Southern Green Beans and Potatoes with Vidalia Onion and Bacon Recipe
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Southern Green Beans and Potatoes with Vidalia Onion and Bacon is a classic recipe for any southern cook. Made with fresh green beans, new potatoes, onion, bacon, broth and butter, this savory side dish compliments any meal.
A simple whiff is all it takes for a dish to instantly take me back to my childhood. This Southern Green Beans and Potatoes with Vidalia Onion and Bacon recipe does just that. Just for a moment I’m transported back to my grandmother’s kitchen, standing barefoot on the linoleum floor, with wonderful aromas filling the space, created by what was only moments before a large bowl of fresh picked green beans.
Snap! Snap! Snap, go the ends. I’ll admit, sitting with a large bowl of beans in my lap, snapping the ends off seemed so tedious at a younger age. I realize now that it is something I took for granted. To sit still and focus on something seemingly so menial without distraction … how I wish for more moments like those. So when I am able to get a few pounds of fresh green beans, I do. To be able to sit still and snap away is better than any kind of therapy. It’s the simple things.
Many thank to my friend Melissa, from Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen for taking me back to the good old days via green beans. Melissa has a new cookbook: Melissa’s Southern Cookbook, Tried-and-True Family Recipes (FYI, that’s an Amazon affiliate link). Melissa has compiled a collection of Southern favorites. It’s a drool-inducing cookbook and one that I think would make an excellent addition to any kitchen.
Among a slew of old favorites, I was happy to see a recipe for Green Beans and Potatoes with Vidalia Onion and Bacon in the book. It is just perfect! Definitely tried-and-true. A staple for any southern table for sure. I just about hollered when I took the first bite! It’s that good. It makes me want to eat green beans every single day. It’s a side dish you will definitely want to add to your holiday menu. I promise. Enjoy!
A few more favorite Southern recipes:
Southern Green Beans and Potatoes with Vidalia Onion and Bacon Recipe
Southern Green Beans and Potatoes with Vidalia Onion and Bacon
Southern Green Beans and Potatoes is a classic recipe for any southern cook. Made with fresh green beans, new potatoes, onion, bacon, broth and butter, this savory side dish compliments any meal.
Ingredients
- 5 slices bacon
- 1 medium Vidalia onion, diced (any sweet onion may be substituted)
- 2 pounds fresh whole green beans, ends removed
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 2 pounds small red/new potatoes, halved
- 2 tablespoons butter, cubed
Instructions
- In a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels to cool. Leave bacon fat in pan.
- Add diced onion to the bacon fat. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until onion softens.
- Add green beans, chicken stock, 1 teaspoon of garlic salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Stir together. Lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.
- Uncover sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt over beans. Arrange halved potatoes over the green beans. Dot tops of potatoes with cubed butter. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper over top. Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes or until potatoes are done (fork-tender).
- Stir to incorporate. Crumble the cooked bacon and sprinkle over top. Serve warm.
Thanks so much Amy this is a classic for sure. I appreciate you taking the time to write a review now I’m off to pin!
Thank YOU for sharing such fabulous southern favorites! Congratulations on a lovely cookbook! Miss you!
Melissa, you ROCK………
great dish from my childhood love it
One of my favorites!! Fixing this tonight with pan seared pork chops, a side of slaw and some sliced garden tomatoes. Wish you were here to snap beans with me on the front porch while sipping a glass of sweet tea!
Oh that sounds just perfect! A glass of tea on the porch with a friend would be a wonderful way to start the week. Miss y’all!
OMG…jus made these and they turned out delicious. Added my cooked bacon bits when i added the potatoes because i like them soft and not crunchy. Other than that and added a little salt at end to taste I followed the exact recipe. Great choice!!
Could i do this in a crock pot? If so Edgar would be the cooking times?
I do not know what the cooktime would be for a slow cooker.
I never made this or had it , but would love to try so I will make it. Only thing is the green beans really need to cook for 1 hour? Looks way done for me. What if I add the potato with the beans at the same time and cook it till both just done ?
You can adjust cook time to your preference. Let me know how it goes!
Southern green beans would be described as mushy to most these days. They are delicious. No, they are not crisp or crunchy like a quick stir fry. Try it, you’ll like it.
Hey! Great recipe I’m sure. I’ve made similar variations over the years, just not this specific one. And guess what? Even though I live in Texas now, I grew up in Ohio. And my Mom made these all the time. I guess you can’t claim it as a Southern thing.
I agree..it’s a great dish I’ve been eating all my life and I live in Pa. So it’s obviously not not just a southern dish.
Michigan here…my mom made them every summer when green beans were in season.
My Grandma used to make this almost weekly, I loved it! Thank you for posting this, I can’t wait to make it!
My mom used to can green beans with potatoe chunks in them. They were so good. Later when I cooked green beans myself I didn’t like the way they came out. So I started putting the beans in a steamer basket over the water. Then when they were almost done I turned them into the water with the onion & let them finish cooking. When I decided to add potatoes – extra yum. Great with meat & cornbread. Daddy was from Ar & mom from Ka.
Made this for dinner tomorrow with meatloaf. Can’t wait to try it.
I hope you enjoyed it, Pauline!
Can you make this the night before?
Amy, Thank you so much for this. As a chef from NYC, now, by the grace of God living in SC, I’m learning to cook all things Southern. I’ve made these before but with a twist. I actually do a hard blanch of the potatoes and brown them first in the bacon fat with the onions, then add the beans. I also use “Kitchen Basics” vegetable stock and top it all off with something that another internet chef, Mary Foreman of Deep South Dish, got me hooked on, “Slap Ya’ Mama,” Cajun seasoning. It’s epic!
Thanks again, God bless.
Thanks for the tips, J. Chris!
I was thinking of doing the Cajun twist to these too but I do that to a lot of things. I even make a Cajun pasta carbonara………
Could you pls tell me what is the difference between blanch and hard blanch?
Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. It’s seems that you got lost in my e-mail pit.
Sorry for the confusion but we use the term “hard blanch” to teach the newbies the difference between their grandmothers’ method of blanching, a good simmer and blanch for 3-5 minutes, and how we operate in a professional kitchen. We blanch in a hard-rolling boil for a minute, at the most. Then depending upon the dish, a shock or just drying and then finishing however. Hope that helps.
I always go back to the old days recipes. I’ve tried the newer ones. But somehow they’re not the same . TodAy I’m making your green beans. They are well worth the wait. Can’t beat fresh green beans. Looking at your other recipes. Thanks for the memories.
I agree, Brenda! Tried and true favorites can’t be replaced.
Could you please give me the old day recipe? That’s what I’m looking for. I’m trying this one today.
Hook this up with some pan fried porkchops, a big salad and we’re good to go!
I can go back to Raleigh/Durham, NC early ’50’s for this.. Where I live now you get 3 different unions, sweet, purple, & that other one.. Seldom shallots
This is a favorite from my childhood in Central Illinois. Don’t know where my mom learned to prepare this delicious recipe. While living in Asheville, NC, for the last 14 years I was able to get greasy short green beans at the farmers market. They were fantastic in this dish.
Can this be made the night before?
Yes and then rewarm.
I made these,very good,however,I added the potatoes with the beans and simmered for 7,that’s right,7 minutes,took off the heat and they were ready 5 minutes later. Both the beans and potatoes were a little over cooked but still great. I cannot imagine cooking this for 60 minutes.
If you follow that recipe EXACTLY, you would be doing a SLOW simmer for that length of time. That’s how Southerners cook their beans & potatoes, which are very tender. They did not make steamed, stir fry nor crisp tender beans. This specifically says Southern style guys!
I’ve always added a few pinches of brown sugar to my beans,.give it a try. I’m from south central IL. I grow my own beans and I also can them.
I’ve always made mine this way except I use leftover ham pieces that I always have in my freezer instead of bacon. I’m making this, a big ham, squash with green peppers and onions today for us to have for supper a few nights this week. And gonna top it off with a peach cobbler and homemade ice cream. As they use to say on Hee Haw…Yum Yum!! Lol…thanks for the great recipes.
I made these for Easter dinner Sunday and browned the potatoes in the bacon fat before adding them to the green beans. I cooked everything at the same time and they turned out great! This one is a keeper…thank you!