Tender green beans, baby potatoes, smoky bacon, and sweet onions are perfectly combined in this irresistibly classic southern side dish.
I served these Southern Green Beans and Potatoes along with our favorite Crispy Oven Baked Chicken. It was the perfect pairing, because the chicken finished cooking just as the potatoes were tender. The meal was a hit with my whole family.
When my friend Melissa (of Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen) told me she was writing a cookbook last year, I told her I wanted to be first on her list to review it. I received my advance copy a couple weeks ago and I’ve been flipping through it and drooling over everything since it arrived.
The cookbook, Melissa’s Southern Kitchen, is being released TODAY and you can find it here on Amazon or countless other retailers. I am so excited for her and I know that everyone is going to love it as much as I do. Whether you are looking for a full Sunday dinner or a casual weeknight supper, there is a recipe here for every occasion. With recipes like Melissa’s unforgettable Buttermilk Fried Chicken, BLT Macaroni Salad, Pecan Praline Baked Brie, and so many others, I’m going to have a lot of fun trying these recipes!
- Southern Green Beans with Potatoes and Bacon
- recipe lightly adapted from Melissa's Southern Cookbook
- Yield: 8 servings
- printable recipe
- 1/2 pound bacon cooked (3-4 tablespoons grease reserved)
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 pounds whole green beans ends trimmed
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic or garlic powder divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper divided
- 2 pounds baby potatoes halved
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Cook the bacon and drain on a paper towel, reserving the bacon grease. Add the bacon grease to a dutch oven or large pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the onion to the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened.
- Add the green beans, chicken stock, 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Stir and cover. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, sprinkle the green beans with 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic. Arrange the potatoes over the green beans. Dot with butter and sprinkle with the remaining salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Stir gently and transfer to a serving dish. Crumble the bacon and sprinkle it over the green beans and potatoes. Enjoy!
As originally written, Melissa's recipe called for the bacon to be cooked in the pot on the stove. However, I'm nothing if not a creature of habit, so I cooked my bacon in the oven. I added a spoonful of bacon grease to the pot and started from there. (I keep bacon grease in a jar in my refrigerator, but you could cook easily cook the bacon first and use that grease.)
I used a combination of baby red and Dutch yellow potatoes. Any potato will work for this recipe, just make sure the pieces are roughly the same size so that they will finish cooking at the same time.
Here are a few more side dish recipes you might like:
Green Chile Queso Potatoes by Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen
Creamed Corn with Peppers and Bacon by Barefeet In The Kitchen
Maple Pan Roasted Carrots by Noble Pig
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Grapes and Walnuts by Foodie with Family
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Warm Bacon Apple Cider Dressing by The Noshery
Rainbow Broccoli Salad by Spend with Pennies
Roxana | a trEATs affair says
That looks great!
Melissa says
Mary, what a fabulous job you did on these green beans! Thank you so much for the review, I can't wait to see your book in the fall. ♥
Big Dude says
Looks delicious. Potatoes cooked with beans was a regular item on Mom's menu.
Anonymous says
you didn't say how many pounds of potatoes to use
Anonymous says
my bad you, you did, they turned out great
J. Robbie says
Ok,
My Mother has made this recipe for years!
I wasn’t going to try your version of this recipe until I read your comment at the bottom of the page about making your bacon in the oven. I do the same thing! The bacon is so much crispier made this way. Seasoning the recipe with bacon fat is also a winning idea. I’ll try your recipe and get back to you on what I think. Sounds delish…
Krista says
Could I add the potatoes and beans at the same time? My husband likes the beans more crispy, not mushy.
Susan Ciannilli says
My mom used to make these potatoes and green beans………loved them. Just so happens I picked a mess of them from my garden this morning and just happen to have baby red potatoes on hand. Will be making these with dinner tonight……thank you !!
Mary Younkin says
I love that you have memories of your mom making this recipe, Susan. It’s a classic for sure.