Sweet and Sour Green Beans with Bacon Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (2024)

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Sweet and Sour Green Beans with bacon recipe is a fast way to jazz up a regular can of vegetables. Bacon, onions, sugar and vinegar turns a plain can of green beans into a family-pleasing side dish in no time flat.

Sweet and Sour Green Beans with Bacon Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (2)

Table of Contents

Sweet and Sour Green Beans Recipe

This is another winner from the cookbook Savory Samplings. Time and time again, I open up the pages to find a recipe that meets my family’s needs.

Sweet and Sour Green Beans with Bacon recipe only has 5 ingredients which is why I love it. Canned green beans, onions, bacon, sugar and vinegar is all it takes.

Many of my go-to recipes have few ingredients including:

Fresh Broccoli Casserole with 5 ingredients

6 Ingredient Hot Crab Dip

3 Ingredient Chicken Salad

4 Ingredient Egg Salad without Mayo

3 Ingredient Spiral Ham

These BLT Bites (stuffed cherry tomatoes) from The Country Cook only have 5 ingredients!

How to Make Sweet and Sour Green Bean Recipe:

For the full sweet southern green bean recipe, scroll to the bottom of this post.

  1. Fry up bacon chunks in a skillet until the fat is rendered and the bacon crispy; remove the bacon leaving behind the fat.
  2. Saute chopped onions in the bacon fat until soft.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients, and simmer until warmed through up to 15 minutes.

Notes About Sweet and Sour Green Beans with Bacon:

  • Sweet and Sour Green Beans are also called Sweet Southern Green Beans.
  • This recipe makes a smaller portion that feeds 2-4 people; however, you could easily double or triple the recipe if desired.
  • This is a 5 ingredient recipe – canned green beans, bacon, onions, vinegar and sugar.
  • Do not cook these these sweet southern green beans very long since they are already cooked through. Cook it until flavorful–up to 15 minutes.

Sweet and Sour Green Beans with Bacon Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (5)

Favorite Green Bean Recipes

Looking for some other ways to eat green beans?

Try Slow Cooker Green Beans with Onions and Bacon to serve a crowd or try fixingfresh green beans with andouille sausage. We also love these Pennsylvania Dutch Green Beans with Water Chestnuts.

Want to make green beans the main dish? Try our Zero Point Green Bean Chili or Tasty Green Beans with Ground Beef.

Sweet and Sour Green Beans with Bacon Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (6)

Print Recipe

Sweet and Sour Green Beans with Bacon

Sweet and Sour Green Beans with bacon is a fast way to jazz up a regular can of green beans. Bacon, onions, sugar and vinegar turns a plain can of beans into a family-pleasing side dish in no time flat.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Sweet and Sour Green Beans, Sweet and Sour Green Beans with Bacon, Sweet Southern Green Beans

Servings: 4

Calories: 92kcal

Author: Barbara

Ingredients

  • 14.5 oz. canned green beans, undrained
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup vinegar
  • 2 slices bacon

Instructions

  • Cut bacon into chunks, and cook over medium until the fat is rendered out and the bacon is crispy.

  • Remove the bacon pieces to a bowl, leaving behind the bacon grease.

  • Saute the onions in the bacon fat until soft; add vinegar, sugar and undrained green beans.

  • Simmer for 15 minutes.

  • Top with cooked bacon.

Notes

  • We used a 15-oz can of green beans so as long as the size is close to 14.5 to 15 ounces, go for it!
  • Sweet and Sour Green Beans are also called Sweet Southern Green Beans.
  • This recipe makes a smaller portion that feeds 2-4 people; however, you could easily double or triple the recipe if desired.
  • This is only a 5 ingredient recipe---canned green beans, bacon, onions, vinegar and sugar.
  • Since these sweet southern green beans are already cooked through, you don't necessarily need to cook them to long in the vinegar sauce. Cook it until flavorful--up to 15 minutes.
  • Looking for some other ways to eat green beans? Try Slow Cooker Green Beans with Onions and Bacon to serve a crowd, Zero Point Green Bean Chili if you are watching your weight, or try fixing up fresh green beans with andouille sausage.

Nutrition

Calories: 92kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 231mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 709IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg

Sweet and Sour Green Beans with Bacon Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (2024)

FAQs

How to make Paula Deen green beans? ›

Add green beans to pan and sauté over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add boiling water to pan and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes, just until beans are tender. Add vinegar, butter and salt and pepper and stir.

How does Julia Child cook green beans? ›

Pour 4 quarts of water and 2 Tbsp salt into a Dutch oven or large pot and bring to a boil. Add green beans and cook until soft and slightly overdone but not mushy, about 9 minutes. Drain green beans into a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside to drain and dry.

How do I jazz up green beans? ›

Then, I toss the blanched beans with olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, and salt to pep up their flavor. Serve them just like that, or dress them up more with toasted almonds or pine nuts, grated Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, or fresh herbs like basil, parsley, or thyme.

How many people will 2 lbs of green beans feed? ›

“When alternative sides are plentiful, assume guests will eat a little less of each and one pound will serve four people,” Hartigan says. “And if vegetarians outnumber carnivores at your table, assume your green beans will go fast and assume that one pound will serve two people.”

What was Julia Child's favorite meal? ›

Vichyssoise. Well-known as one of Julia Child's favorite dishes, this chilled leek and potato soup is startling in its simplicity. Aside from the leek, potato, and water, Child's version of the soup calls for barely any additional ingredients.

How to cook green beans Jamie Oliver? ›

Put a pan of salted water on to boil. Meanwhile, trim the the beans. Once the water is boiling, steam or boil the beans until tender. Drain well, then tip the cooked beans into the bowl with your dressing and toss everything together, making sure all the beans get coated.

How to infuse flavor into green beans? ›

Soy sauce is one of the easiest answers to how to flavor green beans. You can throw in some of this soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, ginger, and garlic and pan fry until glassy and green and you may never want to eat green beans any other way again.

Should you drain canned green beans before cooking? ›

One of the primary reasons for draining and rinsing canned beans, or any canned food, is to remove some of the excess salt.

Can I freeze fresh green beans? ›

Green beans can be frozen in their raw state, but consider blanching and shocking them for the best results. Not only does cooking them this way lock in their vibrant green color, but Registered Dietitian and Chef Abbie Gellman says it also eliminates surface microorganisms and dirt, preventing deterioration.

How to add flavor to canned green beans? ›

Drain one can of the green beans. Empty both cans in to a medium sauce pan and add onions, bacon bits, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes. The trick is to let it bubble and DO NOT take the lid off.

Should green beans be soaked before cooking? ›

Should I Soak Green Beans Before Cooking? Fresh green beans do not need to be soaked. To help tenderize the beans, blanch them in a large pot of salted water.

References

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