Bacon Green Beans with Burrata & Lemon

Cut the bacon first. Green beans don’t care if you mess up once. Had a bag of them, half a pack of thick-cut lying around, and some basil that needed killing before it died in the crisper. This happened.

Why You’ll Love This Green Bean Side Dish

Thirty-four minutes total and most of that’s just standing there. Bacon does the heavy lifting — renders fat, flavors everything, then gets crispy on top. Works cold the next day, maybe even better. One skillet. Herbs go in at the end so they don’t turn into sad green dust. The burrata melts slightly from the heat but stays creamy, which sounds like it shouldn’t work but does. Caramelized onions are sweet against the lemon snap. Not complicated. Just layered.

What You Need for Lemon Green Beans With Herbs

Thick-cut bacon. The thin stuff disappears. Eight ounces of green beans — doesn’t have to be exactly that, more is fine. One medium yellow onion sliced thin. Two and a half tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. Not bottled. Salt it yourself after, because bacon salt is already happening. Two tablespoons of water or chicken broth — either works. Half cup of fresh basil and mint combined, chopped. Four ounces of burrata torn into chunks. One teaspoon of lemon zest. Pink peppercorns if you have them — crushed. If not, black pepper’s fine.

How to Make Crispy Bacon Green Beans

Heat the skillet on medium. Don’t rush this. Toss in the chopped bacon and listen for the sizzle right away. That’s when you know the heat’s right. Let it render slowly. You’re looking for crispy edges and that firm texture that holds up, takes about six or seven minutes. Pull it out with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels. Leave the fat in the pan — that’s your flavor base.

Pour most of the bacon fat out. Keep one tablespoon. Add the sliced onion to what’s left and stir it around. This is where patience matters. Let it caramelize until translucent and the edges turn golden. Seven to nine minutes depending on your heat. You’ll smell it getting sweet before you see it. If it starts browning too fast, lower the heat. Burnt tastes like regret.

How to Get Green Beans Tender Yet Still Snap

Throw the green beans in. Splash in the water or broth. Salt them now — not a lot, the bacon’s already salty. Stir occasionally. They steam and sauté at the same time, takes about six minutes. Don’t trust the clock. Bite one. You want it tender but still snaps under your teeth. That’s the whole thing.

Green Beans With Bacon Tips and Mistakes

Before you finish, stir in the lemon juice and half the basil and mint. The whole skillet brightens. The herbs wilt and release that fragrance. Pull it off heat immediately after — heat kills fresh herbs fast. Don’t overcook the bacon trying to get it perfect. Slightly underdone, still pliable in the middle, is better. It’ll finish cooking in residual heat and actually stays crispy instead of turning to ash.

Plate it on whatever looks good. Mound the beans and onions. Scatter the bacon shards on top. Tear the burrata over everything — let the warmth just barely soften it. Grate the lemon zest last. Sprinkle the pink peppercorns if you’ve got them. Serve warm or at room temperature. Both work.

Bacon Green Beans with Burrata & Lemon

By Emma

Prep:

12 min

Cook:

22 min

Total:

34 min

Servings:

6 servings

Ingredients

• 8 oz (225 g) green beans trimmed
• 5 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp water or chicken broth
• Salt to taste
• 2 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 4 oz burrata, torn
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp pink peppercorns, crushed

Method

1. 1 Heat a large skillet on medium. Toss in chopped bacon; listen for that sizzle immediately. Render fat slowly, don’t rush. Crispy edges and firm texture, about 6-7 minutes. Remove bacon with slotted spoon, drain on paper towels. Save rendered bacon fat in pan, pour all but 1 tbsp out.
2. 2 Add sliced onion to the reserved fat. Stir. Caramelize until translucent and edges turn golden, roughly 7-9 minutes. Pay attention to sweet aroma and softened texture. Too much brown means burnt risk, lower heat if needed.
3. 3 Add green beans. Splash in 2 tbsp broth or water. Salt the beans moderately; remember bacon adds salt too. Stir occasionally. Steam and sauté together until beans are tender yet still snap under pressure, roughly 6 minutes but trust your teeth.
4. 4 Before finishing, stir in lemon juice and half the fresh basil and mint. Brighten the whole skillet, herbs wilt and release fragrance. Remove from heat immediately to keep herb freshness.
5. 5 Plate beans and onions, mound on a serving dish. Scatter crispy bacon shards over top. Add torn burrata chunks across surface. Grate lemon zest over everything and sprinkle crushed pink peppercorns last. Serve warm or room temp.
6. 6 Leftover bacon fat? Use in eggs or roasted potatoes. Overcooked beans too limp? Shock them in ice water then sauté for texture fix. Hate mint? Swap with oregano or parsley. No burrata? Cream cheese works in pinch. Garlic or shallots can sneak in with onions if feeling bold.

Nutritional information

Calories

230

Protein

9g

Carbs

7g

Fat

18g

Print Recipe Save to Pinterest

Frequently Asked Questions About Green Bean Side Dish

Can I make this ahead? Yeah. Everything except the burrata and final herbs. Reheat gently in a low skillet, add the fresh stuff at the end. Tastes almost the same.

What if my green beans came out limp? Shock them in ice water next time. Takes the mush out. Then sauté them back in the skillet for a minute to warm through. Actually snaps that way.

Do I have to use burrata? No. Cream cheese works. So does nothing. Some people add a dollop of sour cream instead. It’s fine either way.

Can I swap the herbs? Mint’s the weird one so if you hate it, use oregano or parsley. Basil stays — it belongs here. Dill would probably work too but haven’t tried it.

How do I store leftovers? Fridge. Three days easy. The bacon stays crispy somehow. Don’t freeze it. Beans get mushy when they thaw.

What if I add garlic? Works. Throw minced garlic in with the onions. Start it the same time. Won’t hurt anything. Some people do shallots instead of regular onion — also fine.