This easy recipe is straight from Grandmother's kitchen! It's old fashioned comfort food the whole family will love.
Table of Contents
❤️ Why you'll love it
- Make them on top of the stove or in the crockpot.
- Simple ingredients.
- Picky eater friendly
Southern style green beans and potatoes is a side dish everyone should have in their recipe box!
Those snap beans get super tender. Simmering makes them soak up all the flavor from the bacon and onions.
The wonderful aromas that waft through the house when they are cooking are enough to make you want to gnaw on the door frame - seriously delish!
🧾 Ingredients
📖 Variations
- I use the baby potatoes - either red or Yukon Gold. If you are lucky enough to be close to the farmers market look for "new potatoes".
- I've used different types but I think red potatoes are the prettiest.
- You can use canned beans if you like but they are not nearly as good. Use about 60 ounces that have been well drained.
- You can leave the sugar out for sure but there's not a lot and it really wakes up the flavor of the green beans and potatoes!
- You can use chunks of ham or a ham bone instead of bacon but you'll need to cut back on the salt.
- Try chicken stock or vegetable stock instead of water for even more flavor.
- A couple of cloves of garlic are good, too.
- Make this a main dish by slicing up some smoked sausage in it.
- Add a few red pepper flakes.
🔪 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.
Prep
Wash the beans by putting them in a large dishpan filled with cold water. Remove any stems and "snap" them into smaller pieces.
Wash the potatoes and rub them gently with your fingers. Be sure to get the dirt out of the little indentations.
If there are any small sprouts break them off but don't peel the potatoes.
You can do this the night before to save time at dinner.
Always start with the freshest vegetables possible for this southern green beans recipe. There will be a huge difference in flavor.
Cook the green beans
- Saute the bacon in a heavy dutch oven.
- Remove the bacon to a plate and set aside. Add the onions to the dutch oven and saute in the bacon grease until tender.
- Add the potatoes, beans, sugar, salt, and pepper to the large saucepan and then add water to cover.
- Bring to a boil on medium high heat. Turn the heat down to keep the water at a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the cooked bacon before serving. Add a little butter if you like.
Slow Cooker Instructions
It's easy to make slow cooker green beans and potatoes!
- Saute the bacon as directed. Remove to a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- Saute the onions in the bacon grease until soft. Transfer the onions to a slow cooker. Add the green beans, potatoes, salt, pepper, and sugar.
- Add enough water to the slow cooker to come to the level of the top of the vegetables or slightly cover them. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4.
- Remove to a large bowl with a slotted spoon and stir in the bacon before serving.
🥫 Storage
Store the cooked green beans and potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
This dish does not freeze well because of the potatoes. You can pick the potatoes out and freeze the green beans if you wish.
🎥 Video
Click on the image to watch me make this recipe from start to finish with extra tips! (Video opens in a new tab).
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: Choose bright green string beans that feel firm and break with a "snap". Avoid any that have bruises or discoloration. Good beans will snap easily and cleanly when fresh.
- For the best results always use fresh ingredients.
- If some of the potatoes are much larger than others cut them in half so they will cook evenly.
- Don't use russet potatoes - they break down during the long cooking time. Use either the little red potatoes (new potatoes) or the baby Yukon Gold potatoes.
Try this slow cooker green beans with ham. It has similar flavors but it's the perfect way to use up leftover ham.
👩🍳 FAQs
Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe. It's one of our favorite side dishes!
Ham, ham hock, bacon, onion, garlic, cook them in chicken broth - or any combination! Be sure to add butter since fat carries and intensifies flavor.
Garlic, onions, seasoning salt, thyme, or crushed red peppers are some of my favorite seasonings for green beans.
Nothing. Those are all words for the same basic vegetable.
Related recipes
🍽️ Serve with...
Crispy deviled chicken brings a little spicy crunch to the table and this vintage recipe is a snap to make. Add some classic buttermilk biscuits and a double fudge Coca Cola cake and you've got the makin's of a real, old fashioned dinner.
📞 The last word
One of my favorite meals (so comforting!) is meatloaf, these green beans and potatoes, and a dish of maple roasted carrots!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Green Beans and Potatoes
Print Pin Recipe SaveIngredients
- 6 slices bacon
- 2 pounds green beans
- 1 pound new potatoes
- 2 cups onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
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Instructions
- Wash the green beans and remove any stems.
- "Snap" them into smaller pieces.
- Wash the potatoes but don't peel them unless you are using russets.
- Saute the bacon in a heavy dutch oven.
- Remove the bacon to a plate and set aside.
- Add the onions to the dutch oven and saute in the bacon grease until tender.
- Add the potatoes, green beans, sugar, salt, and pepper to the big pot and then add water to cover.
- Bring to a boil on medium-high heat then turn heat down and simmer for 45 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in bacon before serving. Add butter if you like.
Slow cooker instructions
- Follow step one and two above.
- Add the potatoes, onions, green beans, salt, pepper, and sugar to the slow cooker.
- Add water until it just covers the beans.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4.
- Remove the green beans and potatoes to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon and stir in the bacon before serving.
Notes
- Choose bright green string beans that feel firm and break with a "snap". Avoid any that have bruises or discoloration. Good beans will snap easily and cleanly when fresh.
- You can use canned beans if you like but they are not nearly as good. Use about 60 ounces that have been drained.
- If some of the potatoes are much larger than others cut them in half so they will cook evenly.
- Don't use russet potatoes - they break down during the long cooking time. Use either the little red potatoes (new potatoes) or the baby Yukon Gold potatoes
- If the beans have big, swollen spots it means they have started to produce big seeds and they're not going to be good.
- If they seem to be leathery they're old and dried out. Toss them.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.First published December 5, 2022. Last updated for editorial improvements June 22, 2023.
✍🏻 A note from Marye...
I know y'all don't always like the stories bloggers tell so when I have one I try to put it at the very bottom so you can read or skip as you like.
My mom grew yellow "wax" beans as well as string beans. She'd mix them together in the pot and, let me tell you, the color combination was beautiful. If you can find both give it a try.
Mom always said many hands make light work. Snapping fresh green beans was something we did together.
We'd sit out on the porch, drink sweet tea, and talk while we snapped the big tub of string beans she'd collected from the garden. I'll tell ya, I got more out of those casual conversations than all of the "instruction" in the world.
Those casual moments are the times we learn the most about our kids, when we have the opportunity to listen and the opportunity to be heard.
First published May 3, 2021. Last updated December 5, 2022 for editorial content.
Alyssa
I love green bean and potatoes by themselves, so combining them is even better! This would be a perfect side dish to any meal and I know both of my kids would love it!
Julie Evink
The bacon makes this green beans and potatoes recipe!! It's a fave side dish to serve of ours.
Camden Rusincovitch
Green beans and potatoes-- and with bacon too! This is a Southern winner for sure in my house.
Kristen Yard
I never would've thought to combine green beans and potatoes in one dish (is my Northern lineage showing? LOL!) but holy cow this looks AMAZING!!! My daughter will especially love the bacon! Since I am a vegetarian, can I just cook this a little differently to avoid the bacon grease, etc, and add the bacon in at the end for my daughter's servings?
Marye
That will be fine. You could also cook it with dried mushrooms and that will give it that umami flavor.
Brittany
I grew up on green beans and potatoes! Snapping beans always reminds me of all of those summers where the entire family worked in my grandparents' garden.
Cynthia Rusincovitch
Green beans and potatoes are about the most southern thing ever. And bacon makes everything better! My grandma made this a lot and I always loved it!
Bernadette
I made these with 2 minor changes. Used truvia instead of sugar as I’m a diabetic and I added a splash of vinegar. Outstanding!!
Jennifer
I am so glad I came across your recipe on Pinterest. I grew up eating green beans like this at my grandparents house. Man did it take me back, yum! Made according to the recipe and per the other recipe comments, I added a few cloves of fresh minced garlic and used Better than Bouillon Chicken for added flavor. These were delicious!! My family even agreed and had never had green beans made like this before. Will definitely be making again.
Marye
So glad you liked it!
Glen Spencer
Good evening Mrs Oudet-White, my name is Glen my stomach and I appreciate you putting out there that recipe, also want to thank you once again for putting out there on how to make country gravy I got that one too from you Thank You again👸🏻😋👑🇺🇲
Marye
thank you.
Crystal
Made these for our Bible Study Group. one of our favorites!!!! Thank You!!
Barb
Love this recipe. Have made several times and they are always a hit.
Lisa
We put fresh parsley in ours. Use a little water and a beef bone for flavor. No salt as it is a no, no for my husband. Still good.
June Chandler
This looks really good and easy. Will have to try it out
Deborah
I grew up eating these. Always good. We still eat them. I do sometimes add a bit of chopped onion as well. So so good!