Green Beans and Potatoes

Green beans and potatoes with bacon is the crazy delicious side dish that everyone loves! It's made all in one pot, and comes together in less than 30 minutes. If you can buy a bag of greens beans that are washed, trimmed and ready to cook, this side dish recipe is a breeze.

Green beans and potatoes

This side dish is something that should grace your table weekly from Spring until Fall, in my extremely biased opinion, of course. Tiny potatoes and fresh green beans have overlapping growing seasons from Spring to Summer, and it's truly a match made in Heaven. The only other things we need to invite to the party are bacon and onions, because when are vegetables not enhanced by bacon and onion? The answer is never, however, if you're bacon adverse, I have a tip for you below so that you don't miss out on this incredible dish.

Red new potatoes, also called baby potatoes or Spring potatoes, start coming up from the garden in the Spring, and can stay fresh with proper storage until Fall. Even though the potatoes have skins, the red skin is very thin and hardly noticeable when cooked in this way. When combined with crisp, fresh green beans and smoky bacon, they're the perfect match.

Another delicious thing to do with green beans is my green bean casserole.

Ingredients:

The ingredients in this recipe are the perfect way to season green beans and potatoes.

• bacon: 4 strips of black pepper bacon are my favorite for this recipe, but regular bacon will work. If you use turkey bacon, reduce the cooking time so it doesn't burn.
• onion
• garlic
• potatoes: Two pounds of baby potatoes, also called new potatoes or red-skinned potatoes.
• vegetable broth
• seasoned salt: Seasoned salt is salt with extra spices added to it. It usually contains paprika, garlic, turmeric, onion powder, black pepper and parsley.
• freshly ground black pepper
• green beans: One pound of fresh green beans, rinsed and stem ends trimmed off. See below for tips on using canned green beans instead.

How to cook green beans and potatoes on the stove

1. First, ensure that your green beans are trimmed from all stems, washed and dried. Then, scrub and rinse your new potatoes, and set them aside.
   
2. Add the chopped bacon to a Dutch oven or deep stock pot, and turn the heat to medium high. Let the bacon cook and render its fat as it turns golden brown. Once the bacon looks the way it does in the photo above (it starts to crisp up), use a slotted spoon to remove it from the pan. We're using a slotted spoon so that we leave the fat behind in the pan.
   *If you want to keep this recipe vegetarian, skip the bacon. Saute the onion in vegetable oil, and then add 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika to the pot with the chicken broth.
   
3. Add the diced onion to the pot, and cook it in the bacon fat. Stir frequently, and cook the onion for 5-7 minutes, until it starts to turn golden brown around the edges. (Again, se photo for reference). When the onion looks soft, add the garlic and cook while stirring for 30 seconds.
4. We're going to add the potatoes to the pan first, so that they can get a head start on cooking. Potatoes take longer to cook than green beans. So, add the clean potatoes, broth, seasoned salt, plenty of freshly ground black pepper and potatoes to the pot, and then give everything a stir. Place the lid on the pot and let the potatoes cook for just 5-7 minutes; it's not enough time to cook them completely but almost!
   
   5. Now, it's time to add the green beans to the pot! Green beans only take another 5-6 minutes to cook. We don't want overly soggy greens beans, so this is why we don't add them at the same time as the potatoes. Place the lid back on the pot, and then taste a green bean at the 5 minute mark. If they're crisp tender and perfect for you, turn off the heat; if you want them cooked longer, place the lid back on for 2-3 minutes at a time. 
   6. When the green beans and potatoes are done cooking, stir the bacon pieces back into the pan, and serve.

Can you use canned green beans?

You can used canned green beans with this recipe, but the cooking time is will be different. If you're using canned green beans, cook the potatoes all the way through before adding the green beans. It will be about 11-14 minutes to cook the baby potatoes with the broth and seasonings. Just before serving, stir in the canned green beans and heat just until warmed through. Canned green beans are already very soft and tender, and do not need anything more than a warm up.

What goes with green beans and potatoes?

I think all you need to go with green beans and potatoes is a light protein, like honey mustard chicken thighs. If that seems like too much bacon in one meal (is that a thing?), you can always serve it with a crisp salad with croutons.

Green Beans and Potatoes

Yield: 4-6

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Green beans and potatoes with bacon for a Spring or Summer side dish.

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Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds clean red new potatoes, left whole if tiny OR diced if larger
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• ¾ teaspoon seasoned salt (such as Lawry’s)
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound fresh green beans, washed and trimmed

Instructions

1. In a large Dutch oven, turn the heat to medium, and add the diced bacon. Cook the bacon, stirring frequently, until it’s starting to crisp up and is nearly cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
2. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pan and set aside on a paper towel to drain.
3. Add the diced onion to the pan, and cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and starting to turn golden brown around the edges, about 5 more minutes.
4. Next, add the garlic, saute for 30 seconds.
5. Add the potatoes, stir, and then add the broth, seasoned salt and pepper.
6. Stir everything together very well, and then place the lid on the pot, lower the heat to medium low. Let the potatoes cook for 5-7 minutes, until nearly cooked through.
7. Remove the lid, stir the potatoes, and then add the green beans.
8. Stir the green beans and potatoes together to coat everything evenly, and then place the lid on the pan. Cook the green beans until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Taste a green bean and poke a potato to ensure they’re done.
9. Stir the cooked bacon back into the pan, and serve hot.

Notes

bacon: 4 strips of black pepper bacon are my favorite for this recipe, but regular bacon will work. If you use turkey bacon, reduce the cooking time so it doesn't burn.
potatoes: Two pounds of baby potatoes, also called new potatoes or red-skinned potatoes.
seasoned salt: Seasoned salt is salt with extra spices added to it. It usually contains paprika, garlic, turmeric, onion powder, black pepper and parsley.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 320Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 842mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 9gSugar: 8gProtein: 12g