Cooking for two this holiday season? Ditch the tired old green bean casserole from your holiday menu and add this Bacon Mushroom Green Bean Salad instead. Use fresh ingredients for easy portion control when making two-person meals!
Better than traditional green bean casserole!
Casseroles are great when you are cooking for a crowd, but they guarantee leftovers if you are cooking for two this holiday season! When I made my Stuffed Acorn Squash, we intentionally made extra stuffing. Mostly because I can repurpose it into another dish, like stuffing waffles or breakfast hash. It’s really tough to turn classic green bean casserole into anything but, well green bean casserole! Instead we dined on this Warm Bacon Mushroom Green Bean Salad made with several of the same ingredients, but portion sized for two-person meals.
Tips for cooking for two for the holidays (or any day):
Hands down my biggest tip when cooking for two is to use as many fresh ingredients as possible. When you walk into the produce section, for the most part, YOU get to decide how much you buy unlike boxes and cans and prepackage items. In the case of this Bacon Mushroom Green Bean Salad, the only component not bought specifically to size is the canned crispy onions. For everything else – the bacon from the butcher counter, the slivered almonds from the bulk items, and the fresh produce – I was able to buy exact quantities for this recipe.
I love that the fat from the bacon, with a little help from the butter, combines with the mushrooms and shallots to make a delicious, warm vinaigrette. If you want a slightly creamier ‘dressing’, stir in one tablespoon of heavy cream, sour cream, or even Greek Yogurt.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb fresh green beans, ends trimmed and cut to desired size
- 3 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 cup fresh sliced white mushrooms
- 1-2 small shallots, thinly sliced
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp slivered almonds
- 1/4 cup crispy onions
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add green beans to a large skillet along with 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook 3-4 minutes on medium-hight heat until beans are tender, but still crisp. Pour beans into a strainer, run under cold water for 30 seconds to stop the cooking process. Set aside to drain.
- Return skillet to heat, add bacon. Cook on medium heat until slightly crispy.
- Add mushrooms, shallots, butter, and thyme. Cook 3-4 minutes until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat, discard thyme sprigs, and stir in vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Return green beans to skillet. Add almonds and crispy onions to skillet. Toss to combine.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: Lighten up this recipe by substituting turkey bacon instead of regular and extra virgin olive oil instead of butter.
We hope you enjoy this warm Bacon Mushroom Green Bean Salad recipe from SoFabFood Home Chef, Loriann from Thyme for Cocktails. If you love this simple recipe and you’re entertaining soon, be sure to visit our Side Dish section for more like it. For daily recipe inspiration, subscribe to our newsletter, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
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