Paleo & Whole30 green beans with mushrooms and bacon make an easy and quick holiday side. With only 6 ingredients and 30 minutes to make, they are packed with the flavors of your typical green bean casserole, but make holiday cooking a breeze!

Last updated on November 2, 2019.

It’s almost Thanksgiving and that means bring on all the side dishes! I will totally admit that the appetizers and sides are my jam during this time of year. I mean don’t get me wrong, turkey can be really good. And dessert isn’t bad. But how can you go wrong with the wide variety of sides?! So I figured an easy green beans with mushrooms and bacon would be a perfect fit right before turkey time.

I don’t know about you, but green beans always make an appearance at holidays in my family. They are just so easy and usually everyone likes green beans. Even if you aren’t a huge veggie lover, green beans usually make the cut.

Growing up we didn’t do too many green bean casseroles. I think we went on a short stint with them, but we usually always sautéed fresh green beans. My mom doesn’t eat meat, so our green beans usually consisted of some garlic, balsamic, and maybe a few spices.

And while I love a simple sautéed green bean recipe, this year I wanted to step it up. Queue the addition of mushrooms and bacon and crispy pan fried onions. Yes please!

For these sautéed green beans with mushrooms and bacon, I wanted to take a little bit of the flavors of green bean casserole, but put them into an easier, quicker, and healthier dish. And honestly, since we didn’t eat too much green bean casserole growing up, I don’t really know how to make it. 😜

But no matter what time of year it is, this dish is pretty stellar. It takes some time to fry the onions, but other than that, it comes together quickly. You can totally serve it alongside dinner any night of the week and the whole family will approve.

Green Beans with Mushrooms and Bacon (Paleo/Whole30)

The taste of green bean casserole, without all the heavy cream! This recipe does just that – it takes the flavors of most people’s beloved green bean casserole, and puts it into a heathy and lightened up dish!

You only need 6 ingredients (plus salt and pepper) and 30 minutes to make these sautéed green beans and mushrooms. Bonus is they are made on the stove, so that frees up your oven for things like roasted butternut squash with goat cheese for holiday feast!

Here is what you need:

• bacon – ButcherBox is Whole30 compliant too!
• onion
• green beans
• mushrooms
• full fat coconut milk
• garlic
• salt and pepper

First, start off frying the bacon in a large nonstick sauté pan. Cook it for about 10 minutes total, flipping once halfway through, until it is nice and crispy. Set bacon aside to let cool.

Next, make the crispy onions. Leaving the bacon grease in the pan, add the sliced onions (you want to keep them in rings) to the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown. They should be golden brown and crispy, so make sure to watch them carefully so they don’t burn.

Then you cook the green beans and garlic. After they cook for a few minutes, add the mushrooms and coconut milk and cook until softened. You can either add 3 or 4 tablespoons of coconut milk depending on how saucy and creamy you want them.

Finally, top with crumbled bacon and the crispy onions and you have a delicious holiday side dish in about 30 minutes.

To make Green Beans and Mushrooms for a Crowd

This green bean and bacon side dish can definitely be doubled or even tripled depending on how many people you are serving.

If you want to prep them before hand, cook everything according to the directions, but store the green beans and mushrooms, bacon, and onions in separate containers. You can slightly undercook the green beans and reheat them cooking them all the way through on the stove. Then just top with the bacon and onions.

If you have leftovers, just store them in a tightly sealed glass container in the fridge. You can reheat on the stove or just pop them in the microwave. The bacon and onions might be not as crispy, but the flavors will still be there!

More Healthy Holiday Side Dishes

Rosemary Roasted Radishes

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Easy Paleo Holiday Green Beans

Tahini Whipped Sweet Potatoes

Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms

Kale Salad with Butternut Squash & Pomegranates

Cinnamon Roasted Delicata Squash

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