Haricot Verts with Mushrooms and Bacon

What Are Haricot Verts?

Haricot Verts are French green beans. Because they are picked while young on the vine, they are longer and more slender than the chunky green beans you find in the produce section of the grocery store. Haricot verts have the same texture and crunch as green beans, but they’re more delicate in flavor and size. Their petite structure also means they cook up quicker than regular green beans.

How To Shop For Haricot Verts

Many produce sections make it easy to shop for haricot verts. Look for them in the produce section where the bagged veggies are. Select beans that are vivid green, with no brown spots or streaks. You want beans that are crisp when you snap them.

Though most bagged haricot verts are labeled as “ready to cook,” I have trust issues, so I still take time to prep them.
For starters, they’ve been in the bag since their pack date, so the “trimmed” ends should be trimmed again. I also wash them because, again, trust issues.

Use a chef’s knife to trim the non-pointy end of the beans. An 1/8 of an inch is enough to trim off. Next, cut the haricot verts in half to make them easier to eat. Longer beans will have your family or guests looking like cows in a field chewing their cud.

While you have the cutting board out, trim off the very ends of the mushrooms stems, then slice them about 1/8-inch thick.

Fill a large pot (wider is better, if you have one) with 6 quarts of water. Bring it up to a boil on medium-high heat.

How To Blanch And Shock Vegetables
(And Why It Matters)

Blanching and shocking are two culinary techniques that are often used together to par-cook foods. Often, tomatoes are blanched and shocked to make them easier to peel. Here, we’re blanching and shocking haricot verts to partially cook them while still retaining their verdant green color. Without blanching, the green beans would require a longer cooking time, resulting in the loss of their beautiful color and texture.

Blanching vegetables is easy

• Salt the water well with the first measurement of salt. The beans pick up the most seasoning during this step.
• Make sure the water is fully boiling before adding the beans. The water’s surface should move aggressively, with bubbles breaking the surface.
• Haricot verts only need 2-3 minutes of blanching, so remove them as soon as they turn bright green.

Shocking Vegetables Is Even Easier

Has anyone ever dumped a bucket of ice water over you? It took your breath away, didn’t it? Now you know why this culinary technique is called “shocking.”

Shocking foods immediately halts the cooking process by submerging the hot food in ice water. Without shocking, the green beans will continue to cook, becoming discolored and limp by the time you finish the recipe.

Prepare an ice bath for shocking by adding cold water to a bowl filled halfway with ice. Make sure that your colander (or whatever you’re going to strain the haricot verts in) is small enough to nestle into the ice water.

• You can use a spider to move the haricot verts straight into ice water. If you don’t have one, quickly drain them in a colander, and plunge the colander into the ice water immediately after.
• Dry them well before proceeding, since excess water will prevent the pan sauce from coating them when we sauté them later. Just pat them with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels.

Can I Replace Haricot Verts With Regular Green Beans?

Haricot verts aren’t the cheapest green beans in the grocery store. You can replace the haricot verts with regular green beans if you’re on a budget. Just follow these shopping tips:

• Select the thinnest green beans you can find. You want the beans to soften in the allotted cooking time.
• Blanch them longer (about 1-2 minutes longer), since they’re still thicker than haricot verts.
• Take a bite of one before shocking them. You may need to cook them even longer.
• You can also use frozen or canned green beans. Just thaw the frozen beans and/or drain them before adding them to the mushrooms. The end result won’t be as crisp as when using fresh.

Ingredient Swaps and Substitutions

Add the diced bacon to a large cast-iron skillet. You can use a stainless steel skillet if that’s all you have, but cast iron adds a better char and flavor to the dish.
Heat the skillet over medium heat to slowly render the bacon fat. After 6-7 minutes, the bacon will be crispy and brown. Use a slotted spoon to remove it to a paper towel-lined bowl or plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the skillet.

Not a fan of bacon? I have options… I have them for everything else, too!

Swaps and Subs

• Bacon: Swap the pork bacon for diced pancetta, thick-cut turkey or beef bacon, or salt pork. Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan before frying the turkey or beef bacon because both are pretty lean. Rinse salt pork first, then render it as instructed.
• Portobello mushrooms: Use baby bellas (cremini mushrooms), white button mushrooms, or shiitake (my personal fave). Trimmed and sliced the same way.
• Make it vegetarian by omitting the bacon and sautéing the onions and mushrooms in butter, ghee, or olive oil. Use mushroom salt to add more umami.
• White onion: Replace it with a yellow onion or a shallot for a milder flavor. A last option is red onion, though it’ll impart a stronger onion flavor.
• White wine: Use chicken or vegetable stock instead. You can also use lemon juice or balsamic vinegar in place of the wine.
• Crushed red pepper flakes: They really do give the recipe some oomph, but you can omit them or replace them with Aleppo pepper flakes, harissa, or smoked paprika.

Can I Make This Recipe Ahead?

Add the diced onion and minced garlic to the bacon fat in the skillet, and sauté, stirring often, for 1-2 minutes. They’ll take on a golden brown color. If you see them browning too quickly, just add the mushrooms to cool the pan down.

Add the mushrooms to the pan with the onion and garlic. Stir the mushrooms, then use the back of your spoon to flatten them into an even layer. Allow the mushrooms to sweat out their moisture, stirring occasionally. This will allow them to take on a deep golden color as they cook.

If you want to prep these haricot verts ahead without sacrificing quality or texture:

• Blanch, shock, and dry the haricot verts up to 24 hours in advance. Store wrapped in a few layers of paper towels in a sealed container or food storage bag in the fridge.
• Cook the bacon and mushrooms earlier the same day, and refrigerate separately.
• Ten minutes before you’re ready to serve, reheat the bacon and mushrooms in a hot skillet, add the beans, and finish the recipe as instructed.

How Do I Finish The Haricot Verts?

Add the dry white wine to the pan to deglaze it (this means you’re picking up any browned bits). Use your spoon to scrape up any flavorful bits from the sides or bottom of the pan.

Remember to use a wine you’d sip from a glass. I prefer Sauvignon Blanc, but Chardonnay or Pinot Gris will also work here. Just avoid sweet wines like Moscato or Riesling.

Allow the wine to nearly evaporate in the pan, leaving behind a light glaze on the mushrooms. Next, add the blanched haricot verts and season them with the remaining salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir everything in the pan together.

Allow the green beans to cook for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through and just beginning to take on some color. Give a bean a taste to see if you need to add more salt.

Finally, add in the crispy bacon bits you cooked earlier.

What Recipes Can I Serve With These Haricot Verts?

Once the seasonings are adjusted to your liking, you’re ready to serve the haricot verts with mushrooms and bacon.

This side dish goes well with most proteins. Grilled, steamed, or fried proteins bring out the smoky flavors and crisp texture of the haricot verts, but you can serve this recipe with countless proteins.

The ones I gravitate to are:

• Garlic Herb Grilled Lamb Chops: I love the smoky lamb chops with the crunchy haricot verts.
• Grilled Thick-Cut Pork Chops: The Blueberry Balsamic Glaze pairs exceptionally well with the smoky flavor of these green beans.
• Air Fried Southern Catfish: two simple recipes that combine for a weeknight dinner you’ll be grateful for.

What’s The Best Way To Store Leftovers?

Store leftover haricot verts in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Reheat them in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water or chicken stock. You can also reheat haricot verts for 1-2 minutes in the microwave, but they’ll come out much softer. Air-frying them at 400°F (200°C) for 3-4 minutes retains crispness.

Can I Freeze It?

I don’t recommend freezing haricot verts with mushrooms and bacon as a finished dish. Instead, prep the haricot verts as instructed and freeze them separately.

You don’t have to thaw them before you add them to the mushrooms, either, just toss them into the hot skillet and add 2-3 minutes to the heating time (or until they’re heated through).