Cookin' Canuck - Fresh Green Beans w/ Bacon, Mushrooms & Herbs Recipe (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Dara · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 24 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Rate this Recipe

Fresh green beans are tossed with crispy bacon, sauteed mushrooms, shallots and fresh herbs. This is a wonderful, bright side for your Thanksgiving feast.
Cookin' Canuck - Fresh Green Beans w/ Bacon, Mushrooms & Herbs Recipe (1)

This post is a two-fer. If you are looking for a side dish for your Thanksgiving feast, then these fresh green beans will do the trick. Bacon, mushrooms, shallots and fresh herbs are tossed with lightly blanched green beans. Did I mention the bacon? Apparently, I have a thing for bacon this week. I give myself permission to indulge in a little bacon when it comes in something as fantastic as .

The other focus of this post is more important than bacon. Yes, that's what I said - more important than bacon. Focus, people.

Today is World Diabetes Day, and Carolyn of All Day I Dream About Food is leading the charge for diabetes awareness on her blog. Carolyn was first diagnosed with gestational diabetes during her third pregnancy, and has been living with diabetes ever since then. She dedicates her blog to low-carb and diabetes-friendly recipes and information, and it a fantastic resource for anyone on the quest for a healthy lifestyle, diabetes or no diabetes.

I'm going to throw a few astounding statistics at you. At least they shocked the heck out of me!

  • 25.8 million children and adults in the United States—8.3% of the population—have diabetes.
  • 79 million people in the United States are prediabetic - that's a shocking number!
  • Potential complications related to diabetes include blindness, heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, kidney disease, nervous system disease and amputation.
  • Healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight and avoiding tobacco use can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

(Statistics from the American Diabetes Association)

This post is not meant to be didactic. However, I hope that we can all take pause in our day to consider how we can make changes in our own families, particularly in the arena of Type 2 diabetes which, according to the WHO, is largely the result of excess body weight and physical inactivity (though that's not the case for everyone who has Type 2).

What if we cut back our soda intake a little bit each day? Maybe we could limit desserts to just a couple of days per week. What if we set aside 30 minutesjust a few days each week to go for a brisk walk? All of these changes may seem small, but they can all start us on the path to healthy eating and healthy living (see My Health and Weight Loss Journey to read about the changes I made in my own life.)

It's something to think about.

And now, let's go back to our regularly scheduled recipe.

The recipe:

Set a large saucepan of salted water over high heat, and bring the water to a boil. Add the beans and cook until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain and immediately transfer the beans to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.

Drain the beans again and set aside.

Cookin' Canuck - Fresh Green Beans w/ Bacon, Mushrooms & Herbs Recipe (3)

Place the strips of bacon in a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the bacon is crisp. Transfer to a paper towel, then crumble the bacon and set aside.

Discard all but 1 teaspoon of the bacon fat. Add the olive oil to the bacon fat in the skillet, and turn to medium-high heat. Add the shallots and mushrooms, and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes.

Cookin' Canuck - Fresh Green Beans w/ Bacon, Mushrooms & Herbs Recipe (4)

Add the green beans and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the parsley, thyme, sage, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook for an additional minute, then add the crumbled bacon.

Cookin' Canuck - Fresh Green Beans w/ Bacon, Mushrooms & Herbs Recipe (5)

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Other Thanksgiving side dishes:

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Chipotle Pecan Streusel

Printable Recipe

Cookin' Canuck - Fresh Green Beans w/ Bacon, Mushrooms & Herbs Recipe (6)

Fresh Green Beans with Bacon, Mushrooms & Herbs

Fresh green beans are tossed with crispy bacon, sautéed mushrooms, shallots and fresh herbs. This is a wonderful, bright side for your Thanksgiving feast.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Gluten Free

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 Servings

Calories: 94kcal

Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

Ingredients

  • 1 pound thin green beans trimmed
  • 3 strips bacon
  • 1 large shallot minced
  • 12 ounces mushrooms thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons parsley minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the beans and cook until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain and immediately transfer the beans to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.

  • Drain the beans again and set aside.

  • Place the strips of bacon in a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the bacon is crisp. Transfer to a paper towel, then crumble the bacon and set aside.

  • Discard all but 1 teaspoon of the bacon fat. Add the olive oil to the bacon fat in the skillet, and turn to medium-high heat. Add the shallots and mushrooms, and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes.

  • Add the green beans and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

  • Add the parsley, thyme, sage, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook for an additional minute, then add the bacon.

  • Serve hot or at room temperature.

Notes

From the kitchen of Cookin Canuck. www.cookincanuck.com

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving (⅙ of Recipe) | Calories: 94kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 179mg | Potassium: 394mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 745IU | Vitamin C: 15.3mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1.6mg

Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Cookin' Canuck - Fresh Green Beans w/ Bacon, Mushrooms & Herbs Recipe (7)

Cookin' Canuck - Fresh Green Beans w/ Bacon, Mushrooms & Herbs Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to infuse flavor into green beans? ›

Soy sauce is one of the easiest answers to how to flavor green beans. You can throw in some of this soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, ginger, and garlic and pan fry until glassy and green and you may never want to eat green beans any other way again.

How do you tenderize tough green beans? ›

Set the garlic cloves on top of the beans and set over very low heat. Stir every few minutes, until you begin to hear a very faint sizzle, for the first 30 minutes; do not let the beans scorch and do not add water. Once the beans begin to soften, usually after about 45 minutes, stir again. Season lightly with salt.

Are frozen green beans precooked? ›

Frozen green beans are not as good as fresh, but they're miles better than canned ones and thus a decent compromise. The nice thing about frozen green beans is that they're quick frozen but not cooked, which means they retain their color—although their texture suffers a bit in the process of freezing and thawing.

What makes green beans taste better? ›

A little butter, minced garlic, and lemon-pepper seasoning are all you need to bring the best out of fresh green beans.

Why add baking soda to water when cooking green beans? ›

Your Beans Will Cook Faster

Well, creating an alkaline (or basic) environment by adding a small amount (about 1 teaspoon per cup of dry beans) of baking soda to your soaking/cooking water can actually help your beans cook faster.

How to fancy up green beans? ›

Then, I toss the blanched beans with olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, and salt to pep up their flavor. Serve them just like that, or dress them up more with toasted almonds or pine nuts, grated Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, or fresh herbs like basil, parsley, or thyme.

What can you do to can green beans to make them taste better? ›

Pour the green beans and the reserved half of the canning liquid into a skillet. Add butter, onion powder, salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until almost all of the cooking liquid has evaporated. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

What is the secret to tender beans? ›

Heat to boiling; boil for 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and soak for up to 4 hours. Hot soaking is the preferred method since it reduces cooking time, helps dissolve some of the gas-causing substances in beans, and most consistently produces tender beans.

Is it better to steam or boil fresh green beans? ›

Steaming is slightly healthier because it keeps some of the nutrients intact, but is also a more risk-free cooking method since they're less likely to overcook.

Why are my green beans tough after cooking? ›

On a cooking note, regarding tough green beans, you may be undercooking them.

Should I thaw frozen green beans before cooking? ›

Chef's Tips. Cook Straight from Frozen: There's no need to thaw your green beans before cooking. They can go directly from the freezer to the pan, which helps retain their crunch and color.

Why are my frozen green beans mushy? ›

Blanching green beans before freezing helps them to retain that beautiful green color and crisp texture when you go to enjoy them. Skipping this step might result in your beans having a mushy texture once defrosted.

Can you overcook green beans? ›

Don't overcook them!

Nothing is worse than a mushy, overcooked green bean. Crisp and slightly tender beans is the goal. To achieve this, taste a bean or two during the cooking process. If it is too crispy for you, keep cooking, testing another green bean in a minute or two.

How are green beans supposed to be cooked? ›

Working in batches, carefully lower green beans into the boiling water. Boil small beans for 2 minutes, medium beans for 3 minutes, and large beans for 4 minutes. Cool the beans quickly by plunging them into the ice water. After they have cooled, drain beans.

Is it better to boil or saute green beans? ›

But sautéing really is one of our favorite ways to cook flavorful, and definitely not mushy string beans.

How do you cook Jamie Oliver green beans? ›

Put a pan of salted water on to boil. Meanwhile, trim the the beans. Once the water is boiling, steam or boil the beans until tender. Drain well, then tip the cooked beans into the bowl with your dressing and toss everything together, making sure all the beans get coated.

Should green beans be soaked before cooking? ›

Should I Soak Green Beans Before Cooking? Fresh green beans do not need to be soaked. To help tenderize the beans, blanch them in a large pot of salted water.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Corie Satterfield

Last Updated:

Views: 5504

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (42 voted)

Reviews: 81% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Corie Satterfield

Birthday: 1992-08-19

Address: 850 Benjamin Bridge, Dickinsonchester, CO 68572-0542

Phone: +26813599986666

Job: Sales Manager

Hobby: Table tennis, Soapmaking, Flower arranging, amateur radio, Rock climbing, scrapbook, Horseback riding

Introduction: My name is Corie Satterfield, I am a fancy, perfect, spotless, quaint, fantastic, funny, lucky person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.