I can hardly believe that the holidays are upon us! As you're planning your menu for various gatherings through the season, why not shake up the usual green bean casserole for something a little different? Last year we had a recipe swap at church where everyone brought one of their favorite dishes and everyone else was able to sample it. One of my friends brought this recipe and we all loved it! I took it to a family gathering a few weeks ago and they all said how delicious it was too, so it's now on the menu for Thanksgiving as well. My friend sweetly allowed me to share Jen's Green Beans recipe with you, and although it's not named after this Jen, it still works! ;)
Here's what you'll need:
4 28 oz. cans Allens Italian Green Beans
2/3 lb. bacon
1 c. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
3 T. soy sauce
1 T. minced garlic (jarred is fine)
*A note on the green beans- my grocery store has 3 different sizes of cans. I actually used two of the largest 38 oz. cans and then a smaller 28 oz. one too. Whatever combination gets you close to the 4 medium cans (112 oz.) is fine! That amount will fill a 9x13" casserole dish. Also, I'm sure you could use regular canned green beans, but please go to the effort to get the flat italian beans... they are so good!
Drain the green beans and put in a 9x13" casserole dish. Cut bacon into 1 inch strips and cover the top of the green beans. In a saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, and soy sauce and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add minced garlic, then reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 7-10 minutes. (Your kitchen is smelling heavenly at this point!) Pour sauce over the top of the green beans and bacon.
Cover and let stand overnight in the refrigerator to marinade. (Make them in the morning and let them marinade all day if you're in a crunch for time, but overnight is best!)
Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, then uncovered for the last 15 minutes. I like to turn the broiler on for the last 5 minutes or so to really brown up the bacon pieces.
This is a great make ahead dish for holidays or entertaining! Just cook right before the meal and you're all set!
I hope you'll try these and let me know what you think. They're a new family favorite for us for sure!
On a side note, for the church recipe swap everyone brought a copy of their recipe so others could take a photo of it on their phone if they wanted to keep it. Those recipes later turned into a new church cookbook... fun idea if you are looking for activities for your women's group!
Thanks so much for sharing this! Church cookbooks are the BEST!!!
ReplyDeleteAmazing recipe!
ReplyDeleteNice!
ReplyDelete