French-cut green beans are small enough to cook fast and turn crisp, which makes them the star here instead of a side dish. A little bacon renders its fat as the seasoning base, garlic goes fragrant, and dinner is ready in twenty minutes.

Serves 2. 25 minutes, 15 at the stove.

About 200 calories a serving, 9 g protein, 11 g carbohydrate, 14 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Chop 4 slices bacon into half-inch pieces and cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the edges brown and fat renders, about 5 minutes. While the bacon cooks, peel and mince 2 garlic cloves.5 min
2. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat into a bowl, return the skillet to heat, add the minced garlic, and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the entire 10 ounce bag of french cut green beans and 1 tablespoon oil, toss to coat, and cook without stirring for 3 minutes so the beans brown on their flat sides.
3. Stir the beans, scatter the cooked bacon over them, and continue cooking until the beans are tender and charred at the edges, about 5 more minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.5 min

Note Swap bacon for 2 tablespoons butter and capers for a vegetarian version. Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for two days and are good cold in a salad or reheated gently in a pan. Serve with rice or potatoes, or fold into eggs the next morning.