Smothered Green Beans

Sides take center stage with these tender, smoky, and savory Smothered Green Beans with fire roasted tomatoes and bacon. This southern classic will have you diving in with a chunk of cornbread to sop up all of the glorious juices.

Green beans are transformed into a pot of pure comfort with a few simple ingredients. Simmered low and slow until tender, the absorb the sweetness of tomatoes and onions, tang of apple cider vinegar, smokiness of bacon, and umami of soy. Serve this next to your orange habanero mojo chicken or even with a grilled steak.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy Process – There is nothing complicated about making these southern green beans. Simply sauté the bacon and aromatics and then let everything simmer until tender and reduced. Anyone can make these. You can even get the kids into the kitchen and have them help you snap the beans.
• Meal Prep – These green beans and tomatoes are one of those dishes that tastes even better the next day reheated. It makes for delicious leftovers for an easy weeknight side.
• Accessible Ingredients – This combines easily accessible fresh green beans with pantry staples like broth, canned tomatoes, and soy sauce.
• Customizable – This recipe can easily be adapted to be vegetarian which is actually how I grew up eating it. You can even swap out the bacon and add sausage for a heartier meal.
• Texture – These southern style green beans are incredible tender and soft. Sometimes the reason kids and adults alike might not gravitate towards green beans, especially fresh, is their sometimes-stringy texture. If there is one thing we do well in the south, it’s cook our vegetables until they’re truly fall apart tender.

Ingredient Highlights

• Green Beans – Hit up your local farmers marker and grab a bag of fresh green beans. Because they are simmered low and slow you’ll want fresh beans and not canned or frozen. They’re going to give you the best flavor and texture.
• Bacon – I like thick cut baked for these green beans with tomatoes and bacon but use what you like and what you have on hand.
• Broth – Homemade is best but if using storebought pick a low sodium variety as you’re adding other salty ingredients.
• Aromatics – Sweet onions balance the grassy flavor of the green beans and garlic adds a sharp, savory bite.
• Soy Sauce – Adds depth of flavor and umami.
• Apple Cider Vinegar – This gives the green beans a little tang without overpowering them. You can also use rice wine vinegar.
• Crushed Red Pepper – Completely optional but adds a little back note of heat.

How to Make Smothered Green Beans

• Snap your beans. Snip of the ends of your beans and break the larger ones in half. Remove any woodsy strings if necessary.
• Brown your bacon. Cook your bacon on medium in a Dutch oven or braiser until it’s slightly crispy and rendered.
• Add your aromatics. Add the onions and seasonings and let them cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
• Deglaze the pan. Add the apple cider vinegar and make sure to scrape up the brown bits.
• Add the remaining ingredients. Stir in the remaining ingredients and partially cover your pan. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer and then turn the heat to medium-low. Allow the green beans to cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about an hour to an hour and a half.

Substitutions & Variations

• This recipe can be made fully vegetarian. Replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth and eliminate the bacon.
• Add 12 ounces of baby potatoes half an hour into cooking the green beans. Use a potato peeler to peel a strip around the middle of each potato.
• Swap the bacon for your favorite smoked sausage. You can either cut into rounds or dice.
• Fresh tomatoes can be used instead of canned tomatoes. Season them with a pinch of brown sugar to balance the acidity.
• For a slightly sweeter tang, replace the apple cider vinegar with rice wine vinegar.
• For a spicier tang use the southern favorite pepper vinegar in place of the apple cider vinegar.

Tips From the Beach

• Fresh is best. Because these southern green beans with bacon are simmered low and slow, canned green beans wouldn’t hold up to the cooking process and would become too mushy.
• If you like brothier green beans add an additional half cup to cup of broth. Adjust seasoning accordingly.
• For a true taste of the south serve these with a splash of pepper vinegar.

Smothered Green Beans

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

Sides take center stage with these tender, smoky, and savory Smothered Green Beans with fire roasted tomatoes and bacon. This southern classic will have you diving in with a chunk of cornbread to sop up all of the glorious juices.

• Author: Nicole Stover
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 90
• Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 1x
• Category: Vegetable
• Method: Braising
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 pounds green beans, ends snapped
• 4 strips bacon, chopped
• 2 sweet onions, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons less sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 14.5 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes, drained
• 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth*

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark!

Instructions

1. Heat a Dutch oven or large skillet with a lid over medium heat. Add the bacon. Allow the bacon to cook for 3-5 minutes until rendered and beginning to brown.
2. Add the onions and seasonings, stirring to combine. Let cook until the onions are translucent, 3-5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Deglaze your pan with the apple cider vinegar, making sure to scrape up all of the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
5. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Partially cover. Allow to come to a simmer and then turn heat to medium-low.
6. Let the green beans cook until tender and the sauce has reduced, 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.

Notes

1. For a brothier sauce add an additional half cup to cup of broth.
2. This can be made fully vegetarian by replacing the chicken broth with vegetable broth and leaving out the bacon.