Garlic Parmesan Green Beans with Bacon - The Recipe Critic (2024)

Jump to RecipeJump to Video

This website may contain affiliate links and advertising so that we can provide recipes to you. Read my disclosure policy.

These garlic parmesan green beans are perfectly crispy, cooked in a skillet alongside some delicious bacon and make the best side dish that you can pair with any meal!

This side dish goes perfectly with my Garlic Herb Prime Rib, Spinach Bacon Stuffed Pork, or even this Honey Glazed Ham!

Garlic Parmesan Green Beans with Bacon - The Recipe Critic (1)

Crispy Green Beans Recipe

Green beans make such a great side to any meal. But when you add garlic, parmesan, and bacon, I could eat this by myself. These green beans were crisp and tender, and the flavor was incredible.

Bacon makes life better in general, so it was a total win in this green bean dish. My family devoured these green beans, and they ended up being the star of the dinner table. Use them as a side, along with some rolls and mashed potatoes and your holiday meal will be a hit!

Ingredients in Parmesan Green Beans

The not-so-secret ingredient in these green beans is the bacon. It takes them to the next level, and even the people in your life who aren’t a fan of green beans will love this recipe! Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all of the exact ingredient measurements.

  • Green Beans: The main ingredient of the dish! Wash the beans and cut off all of your ends before cooking them.
  • Bacon: There is 1/2 pound of bacon in this recipe so you will get that delicious flavor in every bite.
  • Butter: I used unsalted butter with these beans.
  • Garlic Cloves: If you don’t have fresh garlic on hand, you can use minced garlic. 1/2 teaspoon equals about one clove.
  • Parmesan Cheese: Use freshly grated parmesan in this recipe.
  • Salt and Pepper: These enhance all of the flavors in this casserole!

How to Make Garlic Parmesan Green Beans

This recipes is so easy and will take you less than 20 minutes to make! No baking necessary!

  1. Start by trimming the ends of your green beans and slice them into 2-inch pieces.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the green beans. Cook until tender, 5-8 minutes, and drain and put the green beans in an ice bath.
  3. In a medium-sized skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain the fat.
  4. Add the butter to the skillet and garlic and saute until tender.
  5. Add bacon, green beans, and parmesan cheese to the skillet and cook until heated through. Salt and pepper to taste.
Garlic Parmesan Green Beans with Bacon - The Recipe Critic (2)

Different Ways to Cook Fresh Green Beans

There are many ways to prepare fresh green beans. Some people like to cut the ends off of green beans, and others are just fine without doing so. It’s a matter of personal preference.

  • Boil:I cut off the ends of my green beans and slice into 2-inch pieces. I then put the Green Beans into a large pot and boil until they are tender (which is typically between 5-8 minutes).
  • Saute: Start by trimming the green beans to your preference. With the green beans, add a Splash of Oil to a skillet on medium heat with desired spices and stir for about 5 minutes or until tender.
  • Steam: With a Steaming basket place it into a large saucepan with water filled level with the bottom of the steamer basket. Bring to a Boil. Add your trimmed green beans to the steamer basket with the lid on, and steam for about 5 minutes or until tender.
Garlic Parmesan Green Beans with Bacon - The Recipe Critic (3)

Do I Have to Cook the Bacon First?

You want to make sure that you start the process of cooking the bacon. Cook the bacon until it is about halfway cooked through, and then add the green beans. The grease doesn’t have to be drained. It will help cook the green beans. I like my bacon more on the crispy side, so I cook the bacon pretty crispy and remove it while I am cooking the green beans. I add the bacon back in when the dish is finished.

How to Store Leftover Parmesan Green Beans

Once your green beans have cooled then you can store them in an airtight container in your fridge. They will last about 3-4 days. When you are ready to eat them you can either reheat them on the stove or in the microwave.

More Holiday Side Dishes

Rolls

1-Hour Rolls

1 hr 3 mins

Side Dishes

Cranberry Cheesecake Fluff

4 hrs 10 mins

Side Dishes

Dad’s Famous Mashed Potatoes

30 mins

Pin this now to find it later

Pin It

Garlic Parmesan Green Beans with Bacon - The Recipe Critic (8)

Save

PinPrint

Garlic Parmesan Green Beans with Bacon

By: Alyssa Rivers

Garlic Parmesan Green Beans with Bacon is such a delicious and classic side dish. Tender green beans cooked in garlic and parmesan with added bacon will be a winner at the dinner table!

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 people

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Start by trimming the ends of your green beans and slice them into 2-inch pieces.

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the green beans. Cook until tender, 5-8 minutes, and drain and put the green beans in an ice bath.

  • In a medium-sized skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain the fat.

  • Add the butter to the skillet and garlic and saute until tender.

  • Add bacon, green beans, and parmesan cheese to the skillet and cook until heated through. Salt and pepper to taste.

Video

Notes

Originally Posted on November 17, 2018

Updated on November 3, 2023

Nutrition

Calories: 117kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 4gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 158mgPotassium: 200mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 568IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 1mg

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

Additional Info

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Alyssa Rivers

Alyssa Rivers is the author of 'The Tried and True Cookbook', a professional food photographer and experienced recipe-developer. Having a passion for cooking, her tried and true recipes have been featured on Good Morning America, Today Food, Buzzfeed and more.

Read More About Me

More Ideas

Dinner

White Cheddar Mac and Cheese

40 mins

Side Dishes

Perfectly Soft Buttery Rolls

1 hr 45 mins

Side Dishes

Boursin Mashed Potatoes

25 mins

Garlic Parmesan Green Beans with Bacon - The Recipe Critic (2024)

FAQs

What is the most flavorful green bean? ›

Maxibel ~ If you only get one bush bean variety, make it Maxibel. This is a full-size (7-inch pods) French filet bean that has straight, dark green pods. A very gourmet-type bean, Maxibel has a flavor that can't be beat.

How to cook green beans in Jamie Oliver? ›

Put a pan of salted water on to boil. Meanwhile, trim the the beans. Once the water is boiling, steam or boil the beans until tender. Drain well, then tip the cooked beans into the bowl with your dressing and toss everything together, making sure all the beans get coated.

Why add baking soda to water when cooking green beans? ›

Your Beans Will Cook Faster

Well, creating an alkaline (or basic) environment by adding a small amount (about 1 teaspoon per cup of dry beans) of baking soda to your soaking/cooking water can actually help your beans cook faster.

Should you rinse canned green beans before cooking? ›

Unless the recipe tells you to keep the canned beans in their liquid, you should drain your can and give the beans a good rinse before using. This will improve the flavor and texture of your finished dish. Open your cans of beans using a can opener. There may be sharp edges from opening the can.

What adds flavor to green beans? ›

Soy sauce is one of the easiest answers to how to flavor green beans. You can throw in some of this soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, ginger, and garlic and pan fry until glassy and green and you may never want to eat green beans any other way again.

Who sells the best green beans? ›

Why is Pero America's #1 Green Bean? Family's Love Our Sweet Taste and Farm Freshness! For Five generations, Pero Family Farms has been dedicated to sustainable farming for the freshest and best tasting vegetables your family can trust.

What is the best stringless green bean? ›

Contender beans are a favorite among gardeners for their reliability, versatility, and the delectable taste of their tender green pods. The Blue Lake FM-1K Pole is a stringless pole bean that is very tasty! Blue Lake beans are known for reliability, disease resistance, flavor and high yields.

How to fancy up green beans? ›

15 Tips To Add Flavor To Green Beans
  1. Roast green beans. ...
  2. Blanch green beans and add butter. ...
  3. Grill green beans and serve with yogurt. ...
  4. Simmer green beans in chicken broth. ...
  5. Air fry green beans and add garlic powder. ...
  6. Roast in bacon fat and combine with bacon. ...
  7. Jazz them up with cream. ...
  8. Mix green beans into mac and cheese.
Feb 12, 2023

How to spice up cooked green beans? ›

Then, I toss the blanched beans with olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, and salt to pep up their flavor. Serve them just like that, or dress them up more with toasted almonds or pine nuts, grated Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, or fresh herbs like basil, parsley, or thyme.

Is it better to steam or boil fresh green beans? ›

Steaming green beans gives them the same crisp-tender texture as blanching or boiling. Yet I think it preserves their lovely green color and allows the home cook more control over their texture than with those other two methods. Steaming is easy, too—and ease is what this recipe is all about.

What is the difference between green beans and runner beans? ›

Runner beans have been growing in South America for over 2000 years and are a popular garden vegetable in Britain too. Stronger in flavour and coarser in texture than green beans, they are also much longer and have attractive purple beans inside the pods.

Can you just eat the beans from runner beans? ›

You can eat them fresh or dried (but never raw as they contain toxins which are broken down only by cooking).

How to cook fresh green beans in Gordon Ramsay? ›

To make the salad, blanch the beans by plunging them in boiling salted water for 1½ minutes until their rawness has been removed but they are still crunchy. Refresh immediately in cold water, then remove and put onto kitchen paper to absorb the moisture. Cut each bean into bite-sized pieces.

Should green beans be steamed or boiled? ›

Steaming green beans gives them the same crisp-tender texture as blanching or boiling. Yet I think it preserves their lovely green color and allows the home cook more control over their texture than with those other two methods. Steaming is easy, too—and ease is what this recipe is all about.

How are green beans supposed to be cooked? ›

The key to the best beans is to master how long to boil green beans. Cook the green beans, covered, in a small amount of boiling salted water until crisp-tender: 10 to 15 minutes for whole or cut green beans. 5 to 10 minutes for french-cut green beans.

What is the best way to cook green vegetables so they stay firm and bright? ›

They are knocked out by heat so putting vegetables into a big pot of boiling water deactivates the enzymes before they can break down the chlorophyll. Briefly steaming greens is the best way to retain their flavour and nutrients.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Jonah Leffler

Last Updated:

Views: 5364

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (45 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Jonah Leffler

Birthday: 1997-10-27

Address: 8987 Kieth Ports, Luettgenland, CT 54657-9808

Phone: +2611128251586

Job: Mining Supervisor

Hobby: Worldbuilding, Electronics, Amateur radio, Skiing, Cycling, Jogging, Taxidermy

Introduction: My name is Jonah Leffler, I am a determined, faithful, outstanding, inexpensive, cheerful, determined, smiling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.