My Soul Food green beans and potatoes are distinctly southern, full of traditional flavor, yet surprisingly simple to make! Perfectly tender and full of juicy flavor that will make them a mainstay in your dinnertime routine. From my family to yours, let me show you how.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my soul food collard greens and southern mustard greens, too!
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Is green beans soul food, though?
Green beans simmered in pot likker (also called pot liquor or pot likka) like these have graced southern family dinner tables for decades and trace back to the pre-Emancipation tradition of enslaved Black Americans slow cooking vegetables with tougher cuts of meat to make everything palatable and flavorful.
And formerly enslaved folks were the original cooks and caterers of this country; creating modern-day southern cuisine, albeit behind the scenes. So, yes, these southern-style green beans are Soul Food.
❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Simple Ingredients - Like any good Soul Food recipe, this one uses simple ingredients, including fresh produce and pantry staples.
Customizable - This is how my family makes green beans and red potatoes but there's plenty of room for play. And I've included notes to help you add your own spin!
One Pot Wonderful - Green beans are usually a side dish but because there's fiber, protein, fat, and carbs, this is technically a one pot meal.
I'm a green beans gal, but even if you aren't, these will satisfy you! Just like my garlicky green beans and mushrooms, or my garlic-roasted green beans with brown butter. And if you enjoy a good veggie, you should also peep my okra and tomatoes recipe, roasted curry carrots, saucy baby bok choy, or maple brussels sprouts!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Green Beans fresh from the farmer's market, grocery store or your garden are the star of this recipe. And they're at their peak during the summer months but available year round.
Red Potatoes of any size will work, just cut them to a bite size, if needed. But you can use other varieties in a pinch.
Smoked Turkey from drums (turkey legs), wings, tails or the cut of your choice. Pork is another common meat option and you can use ham hocks, neck bones or bacon.
Chicken Broth or Stock helps infuse every single bean with savory flavor! Or you can use turkey broth.
Spices are super simple: sea salt and black pepper and cayenne pepper.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Canned Green Beans can also work in this simple green bean and potato recipe but you won't need to cook them nearly as long or else they turn into mush. So, if you're using canned green beans it's best to simmer the turkey and potatoes first then add them last minute.
Vegan or Vegetarian - Make this recipe without meat and using a vegetable broth.
Garlic and Onion - Fresh provides the best flavor but you can certainly substitute with garlic powder and onion powder, if needed.
Peel the Potatoes - I like to leave the skin on for color and flavor but it depends on your preference and which kind of potato you use.
How to Cook Fresh Green Beans and Potatoes on Stove
Step One: Dice the onion and mince or press the garlic while heating up olive oil in pot.
Step Two: Cook the onion, garlic, and spices in olive oil.
Pro Tip #1: Cooking the spices with the aromatics (ginger and onion) is a technique known as "blooming" and it better infuses the flavor throughout the finished dish.
Step Three: Add smoked turkey to pot.
Step Four: While the broth comes to a boil, trim the ends of the green beans and cut them and cut the potatoes.
Pro Tip #2: Cut each green bean to no more than two inches long to make sure they are bite sized!
Step Five: Once the broth is boiling, add green beans and potatoes and cover then cook until tender.
Step Six: Remove the turkey from the pot and carefully cut or shred the meat from the bone.
Pro Tip: Save that turkey bone to make you own leftover turkey bone broth!
Step Seven: Add the pieces of meat back to the pot and you're ready to enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make Soul Food style green beans up to four days ahead of time with great flavor and texture. So this is a meal prep friendly dish!
Store homemade braised green beans in an airtight container and refrigerate them. Keeps for up to one week.
Technically, green beans and potatoes will keep in the freezer for up to six months, however, the flavor and texture of the potatoes tends to go off after just a couple of weeks frozen.
How to Serve
These beans are best served hot alongside a good ol' starch and protein combo, like my mom used to make. I love them with garlic mashed potatoes and juicy cast iron chicken breast or on my classic Black Thanksgiving menu.
Serve potatoes and green beans with turkey in a bowl if you want to be able to slurp up a lot of pot likker OR on a plate.
Other Soul Food Sunday dinner faves you might want to add include my braised black eyed peas and brown butter baked mac and cheese. Don't forget dessert: a slice of the best sweet potato pie or a hunk of strawberry swirl pound cake!
Pro Tip #3: Any leftover pot likker makes a great base for gravy--similar to chicken broth. And you can use it in a soup or anywhere you want to add flavor!
More Favorite Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy these old fashioned southern green beans soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Soul Food Green Beans and Potatoes
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 stock pot four quarts or larger
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ sweet yellow onion
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3-4 cups chicken broth or stock
- 2 pounds smoked turkey legs, tails, wings, etc.
- 2 pounds fresh green beans
- 1 pound red potatoes
Instructions
- Add olive oil to pot over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, dice the onion and crush or mince the garlic.
- Add the onion, sea salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper to the heated oil and cook until fragrant and the onions start to turn translucent.
- Add the garlic and cook one more minute then add the smoked turkey and chicken broth.
- Meanwhile, dice the potatoes into small chunks and snip or pull the ends off the green beans and cut them into halves or thirds depending on how long they are. Each cut piece should be about two inches long in order to be bite-size.
- Once the pot likker is boiling, reduce heat to medium low then add in the green beans and potatoes, making sure to cover them in the liquid.
- Cook until green beans and potatoes are tender (about 45 minutes) then remove turkey from pot and cut off the heat.
- Shred or cut the turkey meat from the bone into pieces then stir the meat back into the pot of green beans. Serve warm.
Carana says
I brought these green beans to my uncle's house for Sunday dinner this week, and the container was wiped clean! A winner we will keep making--thank you!!
Jazzmine Woodard says
You're welcome, Carana! Glad y'all enjoyed the green beans.