Southern Style Green Beans - Gonna Want Seconds

Updated 3/24/25

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My Southern-style green beans are meltingly tender, buttery, and deliciously smoky! These are vegetables your whole family will ask for. I predict they’ll quickly become a favorite in your house and in your regular dinner rotation!

If you’re from the South, I can almost bet your grandma made green beans just like these. My grandma used to serve these almost every Sunday supper, right after church. This recipe is pure Southern goodness that, with one taste, will take you back to your grandma’s kitchen!

If you love green beans, you’ll love my sweet and smoky Arkansas green beans, roasted green beans, green bean casserole, and my super-easy air fryer green beans!

WHAT YOU’LL LOVE ABOUT THESE SOUTHERN-STYLE GREEN BEANS

Is there anything more wonderful than a green thing that your kids don’t scoff at? Dinner~winner in my book!

• Kids love these!
• BACON
• Easy to make
• Slow-cooked flavor without the slow cooker

SOUTHERN GREEN BEANS INGREDIENTS

• Bacon: I use nitrite—and nitrate-free bacon. It’s a little more expensive, but the health benefits make it worth it.
• Green Beans: This recipe is best made with fresh green string beans. Trim them and cut them in half or in thirds, depending on their length.
• Chicken Broth: I like to use low-sodium broth to control the salt in the overall dish.
• Salt + Black Pepper: The perfect simple seasoning to finish off these beans!

TIPS

• Dry: After rinsing the beans, it’s very important to dry them! If you have excess water when you add the beans to the hot bacon grease, you risk painful splattering. Avoid the danger by drying your beans with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels! Please!!
• Onion: Try this recipe with a bit of onion! Chop up 1/2 cup of yellow onion and sauté it in the bacon drippings for about 5 minutes, with the heat on medium-low, before adding the green beans.
• Fresh is Best: Use fresh green beans! You know that I love using convenience foods when the time is right, but this is NOT one of those times. You need the structural integrity of fresh beans to stand up to the long cooking time. Frozen or canned beans would just disintegrate!
• Save Your Bacon Grease: This ingredient adds extra flavor without any extra work. I use it in a lot of my Southern recipes.
• Ham Hock: If you happen to have a ham hock on hand, throw it into the Dutch oven with the green beans.

TOOLS YOU’LL NEED

The tools to make this country-style green beans recipe are very straightforward:

• A colander, for draining your beans.
• A clean kitchen towel.
• A large pan.
• A spoon.

STORING + FREEZING + MAKE-AHEAD

• How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? These Southern-style green beans with bacon will last for 4 days when stored in an airtight container.
• Can You Freeze This? Yes! This makes a great freezer meal to have on hand when you need a quick, delicious side dish. Portion out your green beans and store them in the freezer for up to 2 months.  The lack of dairy or other more perishable ingredients gives these southern green beans a long shelf life.
  • To thaw, simply pop your containers in the microwave and hit the “thaw” setting!
• Make-Ahead Tips: Since these beans have to simmer for at least an hour, they come with make-ahead built right in! Just start them an hour before you need them, and they’ll be ready and waiting for you. You can also make them ahead of time and store them overnight! Just reheat and serve.
• Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety, check out this link.

SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SOUTHERN-STYLE GREEN BEANS

I love serving these Southern-style green beans with bacon grease with just about anything! But they’re awesome with more Southern classics. Try my smothered chicken, crockpot pork chops smothered in mushroom onion gravy, chicken lazone, blackened chicken, jambalaya, or my baked mac and cheese.

My grandma always had biscuits on the table for every Sunday dinner! Try our super quick and easy Bisquick biscuits, cheddar biscuits, Cathead biscuits, butter swim biscuits, or 7-Up biscuits!

MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES!

• Broccoli Salad
• Sautéed Asparagus
• Roasted Broccoli
• Simple Roasted Peppers
• Roasted Garlic Asparagus With Feta
• Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole
• Carrot Salad
• Fajita Veggies
• Fried Cabbage And Bacon
• Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
• Creamed Peas
• Green Beans With Bacon
• Okra and Tomatoes

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Southern Style Green Beans

Southern Style Green Beans aren't just for Easter anymore! Make them go with a summer BBQ or a family get together --they're a veggie treat! Prep Time10 minutes minsCook Time1 hour hrTotal Time1 hour hr 3 minutes mins Servings: 10 servings Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 slices bacon cut into small pieces
• ▢ 2 pounds fresh green beans ends trimmed and snaped in half
• ▢ 2 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Rinse beans in a colander, then wrap up in a clean dish towel to dry.
• Cook bacon pieces (4 slices) in a large Dutch oven or pot until crisp. Add green beans (2 pounds) to the pan and continue to cook on medium heat, tossing beans well to coat in bacon dripping, until beans turn bright green about 3 minutes. Slowly add the chicken broth (2 cups), then the salt (1/2 teaspoon) and pepper (1/2 teaspoon), and bring to a simmer.
• Simmer on low, covered with the lid cracked just a bit, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Adjust seasoning. Remove to serving platter with a slotted spoon. Top with a sprinkle or so of the cooking liquid and serve.

Fans Also Made:

• Sausage Green Bean Potato Casserole
• Southern Collard Greens Recipe
• Tennessee Onions
• Three Bean Salad Recipe

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Notes

1. Dry: After rinsing the beans, it’s VERY important to dry them! When you add the beans to the hot bacon grease, you risk reactions like this one if you have excess water. Avoid the danger by drying your beans with a clean kitchen towel! Please!!
2. Onion: Try this recipe with a bit of onion! Chop up 1/2 cup of yellow onion and sauté it in the bacon drippings for about 5 minutes, with the heat on medium-low, before adding the green beans.
3. Fresh is Best: Use fresh green beans! You know that I love using convenience foods when the time is right, but this is NOT one of those times. You need the structural integrity of fresh beans to stand up to the long cooking time. Frozen or canned beans would just disintegrate!

Nutrition

Serving: 1/10 of the recipe | Calories: 67.4kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 352mg | Potassium: 246mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 625IU | Vitamin C: 14.4mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1.1mg DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I'D LOVE TO SEE!Tag @GonnaWantSeconds or #gonnawantseconds on Instagram! © Gonna Want Seconds. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media/website/blog is strictly prohibited.

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