Cooking 101

Garlicky Green Beans with Bacon

Green beans are an all time favorite vegetable in my family and this easy recipe is sure to please! Summer crop of green beans are ready for harvest and what’s not to love but a little garlic, onion and bacon to make them yummy!

Garlicky Green Beans with Bacon

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds fresh green beans
5 slices turkey bacon, cubed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment Needed:

Cutting board
Chef knife
10 inch skillet
Colander
Medium saucepan with lid
Measuring spoons
Rubber or bent-edged spatula

Green beans are a year round staple vegetable and so versatile. They can be prepared a variety of ways to please every palate too! Bacon is considered a comfort food for many people and adding it to green beans makes a simple tasty dish with tons of flavor. Six ingredients, plus salt and pepper and you're ready to cook!

I love to use turkey bacon instead of regular pork bacon all the time! It's a lot better for you too and still provides the bacon flavor. If you'd rather use pork bacon, be my guest! Begin by stacking the strips of bacon on top of each other and cutting the in half lengthwise. Then make ½ inch slices to make small cubes of bacon. I find it easier than cooking first and then crumbling… but that is fine too. Turkey bacon doesn't crumble as well as pork bacon due to having less fat. Place the skillet over medium heat for a few minutes to warm the skillet and add the diced onion to the skillet with the cubed bacon. Saute together until the bacon is golden brown and the onion translucent and bright yellow for about 5 – 8 minutes. Stir occasionally with either a rubber or bent edged spatula to avoid burning the bacon and allowing all the bacon contact with the skillet surface. Place in a small bowl for use later.

Meanwhile, as the bacon is cooking you can prep the green beans. Place then in a colander and rise well. Drain as you prep the beans for cooking. Prepping beans is pretty simple. Doesn't really require a knife either. Green beans are often called snap bean because you snap them in half or smaller depending on the size of the beans. I grew Kentucky Pole Beans this year in the garden and they easily grow to about 6 inches in length. Using your fingers or a paring knife, snap off stem end of bean. Then break in half or quarters to a serving length of 2 – 3 inches. Beans may also have a string that can easily be pealed down the bean.(Also why they are called ‘string beans’) The more mature then bean the more chance there will be a string to remove on either or both sides of the bean. I find breaking with my hands makes it easier to remove the string as shown above.

While you are snapping beans, you can fill a medium saucepan with about 3 – 4 inches of water and add 2 teaspoons of salt. Cover and bring to a boil. The salted water will help to season the beans as they simmer. Place beans in boiling water and give them a stir. Water should barely cover the beans and a simmer maintained. A good ‘rule of thumb’ when cooking vegetables is to only use enough water as necessary… more is not nutritionally better and may leach out extra nutrients. Boil beans for only 4 – 5 minutes or until they turn bright green. The beans will continue to cook after draining them and they will cook a bit longer in the skillet during the next step. Drain beans in a colander or strainer making sure all water is removed. Be sure to use pot holders as the saucepan is certainly going to be very hot, as well as the steam that will rise from the drained beans too! Safety first!

Heat the skillet again over medium high heat for a few minutes. Add olive oil, butter and garlic and reduce heat a bit. Butter will burn easily, so the addition of olive oil will help reduce this chance, but don't ruin the dish by burning the garlic. Sauté garlic for 3 – 4 minutes or until aromatic and slightly golden in color… remembering to stir occasionally as it cooks.

Now you are ready to add the drained green beans and cooked bacon, onion mixture to the skillet. Blend the beans in with the sautéed garlic being sure bacon is distributed evenly. Stir and cook mixture for about 2 – 3 minutes or beans are hot. Doesn't it smell heavenly? Remember, meal appeal is visual, as well as flavor and smell. Green beans should be tender-crisp in texture and bright green in color! Taste one to be sure they are not over cooking and evaluate for needed seasoning. The addition of the bacon and sautéed vegetables will reduce the need for a lot of added salt. If needed, sprinkle with a little salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper.

Place your delectable beans in a serving dish and you are ready to eat! Don't they look pretty? Good enough to eat? Serve with any meat entrée and add a salad or potato… dinner is served! Enjoy!