Prosciutto green beans make the easiest elegant side dish for holidays or any special meal. They require just a few food allergy-friendly ingredients for a simple, flavorful side.
Prosciutto green beans have become one of my family's favorite holiday side dishes. They're a lighter green bean side dish compared to the more traditional green bean casserole. They're also faster to make and the addition of prosciutto elevates the dish to a prized seat at any holiday table.
How to make prosciutto green beans:
At its core, it's just a few ingredients to make the simplest version: fresh green beans, prosciutto, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Over the years we've experimented with other variations to elevate these green beans into an even more versatile side dish with endless variety.
Some of our favorite add-ins include:
- Caramelized onions: slice a small sweet onion, then slice each half into thin half-moon slices. Caramelize the onion slices in olive oil over low heat until they're a deep golden brown color, stirring frequently. Remove from the pan, follow the prosciutto green beans recipe as written, and add the caramelized onions back in when you add the green beans.
- Mushrooms: follow the recipe as-is, and just add sliced button mushrooms or baby portobello mushrooms when you add your green beans.
- Garlic: enjoy garlic? Add 1-2 cloves of minced garlic, too (also at the point in the recipe when you're adding green beans).
- Fresh herbs: amp up the flavor even more by finishing the green beans with a couple tablespoons of fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary, added to the last couple minutes of cooking.
- Any combination of the above ideas!
Food allergy and sensitivity notes:
Generally, in terms of food allergies and sensitivities, this is a fairly benign dish. Basically, if you're not allergic or sensitive to prosciutto or green beans themselves, you're good! Things to watch out for:
- Make sure the prosciutto you buy doesn't have any additives that may be related to gluten, dairy, or anything else you avoid.
- If olive oil doesn't work for you, just substitute any other oil, or even butter or ghee.
- Even if green beans don't work for you, Brussels sprouts would be a great sub! I would likely add a couple extra minutes of cooking time to ensure the Brussels sprouts are tender.
- While I personally LOVE the prosciutto in here, you truly could sub any kind of bacon/ turkey bacon, or even a veggie bacon (like coconut bacon or eggplant bacon).
How to use any leftovers in new ways:
Oh yeah, and bonus? Simple side dishes like this make excellent leftovers. Because they have such simple ingredients, they're easy to add into other dishes. Some of our favorites? Tossed into casseroles, stir fries, or mixed into pasta dishes. Here we enjoyed leftover prosciutto greens beans with lentil pasta, wilted spinach, dried basil, and olive oil.
Need other simple, holiday side dishes? Try these NTF favorites:
- Greek Yogurt Mashed Potatoes
- Apple Cranberry Sauce
- Gluten-Free Sausage Stuffing
- Maple Dijon Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Rosemary Garlic Roasted Cauliflower
- Spiced Sweet Potato Carrot Soup
- Easy Vegan Creamed Corn
- Vegan, Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole
- Cranberry Apple Harvest Salad
Let me know if you try it and how you make it to work for you! Be sure to share on the NTF Facebook page or tag me (@nutritiontofit #nutritiontofit) on Instagram!
Prosciutto Green Beans
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 slices prosciutto diced
- 1 lb green beans trimmed
- freshly ground salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add diced prosciutto and saute 4-5 minutes, or until prosciutto is crispy.
- Add trimmed green beans, stir, and cover. Cook 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until green beans are slightly tender. Note: may take a little longer cooking time if you prefer your green beans very soft.
- Season with freshly ground salt and pepper to taste and serve.
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