🫛🥔 Southern Green Beans, Potatoes & Ham
Tender green beans, creamy baby potatoes, and smoky diced ham simmer slowly with onion and chicken broth until every bite is rich, savory, and packed with old-fashioned Southern comfort.
This simple one-pot side dish is humble, hearty, and incredibly flavorful. It’s perfect alongside fried chicken, meatloaf, roast beef, pork chops, or a Sunday dinner—and satisfying enough to enjoy as a light main course.
⏱️ Recipe Information
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6
Difficulty: Easy
Method: One-Pot / Stovetop
🛒 Ingredients
For the Green Beans, Potatoes & Ham
- 1 lb (450g) fresh green beans, trimmed
- 1 lb (450g) baby potatoes, halved
- 2 cups (about 300g) diced cooked ham
- 2 cups (480ml) chicken broth
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional but recommended)
Optional Southern Seasonings
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
👩🍳 Instructions
1. Prepare the Green Beans
Wash the fresh green beans thoroughly.
Trim the stem ends and cut the beans into approximately 2-inch pieces.
Set aside.
2. Sauté the Onion
Place a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.
Add the butter.
Once melted, add the diced onion.
Cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent.
If using garlic, add it now and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Add the Ham
Add the diced ham to the pot.
Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Allowing the ham to lightly brown adds extra savory flavor to the broth.
4. Add the Potatoes and Broth
Add the halved baby potatoes to the pot.
Pour in the chicken broth.
Add the black pepper and any optional seasonings you’re using.
Stir gently to combine.
The broth doesn’t necessarily need to completely cover everything—the vegetables will release additional moisture as they cook.
5. Simmer the Potatoes
Bring the broth to a gentle boil.
Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 10–15 minutes.
The potatoes should begin becoming tender but should not yet be completely cooked.
6. Add the Green Beans
Add the prepared green beans to the pot.
Stir gently so they’re coated in the flavorful broth.
Cover and continue simmering for 20–30 minutes, or until the green beans are tender and the potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork.
For very tender, traditional Southern-style green beans, simmer toward the longer end of the cooking time.
7. Taste and Adjust
Taste the broth.
Add salt only as needed—the ham and chicken broth can already be quite salty.
Add more black pepper if desired.
For a richer flavor, stir in another small pat of butter just before serving.
8. Rest and Serve
Remove the bay leaf if used.
Let the dish rest uncovered for 5 minutes so the broth can settle slightly.
Spoon the green beans and potatoes into a serving bowl, making sure each portion gets plenty of ham and flavorful broth.
Serve hot.
⭐ Chef’s Tips
Don’t oversalt early: Ham and chicken broth can contain plenty of salt. Taste near the end before adding more.
Brown the ham: A few minutes of browning adds a wonderful smoky, savory flavor.
Use baby potatoes: They cook evenly and hold their shape better than many larger potato varieties.
For softer Southern-style beans: Cook the green beans for an additional 10–15 minutes until they reach your preferred tenderness.
Keep some broth: Don’t drain the cooking liquid. It’s one of the best parts of the dish and becomes infused with ham, onion, and butter.
Add bacon: For an especially rich Southern flavor, cook 2–3 slices of bacon first, crumble them into the pot, and use a little of the bacon fat in place of the butter.
🥓 Delicious Variations
Southern Bacon Green Beans
Replace the ham with cooked crumbled bacon, or use both for an extra smoky version.
Smoked Sausage & Green Beans
Replace half or all of the ham with sliced smoked sausage or kielbasa.
Garlic Butter Green Beans
Add 3–4 cloves of garlic and an extra tablespoon of butter near the end.
Spicy Southern Green Beans
Add ¼–½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or a few dashes of hot sauce.
Slow Cooker Version
Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on LOW for 5–6 hours or HIGH for 2½–3½ hours, until the potatoes and green beans are tender.
For the best flavor, sauté the onion and ham in butter first before transferring everything to the slow cooker.
🍽️ What to Serve With It
These Southern Green Beans, Potatoes & Ham are fantastic alongside:
- Fried chicken
- Roast chicken
- Meatloaf
- Pork chops
- Fried pork chops
- Roast beef
- Country ham
- Cornbread
- Biscuits
- Macaroni and cheese
- Mashed potatoes
Serve with warm cornbread to soak up the savory broth.
🧊 Storage
Allow leftovers to cool before transferring them to an airtight container.
Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave.
Add a splash of chicken broth if the vegetables have absorbed too much liquid.
❄️ Freezing
This dish can be frozen for up to 2 months, although the potatoes may become slightly softer after thawing.
Cool completely before transferring to freezer-safe containers.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently on the stovetop.
🫛🥔🍖 Final Result
Southern Green Beans, Potatoes & Ham is the definition of simple comfort food.
Tender green beans and buttery baby potatoes soak up a savory broth infused with smoky ham, sweet onion, black pepper, and butter, creating a dish that’s hearty enough for a family meal and comforting enough to bring back memories of a classic Southern kitchen.
Simple ingredients. Slow simmering. Big homemade flavor. 🫛🥔✨