When it comes to side dishes, few can rival the irresistible combination of tender-crisp green beans, savory bacon, fried shallots, toasted almonds and the sweet tanginess of balsamic glaze.

Balsamic Green Beans on a white platter.

This Balsamic Glazed Green Beans With Bacon recipe is a true crowd-pleaser, perfect for family dinners, holiday feasts, or any occasion where you want to elevate your meal. Why have plain old regular green beans when you can have my new favorite green bean recipe!

I’ve been looking for a great Holiday side dish recipe that is different from the standard creamy Green Bean Casserole. Not that I’m trying to persuade anyone to give up a long-standing family tradition!

I wanted something new, a tad more healthy, and exciting this Holiday Season! The beauty of this easy side dish is that it’s made with a handful of simple ingredients.

This is delectable elegant side dish is the perfect accompaniment to your Holiday dinner with its vibrant colors. It will have your taste buds dancing.

Let’s get cooking…because you are going to love this recipe!

Ingredients You’ll Need

2 lbs. fresh thin green beans, or frozen organic green beans – both work equally well, but I do not recommend using canned green beans. You need a crisp bean, my favorite vegetable, for this recipe.
4 large shallots – thinly sliced. They will be deep-fried to a golden crisp and used as a topping.
Vegetable Oil – Used for frying shallots
½ cup balsamic vinegar – I recommend using a high quality balsamic vinegar from Modena, if possible.
1 Tbsp. light brown sugar – used to sweeten the balsamic vinegar glaze.
3 Tbs. Butter – used in the glaze.
½ cup lightly salted roasted almonds, coarsely chopped – you could substitute pistachios, walnuts, or pecans.
½ cup cooked and crumbled bacon (about 5 slices) – I love a good applewood smoked bacon thick cut, but any type of bacon will work.
Salt and Pepper– to personal taste

Ingredients of a white wooden board for Balsamic Green Beans.

Instructions for Sautéed Balsamic Green Beans

Bring a large pot of salted water to boiling over medium-high heat. Cook fresh, or frozen green beans, until crisp-tender, about 3–4 minutes for fresh green beans, 5–8 minutes for frozen.

Cooking Tip: Make sure to use a thinner green bean with the ends trimmed. I used the Costco Organic Green Beans. They’re wonderful and a great replacement when fresh beans can’t be found.

Green beans in a large pot of boiling water.

Plunge green beans into an ice bath, which is cold water with ice cubes in a large bowl. (Right about now you’re happy you’re not green beans!) This will stop the cooking process and leave the green beans crisp. Drain the beans and set aside.

Preparing Fried Shallot Rings

Cut shallots crosswise into thin slices. Separate the shallots into rings.

Shallots in a large bowl, separated into rings.

Pour one-inch of vegetable oil into a heavy large sauce pan; heat over medium-high heat to 350°.

Cooking Tip: Be sure to turn the handle inward so that you don’t accidently knock it off the burner and set the sauce pan on a back burner. ALWAYS use caution when Frying Foods and working with Hot Oil!

Being EXTREMELY careful, fry shallots, in small batches, 2–3 minutes or until golden and crispy. Remove from sauce pan using a slotted spoon; drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Frying shallots in large sauce pan and removing fried shallots with slotted spoon.

Creating a delicious Balsamic Vinegar Glaze

In a large skillet, over medium heat, add balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Stir often, 5 to 6 minutes or until reduced to 3 Tablespoons.

Stir in 3 Tablespoons of butter until blended.

Adding butter to reduced balsamic and sugar in a large skillet.

Finishing Balsamic Green Bean Recipe

Add in drained green beans, and sauté for 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated; add salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking Tip: Be careful not to overcook the green beans. Just heat through and toss to coat in glaze.

Adding Green Beans to Balsamic Glaze in large skillet on stove top.

Arrange balsamic glazed green beans on a large serving platter. Top with fried shallots, toasted coarsely chopped almonds, and crumbled bacon.

Oh, my stars look at this perfect side dish! I love the bright green color of the green beans topped off with simple, yet savory ingredients! A real showstopper of a side dish!

This dish perfectly balances the smokiness of bacon with the sweetness of balsamic glaze, making it an excellent complement to a variety of main courses. You don’t have to file this one away for the Holidays, it can be used year-round!

Balsamic Green Beans with bacon, almonds, and fried shallots on a white serving platter.

Special Cooking Tips

For a vegetarian version, you can omit the bacon or use vegetarian bacon substitutes.
Feel free to customize the level of sweetness in the glaze by adjusting the amount of brown sugar to your taste.
You can also add some feta cheese for additional tangy flavor. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is an easy way to add a wonderful smokey flavor.

Additional Versatile Holiday Side Dish Recipes

There you have it, a simple yet incredibly flavorful recipe for Balsamic Glazed Green Beans With Bacon that will have everyone at the table asking for seconds. Whether you’re serving it for a holiday feast or a weeknight dinner, these green beans are sure to become a family favorite. Enjoy!

Happy Nesting!

Photo and signature of Norine from Norine's Nest.

Yield: 10 serving

Balsamic Glazed Green Bean with Bacon

Name: Balsamic Glazed Green Bean with Bacon
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 lb. fresh thin green beans, or frozen organic green beans, trimmed.; 4 large shallots; Vegetable oil; ½ cup balsamic vinegar; 1 Tbsp. light brown sugar; 3 Tbsp. butter; ½ cup lightly salted roasted almonds, coarsely chopped; ½ cup cooked and crumbled bacon (about 5 slices); Salt and Pepper to Taste

A wonderful Holiday Side Dish of tender-crisp green beans, savory bacon, fried shallots, toasted almonds and the sweet tanginess of balsamic glaze.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 lb. fresh thin green beans, or frozen organic green beans, trimmed.
4 large shallots
Vegetable oil
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. light brown sugar
3 Tbsp. butter
½ cup lightly salted roasted almonds, coarsely chopped
½ cup cooked and crumbled bacon (about 5 slices)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Instructions

Cook beans in boiling salted water to cover beans, 3–4 minutes for fresh green beans, until tender crisp. 5–8 minutes for frozen green beans. Drain. Plunge beans into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain. Set aside.
Cut shallots crosswise into thin slices; separate into rings. Pour oil to depth of 1 inch in a large heavy saucepan; heat over medium-high heat to 350°. CAREFULLY fry shallots, in batches, 1 to 2 minutes or until crisp. Remove from saucepan using a slotted spoon; drain on paper towel lined plate.
Cook vinegar and sugar in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 5 to 6 minutes or until reduced to 3 Tablespoon. Stir in butter until blended. Add beans, and sauté 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated; add salt and pepper to taste. Arrange on a serving platter. Top with fried shallots, almonds, and bacon. Serve immediately.

Balsamic Glazed Green Beans with Bacon