Canned green beans don't have to be boring. Add onions and bacon to kick up this pantry staple a few notches. These sauteed canned green beans are a family favorite. The combination of green beans with bacon and onions comes together to create a perfect comfort dish.
Canned Green Beans with Bacon ingredients
- Bacon strips
- Reserved bacon grease
- Onion
- Canned green beans
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
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How to make Green Beans With Bacon And Onion
- Cook your bacon in a medium-sized skillet until crispy.
- Drain the bacon grease, reserving 2 tablespoons of it inside of the pan.
- Add in your chopped onion and then cook for a few minutes until translucent in color.
- Drain half of the liquid from your can of green beans.
- Add the green beans and remaining liquid into the pan with the onion.
- Cook until the liquid has almost completely evaporated.
- Add your bacon back into the pan, stirring well to combine.
Tips for this Green Bean and Bacon Recipe
- You can use yellow onion or a red onion. The flavor change between the two does make the dish taste slightly different as red onions are usually a bit sweeter, but both onions turn out well in this recipe.
- It doesn’t matter which brand or cut of green bean you choose to use, they all work well. So if you like whole or french cut green beans, feel free to use the ones you love the most.
- You can choose a thick or thin sliced bacon depending on how crunchy or chewy you want the bacon to be. Just keep in mind the flavor of the bacon, because each one will give a different end result.
Variations for Green Beans and Bacon
- Adding a dash of red pepper flakes
- Adding in minced garlic
- Using frozen (steamed) green beans
- Adding in a little balsamic vinegar
- Using bacon bits instead of bacon strips
What to Serve with Bacon Green Beans
- Smoked Beef Ribs
- Herb Crusted Beef Tenderloin
- Roast Beef Sandwiches
- Herb Crusted Chicken
- BBQ Baked Chicken
- Oven Baked Teriyaki Chicken
Bacon and Green Bean FAQs
Canning green beans actually helps to preserve a lot more of the nutrients than you may think. Green beans are still full of fiber and of all of the canned vegetables, green beans are amongst the most healthy. A good nutrition tip is to check the back of the cans and select the brand with the lowest sodium level as some have a lot more than others.
While this canned green beans with bacon recipe could be made with fresh or frozen green beans, canned is just so much cheaper and easier to keep on hand. Canned green beans can sit in your pantry for years before going bad, making them the perfect addition to an emergency food stockpile.
Yes, you can prepare this recipe up to a day in advance and keep it stored in an airtight container in your fridge. I recommend not adding the crispy cooked bacon until just before serving so that it can stay crispy and not become soggy from the liquids in this dish.
Canned green beans on their own are already pretty tasty, but when you add in bacon and onions, you elevate it to an entirely new level of awesomeness. With just two strips of bacon and chopped onion, you can enjoy a crunchy, soft, savory, and slightly sweet dish that is incredible, cheap, and easy!
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Canned Green Beans and Bacon
Equipment
- Kitchen Tongs
- Non-Stick Frying Pans
Ingredients
- 2 strips bacon (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons bacon grease
- ⅓ cup onion (chopped, yellow or purple)
- 1 can green beans (about 15 ounces)
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove from the pan.
- Drain bacon grease, leaving 2 tablespoons in the pan.
- Add the onions, cook until translucent.
- Drain half of the liquid off of the canned green beans.
- Add the green beans and half the liquid into the pan with the onion.
- Cook until almost all the liquid is evaporated.
- Add bacon back into the pan. Stir to combine.
Barbara
Another great addition is Celery Seeds!
Barb Austin
Well gees says canned green beans but no instructions for the canning part😢
Alli
It's a recipe using canned green beans from the store.
Terrell Myers
If you want it really flavorful instead of half a can of the fluids you can add about half a could have your favorite broth.
Judy Horn
Love beans this way! In a pinch you can just add bacon grease, minced onion, and a can of beans. Actually, that's our normal way of making them. I add bacon when we have company, hahaha.
S. Thornburg
The instructions should say in the beginning to REMOVE bacon and reserve the grease…I was going step by step with your instructions and did not remove the bacon. Now the bacon is no longer crisp…When you are in a hurry more accurate step by step instructions are definitely needed…Hopefully the results will still be ok. Wish I would had known ahead of time…Still will be good I’m sure…
Alli
Thank you for pointing this out, I've updated the recipe card.
Carol
Bacon green beans. Along with the chopped onion, saute 2 minced garlic cloves along with it; and a dash of red pepper flakes. Great side dish for Thanksgiving.
Alli
Great additions!
Corrie W
I am not a "green bean eater", but I ate these. They are great. I used frozen (then steamed) green beans and it turned out fantastic! This recipe has become my Go-To Recipe! Thank you for posting it.
Alli
So happy to hear that, Corrie! Thanks!
Lori
Can I make this a day ahead?
Alli
Yes! But add in the bacon right before serving so it doesn't get soggy.
Janet
I added balsamic vinegar and a little sugar. Turned out great!
Alli
Yum! Thanks, Janet!
Anonymous
Super short on ingredients and improvised with bacon bits, minced onion flakes, and heated it in the microwave with a little butter and water. Delicious!
Alli
So glad you liked it!
Alli
Love a good canned green bean recipe!