Quick and delicious green bean recipe with fresh green beans, shallots and pancetta.
It doesn’t take much to dress up green beans for a holiday dinner. In this recipe, the beans are first blanched and then sautéed with pancetta and shallots, with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning.
You can use thinly sliced onions in place of the shallots, or substitute bacon or diced ham for the pork belly if you have them on hand.
Bend one in half; If it breaks easily it’s fresh, if it just flexes without breaking then it’s past its prime a little and you’ll have a harder time getting the beans good.
The second tip is not to overcook the beans (if they’re older you may need to cook them longer than usual to soften them) and after cooking, baste them in an ice water bath to seal in their light green color and seal to stop boiling.
More great green bean recipes!
- Green bean casserole from scratch
- Pressure cooker green beans with tomatoes and bacon
- Green beans with bacon
- Creamy green beans and mushrooms
- Stir fried green beans with ginger and onions
Green beans with shallots and pancetta
ingredients
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1 lb green beans, ends trimmed, strings removed (if any)
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Salt
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2 ounces pancetta, diced very small
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2-3 large shallots, chopped
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2 teaspoons butter
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Freshly ground black pepper
method
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Cook Green Beans:
In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, blanch the beans for 4 minutes or until crisp and tender.
Note: Test one, if it’s “chewy” let the beans cook a little longer. If you use cut beans or extra thin beans, they may not need to cook for more than 4 minutes; Begin testing after 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
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Drain and shock with ice water:
Drain the beans and place in a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain again and set aside. (At this point, you can make the beans a day ahead and store them in the fridge.)
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Fry the pancetta:
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, lift the pancetta out of the pan onto a plate.
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Add shallots:
Put the shallots in the pan. Fry in the excess fat from the pancetta over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned.
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Add butter and green beans:
Put butter in the pan; add the drained green beans and pancetta. Season with salt and pepper.
Stir constantly until the beans are hot and well mixed with the shallots and pancetta. Serve immediately.
