Slow-Braised Southern Green Beans with Bacon and Onion

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Green beans simmered low and slow in a smoky bacon-onion broth until they collapse into something silky and deeply savory. This is not crisp-tender territory — the softness is the whole point, and it means you can make them a day ahead and they only get better.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb fresh green beans, ends trimmed
• 6 oz thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter (optional)

Instructions

1. Trim the stem ends from the green beans and snap or cut them into 2-inch lengths. Don't bother with anything fancier — they're going to soften completely. Rinse and set aside in a colander.
2. Set a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the fat has rendered and the pieces are browned but still chewy rather than crisp. Scoop the bacon out with a slotted spoon onto a plate, leaving the fat behind.
3. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Add the diced onion and cook over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring and scraping up the browned bits, until soft and lightly golden. Add the sliced garlic and cook 1 minute more, just until fragrant.
4. Return the bacon to the pot along with the green beans. Pour in the chicken broth, then add 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, the brown sugar, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper. The liquid should come about two-thirds of the way up the beans; add water if needed.
5. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a bare simmer — you want lazy bubbles, not a rolling boil. Cover with the lid slightly ajar and cook for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so.
6. Uncover and continue simmering for 20 to 30 minutes, until the beans are fully slumped and army-green, tender enough to cut with the side of a spoon, and the liquid has reduced to a glossy, concentrated broth about 1/2 inch deep in the pot. Do not stop while the beans still have snap; that's the one way to get this dish wrong.
7. Stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon cider vinegar and the butter, if using, swirling until it melts into the broth. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed — the broth should taste boldly seasoned since the beans drink it up.
8. Let the beans rest off the heat for 10 minutes so they reabsorb some liquid, then serve warm in shallow bowls with a spoonful of the pot broth over each portion.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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