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..
Contents
🌟 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.
💭 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.
📖 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.
🥗 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.
🧊 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
Green Beans with Ham
Ingredients
- 1 lb 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
- Finely dice the onion and chop the ham into cubes.
- Wash and trim the fresh green beans.
Cooking instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- 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.
- Serve and enjoy.
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