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Easy Sauteed Green Beans with Bacon is a delicious side dish and a healthier way to cook fresh green beans. Perfect for holiday dinners or every day!

sauteed green with bacon and lemon on serving platter

Easy sauteed green beans with bacon is a delicious way to to cook fresh green beans. It’s a super simple recipe, but it gets dressed up with Parmesan cheese and BACON!

If you’re looking for an easy, healthy holiday side dish recipe, you’ll love these delicious pan fried green beans!

We used to always have traditional green bean casserole on the table at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but honestly, I was never a huge fan. Yes, I admit it! So when I started hosting holiday dinners, I decided to shake things up a little, and the casserole was one of the first things to go.

Besides, I like to think that by serving lighter side dishes, I’ll have more room for dessert, which is probably my favorite part of the meal! And by cooking the green beans on the stove, you’ll have one less dish to bake.

How to Saute Fresh Green Beans without Blanching

I usually buy a bag of fresh green beans from the store and prep them right before it’s time to cook them. They usually don’t take a lot of prep work other than a good rinsing, but sometimes, there are still a few stems attached, and of course, you want to get rid of those.

Just heat up some olive oil and butter in a skillet. Cook the beans until they’re crisp tender — just slightly soft.

Add some salt and pepper, to taste. When the beans are just about done, add a little cooked bacon and a little Parm at the end.

easy sauteed green beans with bacon in frying pan

I usually cook enough bacon over the weekend so that we’ll have leftovers to chop up into the beans. If you don’t have leftover bacon, make bacon in your air fryer and use that!

It only takes a few minutes before they’re ready to go. Some get a little softer, and some are a little brown and crispy, but they’re all good!

pan fry fresh green beans with bacon

Right before serving, I sometimes like to add a little lemon juice just for some extra freshness. You can skip the lemon juice if you want or even add a splash of white wine for the holidays!

And that’s all there is to cooking fresh green beans on the stove. It’s quick, easy and so good!

easy sauteed green beans with bacon and parmesan cheese on platter

5 from 6 votes

Easy Sauteed Green Beans with Bacon

By: Dee
Easy Sauteed Green Beans with Bacon made with fresh green beans sauteed until tender and topped with bacon is a light, healthy side dish perfect for holiday dinners or every day! 
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients  

  • 1 to 2 pounds fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ cup cooked bacon, chopped
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese optional
  • ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice optional
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Instructions 

  • In a large skillet, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat.
  • Add the green beans, sea salt and pepper, and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently or until beans are slightly soft. Add more butter or olive oil, if necessary 
  • Add cooked bacon, and cook until heated through
  • Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh lemon juice, if desired

Notes

If you like softer beans, cook longer
French green beans, or haricot verts, are thinner and cook faster. If you can find them, try these.

Nutrition

Calories: 90kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 9mg, Sodium: 405mg, Potassium: 247mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 880IU, Vitamin C: 13.9mg, Calcium: 111mg, Iron: 1.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Like this? Leave a comment below!

Recipe last updated in 2020

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Easy Sauteed Green Beans with Bacon and Parmesan

 

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14 Comments

  1. Jim says:

    Made these for Thanksgiving and again last night for dinner. Awesome recipe and easy too.5 stars

    1. Dee says:

      Thanks, Jim! I’m so glad you liked the recipe!