Southern Green Beans
These Southern Green Beans are the ultimate side dish. Slow cooked all day with bacon, ghee, onions and garlic. They go great with any side dish and are perfect for a holiday meal or BBQ.
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These Southern Green Beans will become a weekly staple side dish. They go great with everything and are exploding with flavor. I grew up with my mom and grandmother making these green beans and I’ll never make them any other way.
This blog post was updated 10/10/2022
Ingredients
- Canned cut green beans- You can also use French Style Green Beans. They are both delicious in this recipe.
- Chicken broth or water- For extra flavor, I always add chicken broth. Water will work also.
- Bacon
- Yellow onion
- Garlic cloves
- Ghee
- Salt/pepper
- Garlic Powder
HOW TO MAKE SOUTHERN GREEN BEANS
- Add a large pot to low heat. Transfer the canned green beans, undrained chicken broth, or water to the pot. Make sure the liquid covers the green beans. Tear the onion slices into medium size pieces and add to the beans along with the ghee, garlic, bacon, and salt/pepper.
- Cook uncovered for 6 hours on low. Make sure to check back on the green beans throughout the day. As it cooks it will get low on liquid, so be sure to add more chicken broth or water as needed. If they do not have enough liquid they may shrivel and get crispy.
- Once the beans are done cooking, remove the bacon and chop it into smaller pieces and add it back to the green beans.
HOW TO SERVE THESE SOUTHERN GREEN BEANS
These Southern Green Beans are so delicious I can literally eat them as a meal by themselves. If I don’t eat the whole pot first, I like to serve them with the following:
- Any holiday meal or BBQ
- Roast
- Steak and Cauliflower Mash
- Chicken Poppy Seed Casserole
- Chicken breast
- Stuffed peppers
- Beef Tips and Gravy
- Chick-fil-A Nuggets
Southern Green Beans Tips & Tricks
- Add liquid through the cooking process: Throughout the day, make sure to check on the green beans and as the liquid gets low add either chicken broth or water to cover the green beans. If you don’t do this they will burn and shrivel up.
- Bacon: Make sure to add full slices of bacon to the pot of green beans. This adds so much flavor to the green beans during the cooking process. When you are ready to serve, you can cut the bacon up into tiny pieces and add it back in or remove it altogether. The main purpose of the bacon is to give the beans flavor.
- Cook Time: Cook long and low. Every Sunday when I wake up I will double my recipe and cook all day. We will eat some of the green beans for Sunday night dinner and have enough leftovers to eat throughout the week.
- Crockpot: You can cook the green beans in the crockpot, however, they are not near as good as cooking on the stovetop. I’m not sure why they don’t taste the same, but I have tried and tried, but they just don’t compare to the stovetop version.
Want More Side Dishes?
- Garden Fresh Tomato Cucumber Salad
- Southern Green Beans
- Tomato Hasselback Caprese Salad
- Mediterranean Greek Salad
Southern Green Beans
These Southern Green Beans are the ultimate side dish. Slow cooked all day with bacon, ghee, onions and garlic. They go great with any side dish and are perfect for a holiday meal or BBQ.
- Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Ingredients
Instructions
- Add a large pot to low heat. Transfer the canned green beans, undrained chicken broth, or water to the pot. Make sure the liquid covers the green beans. Tear the onion slices into medium size pieces and add to the beans along with the ghee, garlic, bacon, and salt/pepper.
- OPTIONAL: If you want additional flavor, instead of adding the garlic, bacon, and onions raw, saute them up with the butter in the pot before adding the green beans. Don’t cook the bacon all the way through, just heat enough until warm.
- Cook uncovered for the first 2 hours on low then cover the last 4 hours. Make sure to check back on the green beans throughout the day. As it cooks it will get low on liquid, so be sure to add more chicken broth or water as needed. If they do not have enough liquid they may shrivel and get crispy.
- Once the beans are done cooking, remove the bacon and chop into smaller pieces and add it back to the green beans. Taste and add any additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- You can sub French style green beans for cut green beans.
- As for the liquid, you can use chicken broth or water. I love using chicken broth because it give the beans a lot of great flavors.
- Be sure to check back on the beans frequently to make sure it has enough liquid. Make sure there is always liquid slightly covering the beans.
- You can cook in the crockpot on low for 6 hours. However, I just don’t like them as well as the stovetop version. They will not taste the same, but they are still good.
- Store any leftover green beans in Tupperware and in the fridge for up to one week.
- Canned green beans are the best. You can use fresh but it will not taste near as good as canned.
- 7 NET carbs per serving
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 594
- Fat: 7
- Carbohydrates: 12
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 6
- Cholesterol: 14
Keywords: Southern Green Beans, Green Beans, Slow Cooked Green Beans, Side Dish, Whole30, Keto, Paleo
22 thoughts on "Southern Green Beans"
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About Me
Welcome to Healthy Little Peach. I’m Mac, the lady behind the recipes. I believe in living a healthy lifestyle that consists of a mix of healthy whole foods, and full-fat comfort meals. Life is too short not to enjoy good food while maintaining a healthy body and mind. Here you will find gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, keto, and even full-fat comfort recipes. Let’s have fun in the kitchen together!
About Me
Welcome to Healthy Little Peach. I’m Mac, the lady behind the recipes. I believe in living a healthy lifestyle that consists of a mix of healthy whole foods, and full-fat comfort meals. Life is too short not to enjoy good food while maintaining a healthy body and mind. Here you will find gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, keto, and even full-fat comfort recipes. Let’s have fun in the kitchen together!
These are the bomb.com!
★★★★★
Thank you so much
I made these beans on thanksgiving and my 11 year old asked that I make them again on Christmas. They are SO delicious! They remind me of the way my great grandmother used to make them when I was little. Plus they smell so good while cooking. Perfection!
★★★★★
Can you use fresh green beans for this?
Be sure to check out my notes and blog post regarding fresh green beans. I got into about why you should use canned.
Did you find the notes on using fresh green beans? I can’t seem to find them.
Incredibly simple and so delicious! We had them for thanksgiving but they’ll be on the menu year round!
★★★★★
OH MY GOSH. I’ve made these green beans twice now and let me tell you, they are AMAZING. I was a little skeptical on how they would cook that long without turning to mush, but they are fantastic. My new favorite way to cook green beans !
★★★★★
We make these every weekend!!
★★★★★
I’ve got these cooking on my stove right now. Smells wonderful!
★★★★★
This recipe is a favorite in our house. We have been making a pot on Sunday and eating it all week long. My 9 year old, picky eater, loves these! They’ve been a great addition to the Clean Keto challenge. Thank you!
★★★★★
We love these! I’ve got a pot on the stove for Sunday dinner. Thanks for the great recipe.
★★★★★
This is so great to hear!!! Thank you
I love these green beans! It reminds me of my childhood and so easy to make! Do you think there is a way to adjust the recipe and make it in the instant pot? Thanks!
★★★★★
YAY! I am so happy to hear. These won’t taste as good in the crockpot or the instant pot. It never turns out the same for me.
Love using canned veggies sometimes and this recipe does not disappoint. The only way my husband will eat green beans now!
★★★★★
YAY Stacy!! When our hubby’s are happy then we have a winner no doubt. Thank you for the kind review. Happy Eating friend!
This recipe is amazing and SO flavorful! I make it at least weekly, sometimes more. Its such a delicious way to get veg & protein!
★★★★★
Can I use butter instead of ghee. I don’t have ghee
Absolutely Tiffany if you are not focusing to eat Keto or Whole 30.
Making these famous green beans for Thanksgiving today! Can’t wait to eat these! One of my favorite sides not only for Thanksgiving but year round!!
★★★★★
I’ve been making these since you first posted and realized I’ve never left a review. I love these green beans so much. It’s doesn’t last more than two days because I literally have them as my main dish plus some. Just sooo good. About to put some on the stove now!
★★★★★