broth to water does? We have a chicken allergy and can’t use it.
Carroll says
Try beef broth.
Nancy says
This is similar to my recipe and I always just used water. They are still amazing!
Amell says
Does anyone know how long it took for theirs to cook ? 30min -2hrs is a big range. Im just trying to make sure all my sides are done at the same time. Thanks!
Mikele says
Longer is better… figure at least 1 1/2 hrs.
Sophia says
I’m a native Californian and first had this dish while living in Missouri. One bite full and I swore I would never eat green beans any othr way again! So I’ll be serving this for the holiday meal to my CA fam….they are expecting green bean casserole….they’ll get a treat wih this recipe instead!
Babynamesworld says
I have made these the last two easters!!!!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Ha! Me too 🙂 A family favorite to be sure!
Ann Cunningham says
This is the way my mom made her greenbeans and omg they were always delicious and this is the way I fix them now.
Ivory says
OMG, your green beans looks so mouthwatering good. Thanks!
connie says
My mom made green beans just like your recipe except she would add a couple extra things: small amount
of olive oil, garlic, and sometimes she would add potatoes. The potatoes taste so good cooked this way. I
think my mom got her recipe from her mom, my nana. No recipe or amounts, I just learned how it was made.
SuzieW says
I was just reading Whole30, you must have read my mind. Any more ideas for Whole30 compliant recipes?
Lesli Marshall says
My grandmother, Mimi, made some similar to this, with just a pinch of sugar to the final product. MMmmMmmm! It is the ONLY way I eat green beans!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Me too Lesli! So delicious and I am so going to give that pinch of sugar a try!
Kari H says
Sounds great!! Can you tell me approximately how many servings in 2# of green beans? Thanks. Planning on serving with our Easter ham.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Hi Kari! I would say between 6 and 8 servings. Enjoy!
Tracy says
Trish, the directions say to add in pepper and green beans. I don’t see pepper listed in the ingredients.
Are you talking about seasoning or green pepper?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Just pepper the seasoning Tracy! I usually put in a quarter teaspoon or so to start and then adjust at the end. Hope that helps!
Kristen Duke says
You can’t really go wrong adding bacon to anything!! I will be trying these out soon – they sound tasty! Nana’s always know best!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Yes they do Kristen – thank you!
Valerie Lunsford-Winbush says
My family & I love string beans, so I was interested in trying something new. I made this recipe today, and it was a slam dunk! I initially thought the string beans would be greasy from the bacon, but they were not. The string beans were delicious. As a matter of fact, my nephew was mad there were no leftovers. The only change I made was that I used canned string beans in lieu of fresh. Thanks, Mom on Timeout, for sharing your Nana’s recipe.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Valerie! It’s a family favorite 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend!
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting says
Holy cow!! Bacon in green beans, I am totally sold!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
LOL! Can’t go wrong with that combo right? Thanks Julianne!
Allie | Baking a Moment says
These sound amazing with the bacon & green onion, & it’s so evident how much this recipe means to you. I can see how much love went into these green beans! Thank you for sharing such a treasured recipe!
Nici says
Oh, my goodness, Trish! I can almost taste these. They sound just like my Mamaw’s green beans that she would make from her garden. I can smell the bacon sizzling. Thanks so much for posting this. I have never made green beans this way, but I plan on trying it real soon. Pinned! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Blessings,
Nici
Monet says
Bacon can do wonders for vegetables, can’t it? This looks so good and I can see why it became a family classic!