Smothered green beans are a southern classic with bacon, onions and garlic slowly smothering fresh green beans for a savory, flavorful side dish.

Are you tired of serving the same old green beans? It’s time to take them from ordinary to extraordinary with a simple technique – smothering! I’ll show you how to elevate your green beans by adding a delicious and flavorful smothering sauce.
Smothering is a cooking method that involves slow-cooking ingredients in a rich and tasty sauce. By smothering your green beans, you’ll infuse them with incredible flavors.
Whether you’re cooking for a special occasion or simply looking to elevate your weeknight dinners, smothering your green beans is a game-changer. So, grab your apron and get ready to transform those ordinary green beans into something extraordinary!
How To Make Smothered Green Beans
Ingredients needed
- Fresh green beans
- Bacon
- Onion
- Garlic
- All-purpose flour
- Chicken broth

Making the smothered green beans
- To start, chop up the raw bacon, dice the onion and mince the garlic cloves.
- In a sauce pan or pot with a little cook the bacon bit. Remove the cooked bacon and then cook the diced onion and minced garlic in the leftover bacon fat. Watch the heat but if the bacon fat starts to evaporate add a little more oil to keep the pan from being dry.
- Once the garlic and onions have cooked and softened add in the flour and mix around the bottom of the pan about 15-30 seconds.
- Then, toss in the raw green beans and add in the chicken broth. Lower the heat to low to medium low then cover with a lid.
- Allow the smothered green beans to cook down for about 20-30 minutes. Be sure to check on them every 5 minutes or so to avoid the bottom of the pan overheating. If it does you can start to burn the sauce at the bottom.
- Once the green beans are withered turn off the heat. Allow to cool a bit and add salt and black pepper to taste.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I make green beans taste better?
This is the perfect recipe for you. It completely transforms the flavors and gives them a restaurant quality flavor. Smothering is a very old technique used for a variety of veggies like potatoes and cabbage.
Can I use canned green beans for this?
No, I would not recommend that. The green beans being raw helps them sweat more water into the sauce during the cooking process and this helps cool things down and flavor the sauce more naturally.
What to serve with smothered green beans?
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Smothered Green Beans
Ingredients
- 28 once fresh green beans
- 5 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- To start, chop up the raw bacon, dice the onion and mince the garlic cloves.
- In a sauce pan or pot with a little cook the bacon bit. Remove the cooked bacon and then cook the diced onion and minced garlic in the leftover bacon fat. Watch the heat but if the bacon fat starts to evaporate add a little more oil to keep the pan from being dry.
- Once the garlic and onions have cooked and softened add in the flour and mix around the bottom of the pan about 15-30 seconds.
- Then, toss in the raw green beans, cooked bacon and add in the chicken broth. Lower the heat to low to medium low then cover with a lid.
- Allow the smothered green beans to cook down for about 20-30 minutes. Be sure to check on them every 5 minutes or so to avoid the bottom of the pan overheating. If it does you can start to burn the sauce at the bottom.
- Once the green beans are withered turn off the heat. Allow to cool a bit and add salt and black pepper to taste.
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
when do you add back in the cooked bacon??
Add it back in with the green beans. My apologies, I fixed that in the instructions, great catch, I appreciate you for that!