Green Beans with Bacon and Boursin
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These green beans with bacon and Boursin are creamy, smoky, and packed with flavor. It’s an easy side dish that feels special enough for holidays but simple enough for weeknights.
Green beans with bacon are already a classic side dish, but adding garlic and herb Boursin takes them to a whole new level. The creamy cheese melts into the beans, creating a rich, velvety coating that pairs perfectly with smoky bacon and sweet, tender green beans. Whether you’re making them for a quick weeknight dinner or a holiday feast, they’re always a hit.
The key to great green beans is not overcooking them. They should still have a little crunch and structure — not turn soft and limp. That’s why I skip blanching altogether. Instead, the beans are lightly steamed right in the same pan, which keeps them crisp-tender and saves an extra step.
Once the Boursin melts in, the beans taste like they’ve been tossed in a creamy sauce with almost no effort at all. Add crispy bacon on top, and it’s easy to see why one of my taste testers immediately called these “the best green beans ever.” Honestly, the other green bean recipes never stood a chance.
What to serve with green beans and bacon
This is one side dish that will go well with almost all of your favorite recipes. For fun, I sometimes like to keep the Boursin party going and serve the beans with my creamy Boursin chicken. My lemon herb butter roast chicken is another wonderful main to serve with these.
Bacon Boursin Green Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 strips bacon
- 1 lb green beans
- 4 tablespoons Boursin cheese
- Sea salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a large frying pan over medium heat until crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan and crumble it when it's cool enough to handle. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon oil out of the pan.3 strips bacon
- Increase the heat to medium-high and add the green beans and ¼ cup of water to the pan. Cover the pan and let the beans steam for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and if there is any water remaining, give it a minute to evaporate.1 lb green beans
- Add the Boursin to the pan and stir it into the green beans so it melts. Stir in the crispy bacon and season to taste with salt.Sea salt, 4 tablespoons Boursin cheese
Nutrition
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Can I make this ahead of time and should I add the boursin on later.
I think it is best if cooked fresh. But to save time if you are serving it to company, I’d recommend cooking the bacon ahead of time.
You can’t go wrong with bacon and green beans, but what a great idea to add cheese! My kids gobbled these up without complaining – win!!
This was a huge hit at my house! It is so good and so easy to make!
What a delicious side dish. Perfect with fish or chicken.
Very nice, easy, and flavorful recipe! Thanks for sharing!
I was just in Nashville and had some incredible green beans with bacon at a restaurant. I needed to learn to make them at home too and I am so glad I found this recipe. The Boursin cheese addition makes these string beans even better.
I’ve done green beans and bacon before but never with the creamy boursin and I can definitely say this will be the ONLY way I eat beans from here on out. Delicious!
Sounds great. Do you remove the bacon from the pan before adding the beans and water?
Hi Mike,
I leave the bacon in the pan. 🙂
The dish looks incredibly inviting, but being a vegetarian, I would look for an alternative for bacon..
I’ve used sautéed shiitake mushrooms that I’ve tossed in a little soy sauce right at the end as a replacement for bacon before. Not in this recipe though. It might give that rich smoky taste you’d be looking for. 🙂