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    Home » Recipes » Side Dish

    Green Beans with Ham

    By: Kimberly Grabinski Last Updated: November 12, 2024 1 Comment

    RecipePrintComments
    5 from 5 votes

    This delicious Southern classic recipe for ham and green beans is a crowd-pleaser that's full of flavor. It's a comforting meal that's super easy to make with fresh green beans, cooked ham, and a few spices - and the best part is that it only takes about 30 minutes to make..

    ham and green beans featured
    Contents
    • 🌟 Why this recipe works
    • 🍽 Key Ingredients
    • 🔪 How to make
    • 💭 Cooking tips
    • 📖 Recipe Variations
    • 🥗 What to serve with
    • 🙋 Frequently asked questions
    • 🧊 Storing and ♨️ reheating
    • 👪 Serving size
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    🌟 Why this recipe works

    This easy ham and green beans recipe is perfect for busy weeknights or to serve a crowd. The combination of flavors is simple yet satisfying, and the ingredients are easily accessible and affordable.

    The heartiness of the ham hock, combined with the crispness of green beans, is a classic combination that everyone will love. The salt, pepper, and garlic powder add a great depth of flavor without overpowering the dish.

    It's amazing what you can do with just a few ingredients tossed together in a skillet in 30 minutes! The aroma from the ham will fill your kitchen, and everyone will be drooling before you even set the table.

    Green beans and ham are commonly served as a side dish with meat dishes or any dish that has a delicious creamy sauce like cauliflower steak with bacon cheese sauce.

    Boiled ham hocks are the perfect meat that you can use in recipes like this, sandwiches, or even bean soup. So, grab your leftover ham and fresh green beans and whip up this easy and delicious recipe.

    🍽 Key Ingredients

    The key to this dish is to make sure that you don't overcook the green beans and that you use a quality ham hock to bring out the best flavor.

    Green beans - It's best to use fresh green beans for this recipe rather than frozen green beans, as you want them to have a crisp texture.

    Cooked ham - Ham hocks like the ones used for making soups are perfect for this recipe. Pennsylvania Dutch ham or Virginia ham are great choices, but any cooked ham will work.

    Olive oil - Olive oil is used to sauté the vegetables and give them a delicious flavor.

    Seasonings - A small amount of diced onion, garlic powder, seasoning salt, and pepper are added to give the dish flavor.

    Substitutions

    Olive oil

    You can also use avocado oil in this recipe or butter as a substitute.

    Ham

    If you don't have cooked ham, bacon can be used in this recipe instead.

    Onion

    Use half a teaspoon of onion powder as a substitute for hydrated onion.

    🔪 How to make

    This ham and green beans recipe is a classic Southern dish that is easy to whip up in no time! With just a few basic ingredients, you can have a delicious and comforting meal on the table in just 30 minutes.

    Preparations

    • Finely dice the onion and chop the ham into cubes.
    • Wash and trim the fresh green beans.

    Cooking instructions

    Step 1
    Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

    Step 2
    Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion, green beans, cubed leftover ham, and seasonings to the skillet, sauteing for 10 minutes until the green beans are cooked.

    Step 3
    Serve and enjoy.

    ham and green beans-3

    💭 Cooking tips

    Keep the green beans tender

    Be sure to not overcook the green beans, as you want them to remain crisp and tender.

    Using bacon

    If using bacon instead of ham, cook it first in the skillet before adding other ingredients.

    Adding liquid

    If you want to add some liquid to the dish, pour in ¼ cup of vegetable chicken broth.

    ham and green beans-1

    📖 Recipe Variations

    If you're looking to combine some vegetables or add a few more spices to your dish, we have a few suggestions to make it heartier and spicier:

    Green beans and potatoes

    Dice and par-boil 1 or 2 medium-sized red potatoes and add them to the skillet with the other ingredients for a heartier dish.

    Spiced ham green beans

    1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes or chili powder is enough to give this dish a bit of a kick. You could also add 1 or 2 diced smoked chipotle peppers to combine with smoked ham.

    Ham, mushrooms, and green beans

    Cook 1 cup of quartered mushrooms for 3 to 4 minutes, then remove the leftover cooking liquid from the skillet before adding the green beans, ham, and spices.

    ham and green beans-2

    🥗 What to serve with

    This dish can be served as a side to any type of main dish, from steak to casseroles, and it also goes great with mashed potatoes or cabbage dishes. Here are some delicious dinner recipes to pair with it.

    Pork

    Pork dishes like creamy ranch pork chops or parmesan-crusted pork chops are perfect recipes to compliment the flavors of green beans and ham.

    Chicken

    Go for a lighter dish and serve it with lemon herb chicken or something more showstopping like this Ruth Chris stuffed chicken recipe that is stuffed with a mixture of cream cheese, ranch, and cheddar cheese and seasoned with paprika - just like the restaurant recipe!

    Steak

    This dish is also perfect to pair with steak. Go for something classic like an amazing bottom round roast or a more creative option like onion gravy smothered steak.

    🙋 Frequently asked questions

    Can I use canned green beans?

    Yes, you can use canned green beans in this recipe but make sure to drain them and rinse them with water before adding them to the skillet.

    Is it OK to make this recipe in the slow cooker?

    Yes, you can make slow-cooker green beans and ham. Although the green beans will not be tender after 4 hours of cooking on low, the flavor of the ham will be more intense and delicious.

    ham and green beans-4

    🧊 Storing and ♨️ reheating

    Any leftover ham and green beans can be stored and reheated again.

    Fridge - Store any leftover ham and green beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

    Freezer - Place in an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

    Reheating - Reheat in a skillet with a splash of oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes until heated. You can also reheat it in the microwave for 2 minutes until hot.

    👪 Serving size

    This ham and green beans recipe will serve 4-6 people. You could easily double the ingredients to serve more guests or to have leftovers.

    Southern classic comfort food flavors like smokey ham and tender-crisp green beans turn this skillet dish into a family favorite. Easy to make and fun to customize, this is one recipe you'll be making time and time again.

    📋 Recipe

    ham and green beans 1

    Green Beans with Ham

    This delicious Southern classic recipe for ham and green beans is a crowd-pleaser that's full of flavor. It's a comforting meal that's super easy to make with fresh green beans, cooked ham, and a few spices - and the best part is that it only takes about 30 minutes to make.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved! Share
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 81kcal
    Author: Kim Grabinski

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 pound green beans - trimmed
    • 8 ounces cooked ham - diced / cubed
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil - or avocado oil
    • 1 tablespoon dehydrated minced onions
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

    Instructions

    Preparations

    • Wash and trim the fresh green beans. Chop the ham into cubes.
    • (Optional) Dice a fresh onion if using instead of dehydrated minced onions.

    Cooking instructions

    • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
    • Once the oil is hot, add the green beans and sauté for 3–4 minutes.
    • Add the ham, minced onion (or diced fresh onion), garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Continue to sauté for 5–6 minutes, or until the green beans are tender-crisp.
    • Serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    Keep the green beans tender
    Be sure to not overcook the green beans, as you want them to remain crisp and tender.
    Using bacon
    If using bacon instead of ham, cook it first in the skillet before adding other ingredients.
    Adding liquid
    If you want to add some liquid to the dish, pour in ¼ cup of vegetable chicken broth.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 81kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 676mg | Potassium: 214mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 390IU | Vitamin C: 7.4mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg

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      5 from 5 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Dave Bengston

      November 06, 2023 at 10:29 pm

      5 stars
      We loved it. Great thing to do with left over ham. I substituted one very large shallot for any onion. I did not add any salt and it was perfect, but I did use canned beans.

      Reply

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    Kim @ 730 Sage Street

    Hi, I'm Kim!

    Creating easy recipes with everyday ingredients since 2008. I believe you can make quality homemade recipes even if you are short on time and budget-conscious. You just need to dive in and learn as you go!

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    Feel free to share our recipes on your blog using a photo and link back to the original recipe.

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