Green Beans and Potatoes is an easy, delicious, comfort food side dish (or main) done in around 30 minutes!
What could be better than pieces of crispy bacon, toasted onions, roasted baby red potatoes and fresh garden green beans? Maybe just tossing them together in a simple herb butter and roasting them into one beautifully scrumptious and flavorful dish!
Green Beans and Potatoes is a Southern green beans side dish, typically prepared on the stove top. And most of the recipes take 45 minutes to 1 hour to prepare.
I prefer the no-fuss roasting method for vegetables. It’s the time-saving and flavor maximizing spin that takes my green beans and potatoes over the top! You guys! These are SO delicious!
Roasted green beans and potatoes are as welcome at holiday and company dinners as they are for Sunday supper.
The Ingredients
- Baby Red Potatoes
- Fresh Green Beans
- White Onion
- Bacon, thick cut
- Butter, melted
- Homemade All Purpose Seasoning (or your favorite store brand)
- Garlic Powder (Minced garlic is more likely to burn for the length of time this will be in the oven.)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Why Roast the Green Beans and Potatoes Instead of Boiling?
There are three reasons I usually opt for roasted, rather than boiled, vegetables. It’s best for green beans and potatoes, as well as for my Air Fryer Green Beans with Garlic Butter Sauce.
- Texture – Roasted vegetables have a firmer texture, that if timed properly, is never mushy.
- Color – Roasted vegetables retain their beautiful bright color instead of releasing it into cooking water. This is especially important for green beans. We eat with our eyes first. Right? Beautiful dishes are simply more appealing.
- Flavor – As roasted veggies release their liquid, it evaporates and the natural sugars in the vegetables become more concentrated and caramelized. Flavor! Flavor! Flavor! My potatoes and green beans recipe is loaded with it!
Why Bacon?
Sure. The bacon is added for flavor and texture. But if you would rather leave it out, you can.
You may want an extra Tablespoons of butter to replace the fat the bacon would have added to the dish. And you might add 1/2 teaspoon of liquid smoke for that added smoky flavor.
You know I always want you to take my recipes as a starting place and make them your own. Use the ingredients you have on hand and that your family loves.
But, by the same token, if you change the recipe, please recognize that it probably will not taste or look the same as the one I prepared for you, here, today.
It’s no longer my recipe, but yours. And that’s not a bad thing. It means your knowledge and confidence in the kitchen are growing!
Can I Make This Vegan?
Sure. Replace the melted butter with avocado oil. Leave out the bacon and use 1/2 teaspoon of liquid smoke to replace the smoky flavor. You could add pepitas or sliced almonds for some textural crunch.
Can I Use Different Potatoes?
Yes. You can use any thin skinned potatoes you like. And they don’t have to be baby potatoes. You could cut down regular size Yukon Gold potatoes, red potatoes or even Russet potatoes (I might peel Russets, first.)
What About Canned Green Beans?
You could try it. Canned green beans have been cooked under intense pressure and heat, though, during the canning process. They will quickly cook through and become mushy, even breaking into pieces if you cook them with the other ingredients.
If you want to use canned green beans, drain them and add them in the last 10 minutes of cooking, just so they heat through.
Unfortunately, that won’t give them much time to absorb the flavor from the onions or the luscious butter sauce, but it will keep them from falling apart for you.
Oven or Air Fryer?
I have made this recipe in both the oven and in the air fryer.
In the oven, I doubled the recipe and used a baking sheet. The potatoes and green beans were fully cooked and tender in about 35 minutes.
I used the broiler/roasting pan that came with my Breville Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro.[affiliate link] That took me about 25 minutes to cook.
I think the delectable flavor comes out the same with either method.
Though, the air fryer potatoes and green beans did seem slightly moister. The air fryer is a little bit quicker, too, but not by much. And, the air fryer seems to retain more of the vegetable’s bright color.
The amount of time it takes to cook the Green Beans and Potatoes will be dependent on the size and model of your air fryer or oven and the size you cut the potatoes to.
This is not a single layer dish. The ingredients will usually not fit in a single layer in the pan. That’s fine.
We’re not going for crispy roasted, just roasted with lots of flavor. Stir half way through the cooking time to continue to distribute the sauce over the veggies.
What to Serve It With
This delicious green beans and potatoes side dish will be the perfect complement to dozens of your favorite mains.
Try it with this crispy delicious Air Fryer Cod from Laura at Little House Big Alaska or Zuzana’s scrumptious Chicken Roll Ups.
Or put it alongside my famous 3-Ingredient Slow Cooker Ham!
It will never miss served alongside these fantastic entrees. I hope you get a chance to try them all!
- Mississippi Pot Roast
- Maple Mustard Pork Loin
- Juicy, Delicious Slow Cooker Chicken Breasts
- Juicy, Baked Chicken Breasts
How to Make Green Beans and Potatoes
- Preheat air fryer or oven to 400° F.
- Use broiler pan or rimmed sheet baking sheet to prepare and roast the dish.
- Cut baby red potatoes into equal size pieces (about 1″). Halve average size ones and quarter larger ones. You just want them all to be able to cook at the same rate.
- Dice the onion into 1/2″ chunks.
- Cut green beans into 2″ lengths, (roughly thirds).
- Cut the bacon into 1/2″ chunks.
- Mix melted butter with All Purpose Seasoning and Garlic Powder.
- Add the green beans, potatoes and onions to a baking sheet or broiler pan.
- Pour melted butter mixture over the green beans, potatoes and onions and toss to coat everything evenly.
- Sprinkle the cut bacon over the top of the vegetables.
- Roast in the air fryer oven for 20-25 minutes or conventional oven for 35 minutes. Stir the dish half way through cooking if the ingredients haven’t fit in your pan in a single layer. Potatoes will be fork tender when done. Stick a fork into one and it should easily slide all the way through. Salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve as a side or as the main dish.
I hope you’ll get a chance to make these scrumptious southern Green Beans and Potatoes, soon! If you do, and love them as much as we do, please consider leaving a 5 star rating in a comment on this post. Your 5 star comment helps other find our Green Bean recipe when they’re looking for one on Google. Thanks so much!
The Recipe
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Green Beans and Potatoes Recipe
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 – 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
A classic Southern green beans side dish with an EASY modern twist. Instead of boiling on the stove top, my Green Beans and Potatoes are roasted in either the air fryer or conventional oven, for vibrant color, perfect texture and out of this world flavor. Company worthy side dish! And, they’ll be as welcome on your holiday table as they are at Sunday dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 (1.5 pound) bag baby red potatoes (or new potatoes, or your favorite variety)
- 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2″ pieces
- 1 medium white onion
- 4–6 strips thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2” chunks
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons homemade All Purpose Seasoning (or your store brand)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (Minced garlic is more likely to burn for the length of time this will be in the oven.)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer or oven to 400° F.
- Use broiler pan or rimmed sheet baking sheet to prepare and roast the dish.
- Cut baby red potatoes into equal size pieces (about 1″). Halve average size ones and quarter larger ones. You just want them all to be able to cook at the same rate.
- Dice the onion into 1/2″ chunks.
- Cut green beans into 2″ lengths, (roughly thirds).
- Cut the bacon into 1/2″ chunks.
- Mix melted butter with All Purpose Seasoning and Garlic Powder.
- Add the green beans, potatoes and onions to a baking sheet or broiler pan.
- Pour melted butter mixture over the green beans, potatoes and onions and toss to coat everything evenly.
- Sprinkle the cut bacon over the top of the vegetables.
- Roast in the air fryer oven for 20-25 minutes or conventional oven for 35 minutes. Stir the dish half way through cooking if the ingredients haven’t fit in your pan in a single layer. Potatoes will be fork tender when done. Stick a fork into one and it should easily slide all the way through.
- Serve as a side or as the main dish.
Notes
I love minced garlic in almost everything. But, when a recipe is going to be baking at high temperatures, like this one it is more likely to burn and get bitter. That’s why I chose garlic powder for this recipe.
If using canned green beans, drain them and add in the last 10 minutes of cooking, so they don’t get mushy and break apart.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Side Dish, Vegetable
- Method: Air Fryer or Oven
- Cuisine: American
More Easy Side Dishes
- House Salad, a perfect green salad that tosses together in minutes!
About Glenda
I believe cooking from scratch doesn’t have to be complicated and that YOU can do it. My simple recipes, tutorials, and cooking tips will help you get weeknight dinners on the table with less stress. Forget takeout or the drive-thru. Let me show you how to make homemade easy. Read more...
We loved this, it was delicious!
I’m so glad, Rosanna! It’s a simple and delicious way to round out a meal.
This is my kind of comfort food! SO easy and SO gosh darn good!
Me, too, Jennifer! Thanks so much! I’m so happy you enjoyed it.
What a delicious, easy, versatile side! The bacon really put these over the top for me. Thanks so much for a delicious recipe.
You’re so welcome, Gen. And thanks for taking the time to stop and let me know you love the recipe!
Great recipe for the air-fryer. I never thought of roasting the potatoes for this classic dish, but it came out so good! Thanks for the recipe, my family loved it.
I’m glad it was a hit, Kathy! The air fryer definitely makes life so much easier, doesn’t it?
my fam loves it. It’s a new recipe for us. Thank you.
I’m so happy you’ve discovered a new favorite, Roxie!
This is so easy to make! Thanks for sharing this!
Easy AND delicious is a perfect combination! So glad you love them, Cam.
This is the perfect side dish recipe to go with any meat meal. Roasting gives these vegetables so much flavor and the texture was spot on!!
Thank you, Sherry! That’s what I love about them, too!
What a delicious addition to our weekly routine! The whole family enjoyed it. So easy to make too. Thank you for the great recipe!
Thank you, Elena! I’m so happy that your family enjoyed it!