Smothered Green Beans

You can quickly whip up this comforting side of easy smothered green beans for dinner tonight and any holiday meal. All you need is your Instant Pot and less than 25 minutes.

Suitable for gluten free, low carb and keto diets. Post includes Weight Watchers points.

Smothered String Beans

These fork-tender green beans, in a creamy garlic sauce, complete with some crispy bacon, are so delicious. And yes, you can make this right now with only 6 everyday ingredients. You have every excuse to make this green bean dish 43,562 times this year alone.

This is an easy side dish that adds amazing flavor to any meal during holidays such as Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, potlucks and dinners, or anytime you want a simple one-pot vegetable recipe.

Just like this easy Smothered Cabbage and garlic butter Instant Pot Red Potatoes, the best part of this recipe is that you only need a handful of pantry ingredients, one pot (aka minimal cleanup), and 5 minutes of prep time to whip it up.

Why Make This Recipe

• Budget-friendly – made with affordable ingredients you already own.
• Serve all the ways – enjoy as-is for a simple meal, or serve as a side for various meat, fish, or veggie dishes.
• Leftovers – great for using leftover beans, bacon, or other meats.

What’s Needed

So, here are the simple ingredients you need.

• Oil – Use to sauté the shallots for a few seconds, so use your favorite oil.
• Green Beans – I used fresh green beans for this. Frozen ones do not work as well for this vegetable recipe.
• Chicken stock – You can use beef or vegetable stock if you prefer. 
• Seasoning – This gets some delicious flavor from garlic salt. You can use homemade or store-bought.
• Bacon – Use your leftover bacon to make this, or get store-bought bacon bits. The crisper the better.
• Shallots – Shallots are used so that they can cook quickly, but you can use finely sliced white or red onion.
• Optional – My favorite add-ins are Cajun seasoning, Creole seasoning, or Italian Seasoning.

How To Make This

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a skillet or large saucepan and sauté shallots for a couple of minutes until softened.
2. Add a quarter of the bacon and all the green beans and cook for a minute.
3. Mix in garlic salt and stock, cover and simmer for 15 minutes (beans with a little bite) to 22 minutes (soft beans).
4. Uncover, adjust seasoning, switch off the heat, and top with the remaining bacon. Serve as is for a low-carb dish, or with rice or cornbread as a main dish.

Bintu’s Tips And Variations

I’ve given you some tips and added in some suggested variations.

• You can add some sugar to make it sweeter. My grandma would be proud.
• Tomato paste adds a delicious sharpness to this recipe.
• Cook time will depend on how tender you want your green beans. The longer you cook them, the more tender they become. Start checking at 15 minutes and go from there.
• Add in some potatoes to bulk it out as a main meal.
• Double up the recipe for meal prep.

Storage

• Prep ahead – Trim the ends of the green beans before cooking if you want to.
• Refrigerate – Let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
• Freeze – I don’t suggest freezing this as the beans go mushy, you can, however, do it.
• Reheat – Place them in the microwave for 30-60 seconds with a splash of water.

FAQs

Weight Watchers Points

There are 3 Blue Plan SmartPoints in a serving of this.

More Instant Pot Recipes

Instant pot sides are the best when both your Air Fryer and Oven are being used for a large spread. I love making this Instant Pot Chicken Breast with these beans. And, our favorites are these Instant Pot Baby Potatoes. A complete meal. And, yes, I do have more than one Instant Pot.

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Did you make this recipe? Then I would love to hear how it turned out. Please leave a comment and star rating below. And I really appreciate you sharing this recipe with your family and friends. Enjoy every mouthful 😊🍲 – Bintu

Get The Smothered Green Beans Recipe