Old Fashioned Green Bean Recipe. Southern style with bacon and a sweet and sour dressing. A side dish that will compliment any meat entree.
Mother’s day was a tough one for me this year. You see, I lost my mom last August. All the eloquent writing skills in the world cannot describe what a great woman she was and the positive impact she had on who I am today. Strong, kind, smart, generous, giving, fun, happy … there, that’s a good start.
She was a good cook simply because she liked to cook and was always rewarded by putting a big meal on the table. And when I say big, I mean big. Growing up on a farm, we were often feeding one or more meals a day to “hired hands”, as we called them. A big fried chicken spread and roast beef were staples.
One of my favorite side dishes was her green beans. Sweet and sour, there’s bacon involved. I could never resist a 2nd helping.
She mostly made this recipe with canned beans, but I can remember sitting on the back stoop of the house snapping the ends off fresh green beans that were picked from her garden. Most years, my mom had a substantial garden plot just on the other side of the old chicken coop. Spending a considerable time fighting with the raccoons, she’d successfully grow sweet corn, green beans, tomatoes and whatever caught her fancy that season.
Recipe for Old Fashioned Green Beans
I hope you give this Old Fashioned Green Beans recipe a try. And if you do, please come back and let me know how you liked it and give the recipe a star rating.
Your feedback is valuable to me for developing future recipes. And if you have a favorite green bean recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
More Green Bean Recipes
- Green Beans with Pecan Lemon Vinaigrette
- Green Beans Bolognese
- Hericot Vert Recipe in Dijon Mustard Cream Sauce
And if you’re looking for more side dish recipe ideas, don’t miss my Side Dish Category. You’ll find lots of great ideas, including the most popular on my site for Broccoli Cheez Whiz Casserole.
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Kansas Old Fashioned Green Beans
Ingredients
- 5 15 ounce cans green beans drained
- 10-12 slices of bacon
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup butter melted
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet (with edges, like this one) with foil. then spread out the bacon and bake it for 20 minutes, or until crispy.
- While the bacon is cooking, open and drain the green beans, then spread them out in a 9″x13″ baking dish.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, melted butter, soy sauce and minced garlic . Pour it over the green beans.
- After the bacon is crispy, remove it from the oven, drain and chop it. Spread it over the green beans. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F, then bake the beans for 40 minutes.
Nutrition
Kansas Old Fashioned Green Beans … It’s what’s for a side dish.
I think I’ll make this recipe, but add a touch of apple cider vinegar. Thoughts?
so sorry about the loss of your mom last year. this looks amazing! making for thanksgivin !! i am sure she was proud of the cook you became. thanks for sharing. love your recipes!
Green beans and bacon how I love them. I am excited to try the sweet and sour dressing! Loved your story about growing up on the farm. I remember sitting on my grandma’s porch and breaking beans. Growing up stories… Memories…. Family dinners!
Isn’t it wonderful how food brings back the wonderful memories of our mothers. I must try her green bean recipe, it is different from any I’ve had because of the sugar. I’m sure she would be very pleased you are sharing her recipe and the wonderful memories you have of her.
What a great memory. I am sorry about your loss but this is a great homage to your mom. I love this green bean recipe. My typical “grandma” memory is of overcooked green beans with lots of bacon and onions. (Note, overcooked was not a bad thing this her greenbeans and I could have eaten a gallon.) Nicely written!
My mom used to make something like this too! I’m sorry to hear of your loss.
I guess northern girls share some of the same memories, I used to sit and snap beans also. I used to get so tired of it, though and complain. But now I would give anything to go back and do it again…. with my mom. She has been gone longer then yours, and I can tell you it does get easier. BUT some days..some moments….
Anyway..stumbled upon your blog, and so glad I did…off to check out your recipes!
Lea Ann, I’m so sorry to hear about your mom. She sounds wonderful. I’ll think of her when I make these green beans. My mother died many years ago, and I still miss her. I love making, and eating, the foods she made.
I miss my mom on Mother’s Day also. It gets easier as the years go by, but I still miss her sweet smile. She didn’t like to cook as much as my Dad so he made a lot of our meals, very similar to what you describe – simple fresh ingredients from the garden or the chicken coop or with canned green beans from the pantry.
My family will love this one! You can’t go wrong with bacon.