Sweet & Sour Green Beans – only 5 ingredients – canned green beans baked in bacon, brown sugar, and vinegar. This is the most requested green bean recipe in our house. Everybody gets seconds. SO good!! You can make the casserole in advance & refrigerate until ready to bake. Great for a potluck and the holidays. Everyone asks for the recipe!
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Pin This RecipeSweet & Sour Green Beans with Bacon Recipe
These Sweet & Sour Green Beans are a new favorite! I stumbled across this recipe in an old cookbook and it sounded good. I decided to give it a try and WOW! These are amazing! I am so glad I took a chance and gave this recipe a try. Tender green beans, smoky bacon and baked in a sweet and tangy glaze made from brown sugar and white vinegar. Each bite is an irresistible dance of contrasting flavors and textures. These beans are an irresistible side dish that leaves everyone craving for more.
How to Make Sweet & Sour Green Beans
These green beans are super easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. In a large skillet, cook bacon slices over medium heat on the stove. Remove bacon strips from the skillet and reserve about ¼ cup of the bacon drippings. In the same skillet, add white vinegar and brown sugar to the bacon drippings and bring to a boil over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Place green beans in a baking dish and top with cooked bacon. Pour the vinegar sauce over the green beans and bake. Garnish the casserole with green onions before serving.
Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions
- I used canned green beans. You can substitute fresh or frozen green beans if you prefer.
- Here is the conversion of canned green beans to frozen and fresh green beans:
- 3 (16-oz) bags of frozen green beans
- 5 (9-oz) bags of frozen green beans
- 3.75 pounds of fresh green beans
- Here is the conversion of canned green beans to frozen and fresh green beans:
- You can substitute turkey bacon for pork bacon.
- Feel free to add some freshly chopped onions to the casserole. I suggest sauteing the onion with bacon just until the onion starts to turn translucent.
- You can substitute apple cider vinegar for white vinegar.
- Can Sweet & Sour Green Beans be made in advance? Yes! You can assemble the casserole and refrigerate it overnight.
- Can Sweet & Sour Green Beans be made in the slow cooker? Yes! Prepare the green beans as directed and place them in the crockpot. Cover and cook until warm.
- Are Green Beans gluten-free? Yes!! This is a great gluten-free side dish.
- For a low-carb side dish, substitute Truvia or Swerve brown sugar for the regular brown sugar.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Reheat in the microwave.
What to Serve with Green Beans
We’ve been making these green beans at least once a month for the past few months. They are so good. This makes a lot of green beans. It is perfect for your holiday ham. The leftovers also reheat well. We usually make a full batch and eat them with dinner during the week.
These delicious beans make the perfect sidekick to a variety of main courses. For a classic pairing, serve them alongside grilled chicken or pork chops, where the sweet and tangy notes beautifully contrast with the savory meat. Add a salad and some garlic bread for a meal that will satisfy the whole family!
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Sweet & Sour Green Beans
Ingredients:
- 5 (15-oz) cans green beans, drained
- ½ lb bacon
- 6 Tbsp brown sugar
- 6 Tbsp white vinegar
- ¼ cup bacon drippings
- 4 green onions, chopped
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Pour drained green beans in an ungreased 9×13-inch pan.
- In a large skillet, cook bacon until almost done but not too crispy. Remove from skillet, drain on paper towel and chop. Reserve ¼ cup of drippings.
- While the skillet is still hot, make the sauce with bacon drippings, brown sugar, and vinegar. Cook just until the brown sugar has dissolved.
- Sprinkle cooked bacon on top of green beans. Pour sauce over green beans.
- Bake uncovered for 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and garnish with chopped green onions.
Notes:
- I used canned green beans. You can substitute fresh or frozen green beans if you prefer.
- Here is the conversion of canned green beans to frozen and fresh green beans:
- 3 (16-oz) bags of frozen green beans
- 5 (9-oz) bags of frozen green beans
- 3.75 pounds of fresh green beans
- Here is the conversion of canned green beans to frozen and fresh green beans:
- Can substitute turkey bacon for pork bacon.
- Can Sweet & Sour Green Beans be made in advance? Yes! You can assemble the casserole and refrigerate overnight.
- Can Sweet & Sour Green Beans be made in the slow cooker? Yes! Prepare the green beans as directed and place in the crockpot. Cover and cook until warm.
- Are Sweet & Sour Green Beans gluten-free? Yes!! This is a great gluten-free side dish.
- For a low-carb side dish, substitute Truvia or Swerve brown sugar for the regular brown sugar.
Steph
Remember this recipe.
Pin this recipe to your favorite board now to remember it later!
Pin This Recipe
How long would you bake them if you use fresh green beans?