10/13/15

Southern-Style Green Beans & Potatoes

Fresh green beans and potatoes cooked low and slow the Southern way with bacon and onion - recipe includes both stove-top and crock pot instructions.

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Y’all, I cooked a feast yesterday. A flippin’ feast. I made hamburger steaks with rice and onion gravy. I made biscuits. I made squash casserole. I baked sweet potatoes. And I made cucumber salad.

But I couldn’t tell you anything about any of it.

Because I also made these beans and they’re all I ate. I couldn’t. get. enough. of. them. Once I finished what was on my plate, I wrapped my plate up and stuck it in the fridge to be eaten some other time.

Southern Style Green Beans & Potatoes - Fresh green beans and potatoes cooked low and slow the Southern way with bacon and onion - recipe includes both stove-top and crock pot instructions.

Then I went and got a big bowl out the cabinet and filled that sucker slap up with more beans and potatoes. And then I went to town on them.

When something tastes as good as these did, you don’t miss your window.

Sometimes I like to use whole small red potatoes (we call them 'new' potatoes), sometimes I use yukon gold. You can use just about anything except baking potatoes (they won't hold up being boiled this long).

This can also be made with canned green beans. It's not quite as good but I never met a pot of beans I didn't like so I think they're delicious too!

Southern Style Green Beans & Potatoes - Fresh green beans and potatoes cooked low and slow the Southern way with bacon and onion - recipe includes both stove-top and crock pot instructions.

Speaking of canned green beans... y'all ever heard the expression "cook the can out of the beans"? This is something we always did and I swear it makes a difference. Something about this changes the flavor of the beans and gets rid of that "canned", artificial flavor. 

In my recipe for Southern-Style CANNED Green Beans, you add some bacon or bacon grease then cook the canned beans in a skillet until all the liquid has evaporated and the beans start to almost fry in the bacon drippings. They're not homemade but, they come close to being just as good.

I do this before adding the beans to Green Bean Casserole too! Trust me, it makes a difference!

Southern Style Green Beans & Potatoes - Fresh green beans and potatoes cooked low and slow the Southern way with bacon and onion - recipe includes both stove-top and crock pot instructions.

Try these Southern Style Green Beans & Potatoes with one of these awesome main dishes:

  • Crock Pot Pulled Pork –  Perfectly seasoned, tender, juicy pulled pork cooked low and slow in a slow cooker. 
  • Sticky Chicken – Marinated slow-roasted chicken pieces braised in a slightly sweet, tangy sauce.
  • Fall-Off-The-Bone Baby Back Ribs – Easy, oven-baked ribs cooked low and slow on a bed of onions. 
  • Perfect Pork Tenderloin – A no-fail recipe for perfectly cooked marinated pork tenderloin with a simple glaze. 
  • Barbequed Steaks – Thinly sliced grilled steaks marinated then basted in a homemade barbeque sauce. 

Recipe for Southern-Style Green Beans & Potatoes

Southern Style Green Beans & Potatoes

Southern Style Green Beans & Potatoes
Yield: 8-10 Servings
Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 55 Min
Fresh green beans and potatoes cooked low and slow the Southern way with bacon and onion - recipe includes both stove-top and crock pot instructions.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds fresh green beans
  • 8 slices bacon
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3-4 large red or gold potatoes, peeled
  • 3-4 cups chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt + more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

  1. Wash and trim beans then cut into 2-inch pieces; set aside.
  2. Cut bacon into 1/2-inch pieces then sauté over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven until browned.
  3. Add onion and beans to the bacon then continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
  4. Cut potatoes into large cubes then add to pot. Add chicken broth (enough to cover potatoes), butter, salt and pepper to the pot then bring to a boil.
  5. Cover pot, reduce heat to medium-low then cook for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let rest 15 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • You can make this with canned beans (probably 4-5 cans). Drain the beans and skip sautéing them. Just add the drained beans with the potatoes. Canned beans aren't as good but they're still pretty dang tasty.
  • You can also make this in a crock pot. Once bacon, onion and beans are sauteed, add everything to a slow cooker then cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 or until potatoes are tender.
  • I use red potatoes or yukon gold. You won't want to use russet or baking potatoes as they won't hold up being boiled this long.
green beans, string beans, potatoes, taters, new potatoes, red potatoes, southern, fresh, canned, slow cooked, best, how to, recipe
side dishes, vegetables
southern
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67 comments:

  1. Yum, they sound delicious. I could make a meal from this alone.

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    1. you can also add some cream it makes it even better <3

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    2. At what point would you add the cream?

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  2. Pssst. This is really good if you put carrots in it. You're welcome. ;-)

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  3. I remember when I was a kid my mom made this but she cooked her green beans to a slow death--like for hours. I was well grown before I realized this was not necessary.

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    1. That's what makes them so good. Especially if you are at the end of the bean season and the beans coming from the garden get a little tough. It works well.

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  4. We had these about once a week when I was growing up. I haven't made them in years, but I think they're on the menu pretty soon. Your recipe sounds spot on

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  5. I've been making these for decades, following in the footsteps of my mom, her mom, and her mom, and on and on!

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  6. You COULD make this with canned beans but don't do it. It's so easy to throw this together and cook in the crockpot and fresh beans make such a difference. This is one of my favorite dishes and I make it often. Also good with country ham instead of bacon.

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    1. Next time try smoked sausage cut into chunks. Delicious!!!

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  7. Hey do you have a recipe for a firm bread pudding.

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  8. Yummm! Looks just like what my Granny used to make! Definitely good with ham instead of bacon, too!

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  9. I made these today to see if I might want to serve them for Thanksgiving. I'm not a fan of southern style green beans (and I'm from Alabama), but these were very good. My only change will be to not cook them quite so long. My potatoes were softer than yours appear. These will appear at my family's Thanksgiving and also my in-laws this year.

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  10. At 86 yrs. old... this is one of only THREE recipes that my Mother remembers how to make. She makes hers with much more broth and we eat it as a soup. Very, very good. I like the idea of this being served as a "side dish" ( or as a main course though) . Certainly YUMMY any way you choose to eat it If you prefer it as a soup simply add much more broth.

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  11. Love beans & onions like this but our family has been using a small beef roast instead of ham/bacon. It's great-try it!

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  12. Wow, amazing food. It looks so delicious. I want to try.

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  13. This is EXACTLY how I make mine and they are always delicious!

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  14. I grew up eating beans and taters like this but had no idea how to cook it. I made this Sunday and it was delicious! Maybe even better than Mommas! This recipe is a keep! Thank you for all your hard work.

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  15. Just made this tonight and it was amazing! Thank you :-)

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  16. My favorite dinner as a child. My momma always served it with cornbread.

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  17. My mom used to add white shoe peg corn to her green beans along with the potatoes and bacon etc. We would slice some tomatoes from her garden and it was all that we would want for dinner. This is the way that I make my green beans also.

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  18. Oh, my, girl...I am drooling. Who needs anything else?

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  19. My grandma used to make this dish and it was always my favorite! I'm sad I never got her recipe. I must try yours! Do you think it would work with frozen (thawed) green beans?

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    1. Yes! When you have a garden you have lots! I make them all year!

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    2. Yes u can use frozen, just lower amount of liquid u add. We never added broth, bacon or ham hock, using a pressure cooker (stove top) works grear and keeps the flavor intact. Been eating these for 60 yeaes.

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  20. I made this recipe for Thanksgiving, it was awesome! I used new potatoes, fresh green beans and thick sliced pecan smoked bacon which made this even better. I'm eating some today for lunch with brioche rolls. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

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  21. If cooking in a crock pot, will I need to cook the bacon first? Also, will the potatoes take as long as the green beans to cook?

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    1. I always cook my bacon first. Not till it is crispy. just something I do. As for the potatoes depends on how big you cut them.

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    2. In her recipe she cuts it up and fries it and adds the onions, cooks then till soft and the adds the green beans and let the saute for a few minutes before adding it to other stuff. Just go back and read from the start.....yum

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  22. I would fry the bacon first and drain it to crumble on top before serving. Just saute' the beans & onions in the bacon fat and add to the broth and potatoes. Who doesn't love crispy bacon?

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  23. Ham and green beans was one of my grandmother's specialties, but I've never tried it, because I can't find the right type of ham around me. Maybe I'll give this a shot instead.

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  24. How many "new potatoes" would I use?

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  25. So I ran out of bacon, but I have turkey legs in the freezer. Can I use that instead of bacon?

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    Replies
    1. Smoked turkey legs...oh my. That would be so good!

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  26. We add corn and at the end my mom made a light cream sauce. She at times would just use cream corn and forego the white sauce! Homemade bread and butter rounded it out! I love this dish!!!

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  27. Thank you for this recipe!

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  28. How many people does this serve?

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  29. Girl!! I just made these beans and they were so good! I came across this recipe on Pintrest and had to make them. I had frozen french style green beans in the freezer already and the other ingredients on hand as well, except I had some left over country ham instead of the bacon. Threw it all in the crock pot and bam! After a few hours it was perfection.

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    1. how much of the frozen green beans did you end up using?

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  30. I grew up on these,and so were my kids, and now my grandkids. The difference is we always used red potatoes (more flavor) and didn't cut them as small, fresh snap beans (really fresh green beans) and we cooked the bacon until it was crispy and sprinkled with fresh parsley before serving. Never use canned or frozen, they are processed and cooked so they have zero nutritional value anymore. We never used a Crock-Pot either, always Dutch oven pot. Too easy to overcook in Crock-Pot

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    1. Frozen vegetables shouldn't have any preservatives.

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  31. Good day! I could have sworn I've been to this site before but after reading through some of
    the post I realized it's new to me. Anyways, I'm definitely delighted I found
    it and I'll be bookmarking and checking back frequently!

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  32. I just made this last night in the crock pot and it turned out SO good. I did it on 3 hours, might try 2 1/2 next time if I serve for guests, luckily, I like my potatoes very tender. The only thing I would do different next time is add the bacon to the dish after it's all done cooking in the crock pot. I pre cooked the bacon and put it in with everything but it lost all crispiness from cooking in the liquid - still wonderful tho!

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  33. THANK YOU!! I've been at it since 2011 :)

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  34. I’ve made these three times since finding this recipe on Pinterest! They are absolutely scrumptious!

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  35. You mentioned canned green beans.....I've recently discovered "Extra/Very Green" green beans at my supermarkets (Kroger, Meijer) and I can DEFINITELY taste the difference! I'd been using the frozen/steamable green beans for years, but since trying the extra/very green canned variety, that's all I use when I don't have fresh. (I've even got my in-laws hooked on them!)

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  36. I love this recipe. I've made it dozens of times since I first found it here. It's one of those that will pair with almost any entree. Sometimes I use fresh green beans, sometimes frozen, and any kind of potatoes I have and it always comes out delicious. I like to make more than the two of us can eat so that I have leftovers to eat for breakfast or lunch. Thanks Mandy for wonderful dish.

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  37. Making them for dinner today.

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  38. I totally had these in South Carolina and cannot wait to try them!!

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  39. I love green beans - I can't wait to try this version!

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  40. Delicious!!! Didn't need 40 mins of cooking, but they were very tasty. I will be making this again. It's a meal in itself....some sliced tomatoes and you are set. Thank you!!

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  41. Making mine with fresh beans, in the crockpot right now!

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  42. Absolutely love fresh green beans and new potatoes, my recipe varies because I always add a white sauce at the end. I could eat the whole pot by myself! YUM

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  43. You are a true southern woman. I love that line cook the snot out of 'em. This is the way I've always made them and my mama before me and my grandma before her. I looked up the recipe just for GP but what I saw mostly was lite and healthy. Seriously, lite and healthy? I mean what are green beans and potatoes without the bacon.

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  44. Is there any benefit to cutting the bacon up first, then frying it? Can you just fry the bacon and then crumble it up? Cutting it into pieces is such a pain in the rear.

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    1. Try freezing the bacon for 15 or 20 minutes before dicing. Makes chopping bacon really easy. I don't cook bacon very often, so when I buy it, I separate the slices and keep them in the freezer, then just take out the number of pieces I need.

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  45. I made this recipe 2 weeks ago. Fixed it with grilled pork chops. It was easy and delicicious and it brought back old memories of when my mom used to make it when I was child.

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  46. I remember my grandma making this years ago. I went to an Amish community yesterday that’s about 30 minutes northwest of me here in Tennessee and found some fresh green beans and red potatoes along with other goodies such as patty pan squash and cabbage spouts. I ran across this recipe and decided to make it. While it was cooking, I could close me eyes and think I was in my grandmas kitchen Sunday afternoon after church. Just the smell memories are worth making this not just the flavor. Thank you!!

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  47. Thank you for the great reccipe! I am originally from Virginia and my Mama made these very often. It brings back great memories!

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  48. If you have leftovers, can you freeze them?

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  49. I have these on the stove as I write this. The only change I made was I am using frozen green beans as the store was out of fresh and I am not a fan of canned green beans - way too much salt and preservatives for my taste. Can not wait to eat this dish. Oh - I did substitute Better than Bouillon Chicken base and also cut the recipe in half since there is only me. Thanks for positin.

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  50. has anyone ever made this with veggie broth instead of chicken? wondering if it would taste as good....

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  51. I put some Kielbasa in mine!

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  52. I make mine the truly Southern way....with ham hocks and salt pork, instead of bacon and onions. And I would never, ever use canned green beans

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Hi there! While I’m not able to respond to every comment, I try hard to answer any questions that haven’t been addressed in the post, recipe or in other comments.

I can tell you now 1) I have no idea if you can substitute Minute Rice or brown rice in my recipes because I’ve never used them and 2) If I know how to convert a recipe to a Crock Pot version, I will make a note about it (otherwise, I don’t know).

And though I may not respond to them all, I do read each and every comment and I LOVE to hear from you guys! Thanks, y’all! - Mandy