Southern Style Green Beans with Jicama
Southern Style Green Beans with Jicama are an incredibly tasty low carb alternative to this classic dish normally made with green beans and new potatoes.
Ingredients
- 1/2 large jicama peeled and cut into potato type slices (1/4 - 1/2" thickness will yield a softer texture)
- 1 cup water to precook the jicama
- 1 pound of fresh green beans snapped and washed*
- 4 pieces of bacon cut into pieces, browned and drained of grease
- 1 small onion or 1/2 large onion diced
- Olive oil to saute the onion or use the leftover bacon grease
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 - 3 teaspoons mineral salt(I used 3 but Tammy used quite a bit less)
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons natural white wine vinegar or natural red wine vinegar
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons butter
Instructions
-
- Precook the jicama:
- Place the jicama slices on the trivet along with 1 cup of water
- Lock lid in place > Place valve on sealing > Press MANUAL > Adjust time to 15 minutes using the -/+ buttons
- Do Quick Pressure Release (QPR) and fork test the jicama for doneness. (The jicama will get additional pressure cooking time with the green beans so keep that in mind. Tammy's was firm but tender to their taste after just 15 minutes, but mine took 30 minutes. This variation might be due to the ripeness of the jicama, which is hard for us to determine because it is a new veggie to both of us.)
- Remove the trivet and jicama from the IP liner > Set aside > Drain the water
- Press CANCEL button to turn the IP off
- Prepare the other ingredients while the jicama is precooking:
- Snap and rinse the fresh green beans and set aside > Cut up the bacon into bite size pieces for browning
- Press the SAUTE button on the IP > Brown the bacon in the IP and set it aside > Use the bacon grease to saute the onion and minced garlic (or use olive oil)
- Press CANCEL button to turn the IP off
- Add the green beans, browned bacon, and precooked jicama into the pot with the sauteed onions and garlic > Season with salt and pepper plus the Tony's (optional) and vinegar (optional) > Pour the broth over all and stir well to get all of the flavors mixed throughout the liner > Place the 4 tablespoons of cut up butter around the top of the beans
- Lock lid in place > Place valve on sealing > Press MANUAL > Adjust time to 5 minutes using the -/+ buttons
- Do Quick Pressure Release (QPR) and fork test the green beans for doneness. (Tammy's was done in 5 minutes but I found that mine needed a total of 20 minutes to be done to our taste, apparently fresh bean types can vary so be sure you check yours after 5 minutes and then reset for another 10 or so if needed. So 20 minutes total for Tammy's jicama and beans and 50 minutes total for my jicama and beans to be basically tender.)
- Remember not to overfill your IP liner (two-thirds full is the maximum) but these beans will settle into the liner about 2-3" as they cook. The picture of the uncooked beans (above) shows how full the pressure bowl was originally.
Notes
* Stovetop instructions: Cut your jicama and boil it until translucent > Add green beans, sautéed onions, bacon, and butter and seasonings to cook like you normally would.
*Jicama is not a potato but when properly prepared it can really remind you of one.
* Tammy used the flat Italian green beans (pictured pre-cooked it the instant pot) and I used the regular kind in the finished pictures
*I added 1 tablespoon Tony's seasoned salt or DIY a healthier version* (optional) to Tammy's version because we love it. :) But great beans either way.
*Frozen green beans have not been tested, but should work with whatever times you would normally use as long as you precook the jicama.
Recipe by Nana's Little Kitchen at https://www.nanaslittlekitchen.com/southern-style-green-beans-with-jicama/