Green Beans with Shallots and Crispy Pancetta. Flavor packed side dish perfect for any night of the week or the holidays.
Whenever I host a dinner I like to keep the menu as simple as possible, so most of the dishes I plan are of few ingredients but ingredients that pack a lot of flavor. These Green Beans with Shallots and Crispy Pancetta is super easy to make and it really is wonderfully flavored! The sweetness of the shallots, the crispy pancetta and the tender green beans make this dish a perfect addition to your holiday meal, really it makes a great side to lots of meals! Oh, and one of the secrets to this dish is slow cooked garlic oil!
Thanksgiving dinner menu continues… If you missed my first post, it was a Butternut Squash Lasagna for the non meat eaters, it is a must try! The bonus with the lasagna is that you can prep and assemble it the day before then just pop in the oven the day of, making your life a little easier. I mentioned in the lasagna post that I am going to bombard you over the next couple days with multiple posts daily, leaving you with a full Thanksgiving menu! Be sure to keep checking back for the rest of the recipes!
serves 8-10
4 1/2 lbs green beans, ends trimmed
4 oz pancetta
2 large shallots, sliced
6 Tbsp garlic oil, divided (recipe below)
Lets start with the garlic oil, this makes a larger batch then you need for these green beans, but we’ll use it again in my Garlic and Chive Mashed Potatoes. You can also keep it in a jar in the fridge for a week.
Garlic Oil
1 cup olive oil
16-20 garlic cloves peeled
In a small sauce pan, over the simmer burner on as low as it goes, add the oil and garlic cloves. Allow to cook for 40-45 minutes. The garlic will have softened and browned lightly and will be sweet almost as if roasted in the oven. My opinion, this is much easier for almost the same result.
Now for these fabulous green beans…
Cook the beans until just tender in a pot of boiling water. Set aside.
Stack the pancetta slices, roll them up and slice.
In a saute pan, over medium heat, add 3 Tbsp garlic oil and the sliced pancetta. Pancetta doesn’t have much fat so the oil helps it get going. Cook until crispy, using a wooden spoon to seperate the slices. Once crisp, remove and set aside leaving the oil in the pan.
To the same pan add in the sliced shallots and sauté until softened and golden.
Toss together the green beans, crispy pancetta, sweet shallots, salt, pepper and another 3 Tbsp of the garlic oil.
If you would like to get this ready the day before simply wait until the day of before adding the crisp pancetta to the green beans.
KT
Oooh yummy! I love green beans. Thanks for sharing!
Angela LeMoine
I’m right there with ya! You are very welcome! Enjoy!