Southern Green Beans and Potatoes
If your green beans still have a crunch and no flavor, we need to fix that immediately. Southern green beans and potatoes are meant to cook down until they’re rich, comforting, and full of smoky flavor from bacon or smoked meat. Growing up around Southern cooking taught me vegetables should never be bland, and this recipe proves that every single time. Grab the cornbread because that pot liquor is too good to waste.
Servings 6 servings
Calories 153kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 slices uncooked bacon sliced into small pieces Sliced into small pieces
- ½ cup diced white onion
- 3-4 garlic cloves Minced
- 1 pound fresh green beans Stems removed. See notes for canned or frozen.
- 1 ½ cups broth Any broth works. I use chicken, but vegetable and beef also work.
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound potatoes I use russet potatoes, but red potatoes will also work.
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven or large pot on medium high heat. Add the pieces of bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes until the bacon crisps.4 slices uncooked bacon sliced into small pieces
- Drain the excess fat from the pot. I reserved about a teaspoon of fat in the pot.I remove the cooked bacon here and add it back later so it stay a little crisp. This is optional and it's fine if the bacon stays in the pot.
- Add the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Next add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.½ cup diced white onion, 3-4 garlic cloves
- Add the chicken broth and deglaze the pot with a spatula. Scrape up all the bits of cooked bacon in the pot.1 ½ cups broth
- Add in green beans, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Stir.1 pound fresh green beans , ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, salt and pepper to taste
- Reduce heat to Low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes until the green beans are soft.
- Add the diced potatoes to the pot and stir. Add a little water (or additional broth) to the pot if the potatoes are not fully submerged in liquid. If the potatoes aren't covered they will not cook and soften. Return the lid to the pot and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are soft and the green beans are tender. The potatoes should be fork tender.1 pound potatoes
- Add the cooked bacon and taste repeatedly and adjust seasoning and spices as necessary. Potatoes are really bland so you may need some salt here.
- Cool before serving. Save some of the broth (pot liquor) for serving. Spoon it over the potatoes and green beans for the best flavor.
Notes
- Frozen green beans will work. You will have to add a few additional minutes for cooked time.
- Canned green beans are already cooked. You can cook your potatoes separately for 15 minutes or until fork tender and then combine your greens beans and potatoes.
- Use fresh green beans if possible. They hold their texture better during the long simmer.
- Cut the potatoes into evenly sized pieces so they cook at the same rate.
- Don't rush the cooking process. Low and slow is what gives Southern green beans their signature flavor.
- Simmer the potatoes and green beans in broth instead of water for more flavor.
- If using smoked turkey, ham hocks, bacon, or salt pork, let them simmer in the broth first to build the flavor base.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning at the end. Potatoes absorb a lot of salt as they cook.
- Don't overcook the potatoes. They should be fork-tender but not falling apart.
- Save some of the broth for serving. Spoon it over the potatoes and green beans for the best flavor.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 153kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 1g