Brown Sugar Bacon Green Beans – Fresh green beans sautéed with bacon, onions, garlic and brown sugar making these melt in your mouth delicious! These are a classic holiday side dish perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
You are going to love my spruced up Bacon and Green Beans Recipe! The flavors from the sautéed onions and garlic with the sweetness from the brown sugar and lemon juice and the crunch of the walnuts elevate this dish to the next level!
Serve with classic holiday main courses like Ham, Turkey and Beef Roast. Pair with your favorite holiday side dishes like creamy mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, baked mac and cheese, stuffing and more! I will link some of my favorite dishes to serve with this recipe for you below.
We recently served our Brown Sugar Green Beans and Bacon with pot roast and mashed potatoes. It was extremely delicious! This dish is not only great for the holidays but is tasty any time of year! And it’s a great way to get your kiddos to eat their veggies. 🙂
This recipe serves about six people. So, if you are cooking for a crowd, you can easily double this recipe! Your guests are going to love these flavor packed green beans.
To store leftover green beans: Store completely cooled green beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Tools to have on hand for this recipe:
- Large Skillet – This is the exact skillet I love to use when making this recipe.
- Cooking Spoon – To stir your ingredients while cooking.
- Large Saucepan – This is used to boil the green beans prior to cooking in the skillet.
- Strainer – To strain the green beans after boiling.
- Measuring Cups + Spoons – You’ll need to properly measure your ingredients.
- Cutting Board + Chef Knife – For chopping the onions, bacon, walnuts and trimming the green beans.
Ingredients you need to make Bacon Green Beans with Brown Sugar:
- Fresh Green Beans – You’ll need about a pound of fresh green beans. Be sure to clean them thoroughly and trim ends.
- Bacon – I used very thick cut quality bacon. You’ll need about three slices in this recipe. You can also use whatever bacon you have on hand!
- Brown Sugar – Light or dark brown sugar both work great in this recipe.
- Butter – You may use salted or unsalted butter, however I almost always use unsalted butter.
- Garlic – Fresh whole garlic cloves are best in this recipe and wouldn’t recommend substituting for garlic powder.
- Red Onion – You may also use yellow, white or sweet onions in this recipe. You’ll need one small onion – or about one cup sliced.
- Walnuts – I used walnut halves and lightly chopped them before sprinkling on top.
- Salt – I almost always use sea salt in my recipes, but you can use whatever salt you have on hand.
- Black Pepper – Fresh cracked black peppercorns is what I prefer using in this recipe.
- Lemon Juice – You’ll need about a tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice. This is equivalent to about a quarter of a lemon.
**For full measurements and recipe instructions, see below.
How to make my delicious Brown Sugar Bacon Green Beans:
Add trimmed and cleaned fresh green beans to your saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Drain green beans using a strainer. Set aside for later.
While the beans are cooking, add bacon to your skillet and cook until crisp. Remove bacon and chop into small chunks. Set aside for later.
Wipe excess bacon grease from pan leaving about a teaspoon in the pan. Add butter, salt and sliced onions to the skillet. Cook over medium heat until onions are just tender. Add garlic and cook until fragrant and soft, about 2-3 minutes.
Add cooked green beans and brown sugar to the skillet. Turn heat up to medium-high heat, cook stirring frequently until green beans are nice and hot. Next, add chopped bacon, walnuts and drizzle top with lemon juice and black pepper. Stir to combine.
Remove green beans from heat and serve with your favorite main courses! Enjoy!
*Store completely cooled green beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Main Courses to serve with this recipe:
- Juicy Oven Tri-Tip Roast – Tender and juicy tri-tip roast marinated overnight in a flavor packed tenderizing marinade then seared hot in a skillet and finished in the oven.
- Roast Chicken – Easy and versatile roast whole chicken stuffed with lemon, onion, garlic, parsley and butter.
- Oven Ribeye Steak – Crusty, tender and delicious bone-in ribeye steaks seared on a cast iron skillet and finished in the oven.
- French Onion Pot Roast – Tender and delicious pot roast recipe cooked to pull-apart perfection in a slow cooker layered with tender onions in a savory sauce. This pot roast is the ultimate easy comfort meal perfect for any night of the week!
- Slow Cooked Tender London Broil – This London broil recipe is super easy and absolutely melt in your mouth delicious. If you are looking for a tender, pull-apart London broil recipe that takes very little effort from start to finish, look no further!
If you enjoyed this recipe, here are a few more side dish recipes I think you’ll love:
- Balsamic Glazed Carrots – Quick and easy balsamic glazed baby carrots with a hint of lemon and honey. These are perfect for a healthy side dish to pair with your lunch or dinner!
- Holiday Stuffing – Also known as “dressing”, this classic stuffing recipe is the perfect side dish for your upcoming Thanksgiving gatherings.
- Sautéed Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes – Sautéed brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes tossed with crispy bacon, sweet cranberries and toasted pine nuts. Warm flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg that transport you right into the holiday season.
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes – Easy, creamy, buttery mashed potatoes sprinkled with fresh parsley. When it comes to mashed potatoes, the more butter the better!
- Baked Macaroni and Cheese – The creamiest, cheesiest mac and cheese baked to a golden perfection! What could be better? This baked macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort food. It goes great by itself or as a side dish!
- Buttermilk Rolls – Warm, soft and fluffy buttermilk rolls with a golden outer crust make these the best buttermilk rolls ever.
Brown Sugar Bacon Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Fresh Green Beans ends trimmed
- 3 slices Thick Cut Bacon
- 3 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1/2 tbsp Butter
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 Small Red Onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Walnuts Halves lightly chopped
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Add trimmed and cleaned fresh green beans to your saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Drain green beans using a strainer. Set aside for later.
- While the beans are cooking, add bacon to your skillet and cook until crisp. Remove bacon and chop into small chunks. Set aside for later.
- Wipe excess bacon grease from pan leaving about a teaspoon in the pan. Add butter, salt and sliced onions to the skillet. Cook over medium heat until onions are just tender. Add garlic and cook until fragrant and soft, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add cooked green beans and brown sugar to the skillet. Turn heat up to medium-high heat, cook stirring frequently until green beans are nice and hot. Next, add chopped bacon, walnuts and drizzle top with lemon juice and black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Remove green beans from heat and serve with your favorite main courses! Enjoy!
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