When you think about the most addictive foods in the world, there’s a good chance you’re not thinking about green beans! However, green bean recipes are pretty diverse, and this five-ingredient side dish gives them the most incredible flavor ever!
In fact, you won’t be able to stop eating this side dish once you’ve made it, and everyone in your house will feel the same way. Your pickiest eater will suddenly ask for “that bacon thing” and find themselves eating green beans over and over again.
So, if you’re tired of cooking around your picky eaters and want to make a side that everyone will love, dive right into this recipe today! We warn you that it’s going to go quickly, and people are going to ask for more. Make it a party favorite and see your stock rise in your social setting.
Looking for other ways to make green beans a family favorite? Our Country Style Green Beans With Red Potatoes Recipe brings the amazing, mouthwatering taste of delicious beans to your table without a lot of fuss. We think that you’ll love it!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Great blend of sweet and savory that practically melts in the mouth
- Quick and easy to prep and serve (under an hour)
- Inexpensive ingredients that you’ll really enjoy using
- Diverse uses (family dinner, birthday parties, office gatherings, etc.)
- Saves well, meaning you can keep it around for a few days
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Green Beans: Without green beans, this whole dish falls apart! They form the bed and the base on which you add flavorful goodies! If you want something different, asparagus actually works really well and is even crunchier.
Bacon: Okay, now we’re talking about the good stuff! Bacon is what will bring people to this side dish for seconds and thirds. What if you’re not into meat? Tempeh works really well as a substitute, though mushrooms also suffice.
Garlic: If you’ve ever had green beans and garlic at your favorite family restaurant, you know why we’re suggesting it here! Even a little bit can make your beans that much better. Try garlic powder or oil if your family can’t handle cloves.
Brown Sugar: Brown sugar, how come you taste so good? Even a dash of this ingredient will really bring out flavors you didn’t even know existed. Honey can work well if, for some reason, your kitchen is brown-sugar-free.
Tips for Success
Cook your bacon slowly (the oven is really a great choice here) to help avoid burning
- Don’t use extra prep dishes to make this meal and just combine everything in one dish
- Rinse out your green beans (even if they’re pre-cooked) to ensure they’re flavorful
- Pat dry your beans when they’re rinsed to remove unnecessary moisture
- Cut away bacon fat if you want to get rid of excessive cooking grease
Storage & Reheating
After you’re done with your beans and bacon, put the leftovers in an airtight container. Now, they’ll keep in your fridge for at least 4 days, so make sure you serve them regularly. You can also freeze for up to a month with minimal loss of taste and quality.
Don’t warm them up in the microwave, though. While that’s great for some meals, you’ll dry out your beans and make them almost inedible. Warming the container in your oven at 350 degrees (covered with foil, which you remove in the last few minutes) works best.
Serving Suggestions
- Roasted turkey goes beautifully as a main dish with this meal
- Serve with mashed potatoes as your side for this recipe
- Cranberry sauce and cornbread also pair amazingly with this meal
- Add a fresh white wine to really bring out this meal’s flavors
Notes
My son is the pickiest eater I’ve ever met. For years, all he would eat were chicken tenders and macaroni and cheese. I tried to force him to eat other foods, but he’d simply go on a hunger strike. There wasn’t much that I could do, and I grew pretty desperate.
However, I made these green beans one day for the family and found this stubborn little guy sniffing the pan. “What’s this?” he asked. I served him a bit, and he ate it all. And demanded more. Now, his taste buds welcome just about everything I make.
Do you know someone like this? Try out this meal and see if you can get the same results!
Cheeky Kitchen’s Bacon Brown Sugar Green Beans Make Families Happy
Ingredients
- 2 cans 14.5 oz. each Cut green beans, thoroughly drained
- 5 slices thick-cut bacon cooked extra crispy and crumbled
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter melted
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar packed
- 3 tsp. soy sauce
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly coat an 8×8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set it aside.
- Open your cans of green beans and pour them into a colander. Shake the colander firmly to drain away all excess liquid. Stripping away the excess canned water is a critical step because any remaining moisture will thin out your glaze baseline and prevent it from clinging to the beans.
- Transfer the completely drained green beans straight into the bottom of your prepared baking dish, spreading them into a level layer.
- Take your cooked, extra-crispy bacon pieces and crumble them uniformly across the entire surface of the green beans.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the melted unsalted butter, packed light brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic powder, and salt.
- Whisk the ingredients firmly together for 1 minute until the sugar crystals start to dissolve and the liquids emulsify into a dark, smooth, sweet-and-savory sauce baseline.
- Pour the prepared sauce baseline uniformly over the top of the green beans and crumbled bacon. Use a flexible silicone spatula to toss the ingredients gently together right in the dish, ensuring every single green bean is evenly coated in the glaze matrix.
- Place the baking dish uncovered on the middle rack of the oven and bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes.
- Halfway through the baking cycle (around the 15-minute mark), briefly remove the dish and use a spoon to toss the beans, redistributing the pooling syrup from the bottom of the pan over the top.
- The dish is finished baking the exact moment the brown sugar and soy sauce baseline bubbles fiercely around the edges of the pan and reduces into a thick, sticky glaze that hugs the tender green beans. Remove from the oven, let them stand for 2 minutes to let the glaze set, and serve warm.
