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Smothered Green Beans

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Your new favorite side dish is here! These green beans are smothered in a simple sweet and sour sauce with plenty of crumbled bacon.

Smothered green beans with bacon and sweet and sour sauce served with grilled chicken on a plate.

This simple side dish is popular enough to be welcomed at your holiday table and easy enough to make it for a regular family meal. The green beans get a ton of flavor from brown sugar, soy sauce, butter and a bit of garlic.

Of course the crispy bits of bacon don’t hurt either.

These green beans might be one of the more popular side dishes I’ve ever made.  The first time I made them 4 of us (including one six year old) ate the whole batch.

That is almost a whole can of green beans a piece! And there was plenty of other food to go around, so it’s not like we were starving.

The next time I threw them together thinking it would be just us for dinner. But we had a turkey on the grill, so it seemed a shame not to invite some people to enjoy it with us.

I immediately regretted not doubling the recipe. The pan was practically licked clean!

Pan of green beans topped with bacon pieces next to bowl with garlic and soy sauce mixture ready to go on top.

Side dishes are usually a bit hard for me to decide on. It’s hard to get inspired or creative.

 So when I saw a local food facebook star, The Farm Stand, post her famous green beans I was inspired. She caters large events, so her recipe was scaled up quite a bit.

I scaled it down to a family dinner size and lightened it up just a bit. Going whole hog on the holidays is one thing, but I knew I was making these for just because.

square pan of green beans and bacon smothered in delicious sauce straight from the oven.

The vegetable section of my dinner plate is usually something I want to feel good about. So I dialed back the butter and brown sugar a bit.

Having never had the all in version, we didn’t know we were missing anything.  So we were very happy with the results.

Dinner plate loaded with smothered green beans and bacon and bbq chicken.

This recipe is already on repeat at our house and I don’t see that changing any time soon!  You are going to have to give them a try so you can see why we love them so much.

These green beans would go great with:

MiMi’s Baked BBQ Chicken is a great way to have the taste we love off the grill indoors. You can have your bbq chicken no matter the weather, it is an easy and delicious recipe. 

Julie’s Big Batch Sloppy Joes are perfect for a party. They make a roaster full of meat for sandwiches, but the extras freeze well. Just make a huge batch of these green beans and the whole group will be well fed. 

Served smothered green beans on plate showing the beans coated in a glossy sweet and sour sauce with chunks of cooked bacon.

The Best Maid Rite Sandwiches are a fabulous quick and easy meal.  Some people call them tavern burgers or loose meat sandwiches, but here in the Midwest we all know them as maid rites.

Braised Pork Chops are another great entrée.  They cook in a flavorful sauce that makes them so tender and delicious.

More fabulous green bean recipes:

If you have fresh beans, try roasting them!  Roasted green beans are super simple, but really tasty. That tender crisp finish is easy to get this way, but you can also cook them even longer for something really special. 

For a more umami finish, try garlic soy green beans in the instant pot.  The pressure cooker helps them get done super quickly!

Smothered green beans with bacon and sweet and sour sauce served with grilled chicken on a plate.

Smothered Green Beans

Carlee
Your new favorite side dish is here! These green beans are smothered in a simple sweet and sour sauce with plenty of crumbled bacon.
4.88 from 39 ratings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Side Dishes
Cuisine American
Servings 9 Servings
Calories 93 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 3 14.5 ounce cans of green beans drained
  • 6 slices cooked bacon
  • 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar packed
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a n 8 inch square baking dish or similar sized casserole. 
  • Dump drained green beans into baking dish.  Crumble or chop bacon and sprinkle over the top of green beans.
    3 14.5 ounce cans of green beans, 6 slices cooked bacon
  • In a small bowl, melt the butter. Stir in the brown sugar, soy sauce and garlic powder. Drizzle over green beans and bacon.
    3 Tablespoons light brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons butter, 1 Tablespoon soy sauce, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes.
  • Stir to coat before serving. 

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1ServingCalories: 93kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 4gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 248mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6g
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Recipe Rating




Big Rigs 'n Lil' Cookies

Tuesday 2nd of July 2019

I'm taking this dish to our next family dinner! I don't care for the traditional green bean dish that usually shows up, but this one... Carlee, I know I will love!

Carlee

Friday 19th of July 2019

I hope you do!! I'll be curious to hear about it!

Carlee

Wednesday 26th of June 2019

I hope you enjoy them!

Amy

Wednesday 19th of June 2019

Wow, this sounds wonderful. I like that you dialed back on the butter and brown sugar. I have got to make these green beans!

Carlee

Wednesday 26th of June 2019

It makes them a bit healthier but still super flavorful!

Andrea Nine

Wednesday 19th of June 2019

I make green beans like this all the time...but a sauce, friend you just took them to the top notch of green beans! YUM!

Carlee

Wednesday 26th of June 2019

This does kick them up a notch for sure!

Julia

Wednesday 19th of June 2019

If our house had an official vegetable, green beans would be it. HA! By far the most requested veggie of all. These green beans would be a sure hit..they look amazing!

Carlee

Wednesday 26th of June 2019

Green beans would be up there on our official list as well! Surprisingly Little Dude likes green beans and broccoli most of all.