Sautéed Green Beans With Bacon

This recipe was the second dish I made for our Christmas Day lunch. Instead of green beans, I used half a bag of mixed vegetables (corn, peas, beans) since I didn't want another green vegetable dish. I also added oregano and basil.

This simple side is a classic crowd-pleaser. You can cook the green beans and bacon up to two days ahead; refrigerate them separately until you're ready to assemble the dish.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: about 2/3 cup)

• 2 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
• 3 bacon slices
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook green beans in boiling water for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and plunge beans into ice water; drain.

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add shallots to drippings in pan; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add beans, juice, salt, and pepper to pan; toss to combine. Cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring often. Remove from heat. Sprinkle bacon over bean mixture; toss.

Calories:

46 (22% from fat)

Fat:

1.1g (sat 0.4g,mono 0.5g,poly 0.2g)

Protein:

2.5g

Carbohydrate:

8g

Fiber:

3.3g

Cholesterol:

2mg

Iron:

1.1mg

Sodium:

93mg

Calcium:

38mg

Melissa Williams, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2007