Stove Top Southern Green Beans are amazing and super easy to make! They’re simmered all day long to create the most flavorful green beans ever!
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Stove Top Southern Green Beans make me think of my dad and my nana.
One of my memories, from the kitchen, from when I was little is my dad having a pot of string beans on the back burner of the stove that he would simmer all day long for us to have with dinner. He normally tossed in a few new potatoes when he made his string beans which was super delicious too! I make mine just a tad different with a little more bacon and no potatoes but they’re still just as amazing as the green beans my dad cooks.
What you’ll need to make Stove Top Southern Green Beans:
- Green beans, fresh or canned
- Water
- Chicken Bullion Cubes (I really like the Knorr Chicken Bouillon Cubes for these beans)
- Bacon
- Garlic Powder
- Mrs. Dash Salt Free Garlic & Herb Seasoning Blend (not sponsored I just love this in my green beans)
Snap and Clean the Beans:
If you’re using fresh green beans (or string beans) you’re going to want to snap both ends off of each green bean before you cook them. You can cut them off with a knife or just pop them off with your fingers. It is super easy to snap the ends off of green beans and I can normally do that faster than trying to individually cut each end off of each green bean.
Also, give your beans a quick rinse before you start cooking if you’re using fresh green beans. You don’t want any buggies or dirt in your green beans.
*Little hands are great helpers when it comes to swishing around green beans in water – haha*
Chop the bacon before you cook it!
When I first started learning to cook, I would cook bacon and then chop it for recipes. However, a few years ago, I started cutting the bacon up before cooking and I haven’t looked back!
If you use it before you cook it the bacon cooks faster and you don’t have to try and chop greasy bacon. You can really cook it and chop it however you want to but this is just my suggestion.
Also, make sure to read the recipe good. You are going to fry up some bacon before hand for these Stove Top Southern Green Beans but you’re also going to toss in some raw bacon to cook throughout the day with the green beans. So make sure you don’t just fry it all up at the beginning.
Simmer, Simmer and Keep Simmering!
These tasty Stove Top Southern Green Beans are going to simmer for about 7 hours on the stove top!
That’s right, 7 or so hours. I normally keep it on low to barely simmer during the day and then once in a while during the day I’ll turn it up to a boil and then turn it right back down to a simmer after it starts boiling. But for the most part it is just simmering on low all day.
**If You’re not comfortable with simmering green beans on the stove all day I do have a Slow Cooker Green Bean Recipe that you can try. This Stove Top Southern Green Beans recipe is really for a day that you’re going to be home all day.**
Q&A:
- Can I use canned green beans instead?
You can. Just make sure to drain them before you start cooking them.
- Can I leave the bacon out?
You can but I can’t promise that they’ll be the best string beans ever.
- I don’t want to simmer green beans all day, is there a slow cooker version?
I do have a Slow Cooker Green Bean Recipe that you can try.
More Southern Side Dish Recipes that you’ll love:
- Betty Grable’s Baked Beans
- Bacon Ranch Macaroni and Cheese
- Southern Fried Okra
- Southern Slow Cooked Collard Greens
More Great Recipes with Bacon to make:
- Bacon and Cheese Twists
- Candied Bacon Egg and Cheese Sandwiches
- Maple Bacon and Ham Baked Bean Chili
- Chicken Bacon Alfredo Lasagna
If you’re looking for more Southern recipes, check out these great Southern Recipes on the blog
Stove Top Southern Green Beans
Stove Top Southern Green Beans
Stove Top Southern Green Beans are amazing and super easy to make! They're simmered all day long to create the most flavorful green beans ever!
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans
- 4 cups water
- 2 Chicken Bullion Cubes
- 8 slices of Bacon
- 1/2 tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash Salt Free Garlic & Herb Seasoning Blend
Instructions
Snap ends from green beans.
Rinse beans and add to a medium sauce pan.
Add 4 cups of water, Chicken Bullion Cubes, garlic powder, and Mrs. Dash Salt Free Garlic & Herb Seasoning Blend.
Bring to a boil.
Chop bacon into 1 inch pieces.
Cook half of the bacon until crispy. Drain grease.
Add cooked bacon and raw bacon to the green beans.
Let green beans boil for 10 minutes, Reduce to a simmer.
Let green beans simmer for 6-7 hours or until super tender.
Add more water if needed during cooking period.
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This is very similar to how I make mine. I add minced garlic from the jar, white pepper, and dried minced onion, to the bullion cube and bacon. My son who’s 9 won’t eat anyone else’s….lol
oooo I may have to try it with minced garlic! We love garlic around here haha
hello, I can remember my mom making this dish. She added a chopped onion and already cooked cubed potatoes. I cooked this all the time for my children and now my grandchildren. It is a must have dish for all holidays. All reader’s try this dish believe you will not be disappointed
My dad would add cooked cubed potatoes too! I bet the onion is great in them too! We can’t use onion here because my husband is allergic.
Do you leave the pot uncovered while cooking? Is there any issue if I want to cover it? It is a lovely recipe that I know will be FULL of great flavor.
Yes, I leave it uncovered 🙂 I don’t think there would be a problem with covering it, other than forgetting about it hahaha.
These were delicious! I am making them again today with fresh green beans. Thank you for a great recipe!
If I use canned green beans won’t they turn to mush after 6 hours? Should I cook them for a shorter time? How long?
My dad always used canned beans and cooked them all day long. They super SUPER soft but I wouldn’t call them mush.
I am a Savannah girl so have been cooking green beans all my life. I have never cooked them all day, just an hour or so. I prefer them not so soft but as to the bacon it is definitely a must. The bacon grease gives it flavor. I am 80 so back in the years back we use to season with “fat back”. Do you know what that is ? That was before everyone started eating “healthy” ????. I really enjoy reading you and your recipes.
Thanks,
Ginger Noreswothy
haha yes! My husband, son and sister in law like to eat fried fat back! haha I can’t bring myself to like it hahaha but they love it.
If I used canned green beans, how many cans do I use for this recipe?
16 oz worth – how many cans will be based on how big the cans are. 🙂
Hi! I look forward to making these! If I did want to add in the cubed potatoes, would I add them at the beginning or toward the end? Thanks so much.
I always add them at the beginning just so they cook down and soak up all the goodness haha