Oma's Country Green Beans With Bacon & Onion (Gruene Bohnen)
"Our family favorite country-style green beans, with bacon and onion. These are just like my German grandmother made (the lemon is my addition) -- she always used fresh green beans from the farmer's market -- but canned green beans will do just fine. Delicious! A really great side dish (can be made ahead) for the holidays, or anytime."
photo by BecR2400
- Ready In:
- 45mins
- Ingredients:
- 9
- Serves:
-
12
ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, diced (thick slices)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 (14 1/2 ounce) cans cut green beans, the liquid from 2 cans reserved (or use farm-fresh green beans, cooked and drained, reserving about 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid)
- 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1⁄4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped divided use
- 1 squeeze fresh lemon juice
directions
- In a large heavy skillet (I use my large cast iron pan or Le Creuset) over medium heat, cook the bacon and onion,stirring often, until bacon is lightly browned and the onion is softened (about 15 to 20 minutes).
- In a large measuring cup, stir the flour into the reserved liquid (or 1 1/2 cups water), whisking briskly with a fork until smooth.
- Pour the flour mixture all at once into the bacon and onion mixture; use a wire whisk and whisk briskly to combine. Use a wooden spoon to gently scrape browned bits from bottom of pan and incorporate them into the sauce.
- Cook and stir constantly (I use a wire whisk or wooden spoon) over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil. When mixture comes to a boil, continue to cook and stir on medium-high heat for 3 minutes more (at this stage you may want to add a touch more of water or flour, depending on how thick you want the sauce to be).
- Add the green beans, lemon zest, salt and pepper, and the fresh parsley (except one tablespoon snipped parsley, for garnish); stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium, stir occasionally until beans are hot (8 to 10 minutes).
- Remove from heat. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and garnish with snipped parsley. Serve immediately.
-
If making beans ahead, to serve later:
- At this point, spoon hot bean mixture into a 1 1/2 to 2-quart size casserole dish; let cool slightly then cover and refrigerate. About 1 hour prior to serving, remove from fridge and let sit at room temp for 15 to 30 minutes. Place the covered casserole into a preheated 350 degree F oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until hot. Garnish with snipped parsley and serve hot.
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Reviews
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Excellent! I don't remember my Oma's gruene Bohnen, but I do remember my mom's and these are very similar. Thanks for posting. I used a little less bacon to cut down on calories and was still very tasty!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
<p>Married to my sweetheart for almost forty years and we have two wonderful children who are grown and have flown the coop. Also, we have been blessed with a wonderful son-in-law and beautiful daughter-in-law, plus FIVE grandchildren: two beautiful granddaughters ages five and eight, and three sweet adorable little grandsons ages 2 months, 2 years and 3 years. My husband and I share a combination of English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Dutch, Swiss, Polish, Austrian, German and French heritage, and our son-in-law and daughter-in-law are both Hispanic. We've traveled extensively to many countries abroad (we lived in Germany), and have traveled and lived in several states here in the U.S.A. Many of the recipes I post here are influenced by our combined heritage or from our travels, or they are old family favorites that I want to share with you. I hope you enjoy! Have been to culinary school with many years of cooking (mostly for my family) under my belt, so know my way around a kitchen. And I'm very lucky to have the best sous chef in the world, dddddh! One of my favorite chefs of all time is Jacques Pepin! I have several of his cookbooks, and enjoy watching his television cooking show Fast Food My Way. Another top favorite is Julia Child (of course!). A few other chefs I read/enjoy watching on t.v. are: Giada At Home, Ina Garten's The Barefoot Contessa, Nigella Lawson's Nigella Bites, and Patti's Mexican Kitchen, and many more. On my bucket list is dining at Thomas Keller's establishment The French Laundry in Napa Valley, California... as well as Alice Waters' Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and the James Beard award winning Tartine Bakery and Cafe in San Francisco. One day!! Hobbies/Interests: Decorating with fresh flowers and herbs from the garden is my passion, and brings me deep joy! It's really hard to beat!! I love connecting with others who enjoy the same. Gardening, decorating, sewing, music, dancing, film, and reading are also up there. Spending quality time with my grandchildren, family, and friends (and cooking holiday meals!). Currently, a newfound passion has been so richly rewarding for me: genealogical research. I heart ancestry dot com. And last but certainly not least, I absolutely LOVE cats--we have two half-Siamese fur babies (cats) that allow us to live here!! A Note of Thanks~ I try to personally thank everyone who kindly makes and reviews my recipes, but sometimes I am busy, late, or may forget. Please know that I am always humbled that you would try one of my recipes, and I enjoy reading the reviews and seeing all the pretty photographs. Thanks so much! </p>
