Skillet Green Beans with Bacon and Brown Sugar is a shortcut version of the popular bacon-wrapped green bean bundles. This easy recipe for fresh green beans has a Southern flavor twist using Dale's Seasoning instead of soy sauce, making it gluten-free, too!
SAVE THIS RECIPE
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Think of it as a deconstructed version of the popular recipe for fresh green beans wrapped in bacon. The bundles can be tedious to make and often fall apart in cooking and sometimes hard to eat.
You’ll love this recipe because it has all those rich flavors with a sauce without all the fuss. It has just 6 ingredients and ready in 15 minutes!
I've also seen similar recipes called Crack Green Beans but typically not made with fresh green beans. (You can use canned or frozen in this recipe! Keep reading! I tell you how!)
I first made this vegetable side dish for my Holiday Cooking Show as an easy side dish for Thanksgiving to serve alongside my Air Fryer Turkey Breast and Gravy recipe.
For "fancier fare", it's also one of the best side dishes for prime rib. I just happened to have a recipe for Easy Ribeye Roast for you!
Of course, if I’m making this recipe in the summer, I have an abundance of fresh green beans in my garden to use for FREE! So, when I'm looking for easy veg side dishes for a potluck or 4th of July, this recipe is a no-brainer.
Shortcuts
- Make Ahead: Steam, blanch or boil the fresh green beans a day or two in advance so all you have to do is add them in when you’re to make the recipe.
- Frozen or drained canned green beans can also be used if you don't have fresh green beans.
- Leaving the green beans whole is one less step you have to do, but you can absolutely cut them into smaller pieces, if you like.
Green beans and bacon together is pretty iconic for a Southern side dish. I have a stovetop recipe for Easy Fresh Green Beans with Bacon and if you want them cooked even faster try my Instant Pot Fresh Green Beans with Bacon recipe.
Ingredients
What you will need to make these skillet green beans.
Scroll down to printable recipe for exact ingredient quantities.
- Green Beans - Fresh green beans are what I prefer. See my tips below if using canned or frozen green beans. They are available year round in my area in larger grocery stores.
- Dale’s Seasoning - Dales's Seasoning is a liquid marinade and steak sauce made in Alabama. It tastes like a blend of soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce with a hint of smokey flavor. You can also use Moore’s Original Marinade, another Alabama product, or soy sauce.
Tip: I do not add salt to the water when cooking the green beans because the Dale's seasoning (or Moore's Marinade or soy sauce) is pretty salty on its own.
How to make Green Beans with Bacon and Brown Sugar
Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe with detailed instructions.
- Steam, blanch or boil the green beans until almost tender. (Scroll down for specific directions on each of these.)
- Then, drain in a colander. (They will continue to cook a little when added to the skillet.)
- Meanwhile, cook the chopped bacon in a large skillet (I prefer cast iron skillets) over medium-low heat, stirring often, until crisp. Remove bacon from the skillet and reserve 1 tablespoon of the drippings in the skillet.
- Add the butter and brown sugar to the bacon drippings. Cook, stirring often, until the butter melts and mixture starts to bubble.
- Quickly add the marinade seasoning and garlic, stirring well.
- Add the drained green beans to the skillet, stirring gently to coat. Cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring often, until the brown sugar mixture is slightly thickened and green beans are cooked to your liking.
Tip: If you like your green beans a bit more on the soft side, steam or boil them longer during the first step so you don't reduce your sauce too much a the end.
How to steam fresh green beans:
- Add enough water to a large saucepan to come up about 1 inch high. Bring the water to a boil.
- Cover and cook the beans 3 to 4 minutes or just until the green beans are crisp-tender or as tender as you like them.
- I like to plunge the steamed green beans into ice water using tongs to immediately stop the cooking process but it's not necessary for this method.
- Drain the beans.
How to blanch fresh green beans
Blanching vegetables is a process of quickly cooking them in boiling water (about 30 seconds to as much as 7 minutes), then shocking them by plunging them into ice water to stop the cooking process. Blanching is often used to partially cook vegetables to get them ready for freezing. By cooking them as little as 1 minute, it brings out the bright green color.
Blanching is a good method to cook fresh green beans, especially if you are doing this step in advance for Thanksgiving dinner prep or if you prefer your beans super crisp.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, filled three-fourths full, up to a boil. (It boils faster with a lid on.)
- Get a bowl of ice water ready.
- Add the green beans and bring the water back to a boil. Boil 1 to 7 minutes, depending on how crisp or tender you want them. (For freezing purposes, 1 minute is enough.)
- Use tongs to transfer the beans to the bowl of ice and stir the beans around with the tongs. Let the green beans set for just a few minutes, then drain.
How long to boil fresh green beans?
Boiling fresh green beans is super easy! Bring a pot of water up to a boil. Wash and snap off the stem ends and add the washed green beans to the boiling water. Boil 5 to 7 minutes for crisp-tender beans or 5 more minutes if you prefer them softer. Your Southern grandma may tell you to boil them for 30 minutes or more and that's ok, too!
Pro Tips
Steaming or blanching the fresh green beans before sautéing them in the skillet with the brown sugar mixture makes a big difference in the texture of the beans. The color will be much brighter and the texture will be plump vs. slightly shriveled.
If you partially freeze your slices of bacon for about 30 minutes, it cuts so much easier!
Is this green bean recipe gluten free?
Yes! This is a gluten free green bean recipe when using Dale's Seasoning or Moore's Marinade. Both are similar in flavor to soy sauce combined with Worcestershire and a hint of smokey flavor. You can also use liquid aminos because most soy sauce is not gf, except for tamari soy sauce. Always check the labels to make sure a product says gluten free.
Substitutions & Variations
Trade "this" for "that" in this recipe for green beans with bacon.
- Dale’s Seasoning - You can use Moore’s Marinade or soy sauce instead.
- Garlic Paste - Found in a tube in the produce section near fresh herbs. Substitute ½ teaspoon minced garlic for the ¼ teaspoon garlic paste.
Helpful information
Yes to both. Whole canned and frozen green beans that are not cut into smaller pieces are available! I prefer these if I’m in a hurry or want to save a little money. They look a little more upscale than the small-cut green beans but those will work, too.
For canned green beans, drain the canned green beans and eliminate the step to cook the blanched fresh green beans. Basically stir them into the cooked bacon and sauce and stir until thoroughly heated and well coated.
For frozen green beans, thaw and drain them, first. You may want to cook them in the skillet, but slightly less than the blanched fresh green beans. It depends on how tender you want the beans.
Yes. If your family prefers the smaller 1-inch pieces so you don't have to cut up the whole beans at the table, you can cut or snap them before steaming, blanching or boiling them.
What to serve with Green Beans with Brown Sugar and Bacon
How to store
- To Store: Store any leftovers in the refrigerator, covered or in an air tight container. (Do not store them in a cast iron skillet in the fridge.)
- It also freezes well. A great make ahead step is to blanch the green beans, then freeze just the beans up to 6 months until ready to make the recipe.
Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. Be social and share, y'all! Want all my new recipes and updates? Get my weekly newsletter in your inbox!
Leave a comment below the printable recipe if you have questions or tell me how you liked the recipe. Don't forget to rate it 5 stars if you love it!
Want more green bean recipes?
Skillet Green Beans with Bacon and Brown Sugar
SAVE THIS RECIPE
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh green beans, stem ends trimmed
- 2-3 slices uncooked bacon, chopped
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dale’s Seasoning, Moore’s Marinade or Soy Sauce
- ¼ teaspoon garlic paste (or ½ teaspoon minced garlic)
Instructions
- Steam, blanch or boil the green beans 3 to 7 minutes or until almost tender or until how soft you like fresh green beans. Then, drain well. (They will continue to cook just a little when added to the skillet.)
- Tip: If you like your green beans a bit more on the soft side, cook them longer during the first step.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until crisp. Remove bacon from the skillet and reserve 1 tablespoon of the drippings in the skillet.
- Add the butter and brown sugar to the bacon drippings. Cook, stirring often, until the butter melts and mixture starts to bubble. Add the marinade seasoning and garlic, stirring well.
- Add the drained green beans and bacon back to the skillet, stirring gently to coat. I use tongs. Cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring often, until the brown sugar mixture is slightly thickened.
- You can continue to cook the green beans, covered, in the skillet but watch closely that your sauce doesn't evaporate (reduce).
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition analysis on GritsAndGouda.com recipes are mostly calculated on an online nutrition calculator. I am not a dietitian and nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on products used.
Scott Phillips
I can’t wait to have these for Thanksgiving
Kathleen
We will be having for both Thanksgiving AND Christmas!