If you are looking for a fun way to encourage your kids and teens to eat more vegetables, try out this Instant Pot Green Beans and Bacon recipe. This recipe is inspired by the Southern-style green beans and bacon dish but doesn’t involve some of the seasonings often associated with this side. This helps to make it a family-friendly dish, without the red chili flakes that can often be too intense for young kids. Thanks to using your Instant Pot, you’ll have a whole bowl of these delicious Instant Pot Green Beans and Bacon ready to place on your dinner table in just a matter of minutes.
As you probably already know by now, I absolutely adore my Instant Pot. It’s such a versatile device that can be used to make complete meals, side dishes, and delicious cakes and desserts. I use my Instant Pot a few times each week and always love experimenting with new dishes. That’s why I was thrilled to find this quick and easy recipe for green beans and bacon. The Instant Pot allows you to get the beans to your desired texture with ease, whether you prefer tender green beans or something a little crispier. Even the most inexperienced cooks can look like a professional with the Instant Pot, which really is one of the most foolproof devices I’ve ever used!
Our recipe today uses just six basic ingredients, most of which you probably have already hanging around your kitchen! Thick cut bacon slices are the best option for this dish, which you’ll dice into small pieces before adding into your Instant Pot. This recipe is designed to be made with fresh green beans, and you’ll just need to trim the ends off of them to start. Finally, one white onion is sliced into rounds, and then you’ll add broth, salt, and pepper during the cooking process. For such a simple collection of ingredients, you’ll be absolutely blown away by how much flavor this side dish offers!
The great thing about this recipe is that it’s easy to prepare the beans exactly to you and your family’s tastes. Often Southern-style green beans are cooked low and slow in a broth with bacon, which makes them lose their bright color. If you prefer crunchy green beans, just adjust the time accordingly, as detailed in the recipe below. However you cook these beans, everyone will be sure to come back for seconds and even thirds of this vegetable side dish.
The Instant Pot helps your beans to soak up even more flavor, saving so much time in the process. The beans soak up all the flavor of the broth and bacon grease, giving them an irresistible taste. It’s a great way to encourage anyone who doesn’t particularly enjoy eating their greens to try more vegetables. If you would like to add even more flavor to this dish, you could also add garlic, red chili flakes, or hot sauce into the mix.
While this recipe is typically a side dish, if you need a quick and light dinner, it’s also a great option. On those nights where you have little time and minimal food in the kitchen, you can simply chuck your beans and bacon in the Instant Pot, and a few minutes later, you’ll have a simple meal ready to eat. It’s a good low carb meal, and you’ll enjoy plenty of nutritional value from the heap of green beans in the dish. If you don’t have bacon in your fridge, you can always replace it with ham and follow the same process of cutting the meat up into small pieces before cooking.
To make this an even healthier dish for your family, you can choose to use a low sodium broth in your cooking. Nitrate-free bacon is also another healthy option, which will reduce the sodium in your bacon. However, the green beans in this dish make it a naturally nutritious meal. Green beans are a fantastic source of fiber, folic acid, vitamins A, C, and K. They’ll help boost your immune system, so it’s well worth trying to sneak more of these into your kids’ diet, especially during the winter months.
So what are you waiting for? If you have all of the ingredients in your kitchen already, you’ll want to give making this dish a try as soon as you are finished with work today. Alternatively, if you are having a special family meal this weekend, it’s a healthy and fun addition to any dinner table. These green beans and bacon are bound to be enjoyed by your whole family, and you’ll be grateful for your Instant Pot making life in the kitchen even easier for you!
Instant Pot Green Beans and Bacon Recipe:
Serves: 6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 2 Minutes (10 minutes inactive time as it comes to pressure). See further details regarding cook times in the notes detailed below.
Instant Pot Green Beans and Bacon Recipe Ingredients:
5 slices bacon; thick-cut, diced
1 lb fresh green beans; ends trimmed
1 white onion; halved and sliced into rounds
1 cup broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instant Pot Green Beans and Bacon Recipe Step-by-Step Instructions:
- After dicing your bacon and cutting up your onion and green beans, you’ll want to start by adding your bacon to your Instant Pot and set your device to sauté mode.
- Cook until the bacon is fully cooked, and then add your cup of broth to deglaze the Instant Pot and help it to come to pressure.
- Add in the onions, trimmed green beans, salt, and pepper to your Instant Pot. Place the lid firmly back on your pot, and set the valve to seal position. You’ll then need to press the pressure cook/manual/high-pressure button and set the timer to 0 minutes for crisp green beans or 2 minutes for softer green beans, depending on your preferences.
- Once the Instant Pot stops counting and beeps, release the pressure by turning the valve to the unsealed position. Your Instant Pot Green Beans and Bacon are now ready to serve. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
Set the time to 0 Minutes for crisper green beans or 2 Minutes for tender green beans.
As you can see, this is such a simple and quick recipe that will create a hearty and delicious side dish that your whole family will love. By following the recipe notes listed above, you can cook the green beans to your suit your preferences and create a dish that even the pickiest of eaters will enjoy. The Instant Pot continues to impress me and is ideal for trying out new and fun recipes. It will make catering for your family during special occasions and big family gatherings so much easier, giving you more time to spend together!
Instant Pot Green Beans and Bacon
Ingredients
- 5 slices bacon; thick cut, diced
- 1 lb fresh green beans; ends trimmed
- 1 white onion; halved and sliced into rounds
- 1 cup broth
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add bacon to pot and set on saute mode. Cook until bacon is cooked then add broth to deglaze pot and help to come to pressure.
- Add in onions, trimmed green beans, salt, and pepper. Place lid on pot. Set valve to seal position. Press pressure cook/manual/high pressure button and then set timer to 0 minutes for crisp green beans or 2 minutes for softer green beans.
- Once the pot stops counting and beeps release the pressure by turning the valve to the unsealed position. Serve!
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