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This is simple, down-home food. It was one of my favorites growing up and still is now. It's simple and a really great way to get kids to eat veggies - the beans taste too good to resist. I like this best served exactly like Mom used to do it - ham sliced on a platter, beans and potatoes swimming in a rich broth, and sides of biscuits or rolls, homemade jam, and marinated fresh vegetables (what I call quick pickles) to complete the meal. I'll list the ingredients exactly like I made this for dinner tonight. You can vary the amounts of everything to suit your family needs.
Quick Pickles:
Put the ham in a roasting pan and add water to come about half-way up on it. Roast it at 325 degrees F for 1 1/2 hours. Check the water periodically to make sure it's not cooking dry. You may have to add a little more water, but don't add too much because you want the richest broth you can get.
While it is roasting, prepare the quick pickles. You can use any veggies you like. Sliced peppers taste good and yellow peppers make the pickles even prettier. Hot peppers add a little zing, and are especially good with the grapes (grapes add a really nice note - vinegary vegetables, then the sweet crunch of the grapes. Adding them is the only thing I change from Mom's meal).
Cut them into bite size pieces. Put them in a bowl. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a jar with a tight lid. Shake them until the sugar dissolves, then pour over the veggies. Stir them from time to time to make sure they all get time in the marinade.
When the ham is done, take it out of the broth and wrap it in aluminum foil. This will keep it nice and hot until you serve it. Put the prepared green beans in the broth, and add water to come close to covering the beans. Taste it, and add enough ham bouillon to make it taste really good. I never add salt to this - the ham and the bouillon are salty enough. (If you haven't tried ham bouillon, you should. It is really good to have on hand for flavoring bean soups, vegetables, and all sorts of things).
On the stove top, put the pot on medium heat and bring the beans to a nice simmer. Peel and cut the potatoes, and add them to the pot. Put the biscuits or rolls in the oven. The beans, potatoes, and biscuits should be done at the same time, but if the biscuits are done first, take them out of the oven and cover them with foil or a clean dish towel to keep them hot.
While everything is finishing, drain the marinade off the veggies and put them in a nice serving bowl. In such a short time, they will have a nice pickly taste, but still have their own fresh taste, and be nice and crunchy.
Source: Vicy, my Mom
By Free2B from North Royalton, OH
Fry the bacon up. When it is about halfway done, drain all but 1 Tbsp. of the grease off (I save the grease for cooking). Add in the onions. Cook until the bacon is crispy, and the onion is soft. Add the water, green beans, and potatoes. Cover and cook until the veggies are almost done, then leave the lid off so that it thickens up a bit.
Delicious!
By Free2B from North Royalton, OH
In a large pot, cook the bacon to render the fat and then remove the bacon to paper towels to drain. Or, if you have bacon fat that you've saved, heat a 1/2 cup until sizzling.
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I really need ideas for using up canned green beans.
Sandra from PA
I don't think they taste that great unless they are home-canned. I've used them in green bean casserole (the kind w/ cream of mushroom) or in soups and stews.
I don't really like the taste of hot canned green beans. I prefer them cold or room temp. To make a quick salad, I drain a can of GBs and toss with a small amount of bottled salad dressing (Italian or Balsamic is good). A little bit of thinly sliced onion is good in this, too.
there is a recipe for fried breen beans. we tried them, they were pretty good.
Cheesy Green Bean Casserole
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup of shredded chedder cheese
1/2 bottle of hormel real bacon bits (red label)
3 cans green beans (drained)
1 can chedder french fried onions
In small sauce pan heat soup, cheese and bacon pieces on medium/low heat. Stir until cheese is melted. Drain the juice from green beans, and put them in an oven safe dish.
Pour soup mixture on top of green beans, and stir until evenly coated.
Top with chedder french fried onions, and bake at 300 degrees until onions are slightly browned.
I also use crushed ritz crackers with melted butter poured over them (maybe like 2-3 T butter to 1 sleeve crackers) for a topping instead of the Frenches onions!
BBQ Green Beans
2-3 cans green beans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 chopped onion
1 cup ketchup
dash of salt
dash of pepper
1/2 lb. fried bacon crumbled
Mix all ingredients in crockpot except bacon bits. Cook for 4-5 hours on low. Right before serving add bacon pieces.
Use them in three or four bean salad.
When I want to use some canned green beans & have something special, I put in about 2 cans of green beans, a dash of pepper, about 1/4 to 1/2 pound of sliced bacon, really thin sliced, cross way of strip, 1/2 of a finely chopped onion, then ad about 1/2 can of chopped tomatoes. Bring to a boil & simmer for about 40min. When I don't have fresh onions, I use chopped, dried, which I keep in the cabinet. It is really a fast recipe, which tastes like you spent a long time on them & they are delicious.
As has already been posted, green bean casserole, but put chunks of turkey or cubed, pre-cooked chicken breast. Add some crushed croutons, particularly if you can find them 10 for $10, if you'd like to avoid the traditional fried onion topping. Just put the croutons in a plastic bag and smack it a few times with a frying pan so you have smaller morsels. Use another soup instead of cream of mushroom. Cream of chicken, cream of celery and cream of broccoli are very nice with it, and throw in some cut up broccoli to get even more green veggies past the palate of fussy eaters, some onion, chopped celery, and even carrots are also terrific.
This is a good and cheap one, though it takes a little time. Cook a hamhock or ham shanks for 1 hour on a low simmer in a Dutch oven pot (put it in enough water to cover it). Make sure the pot is covered.
This can get pretty salty. I often pour off the water at this point and add fresh again to cover.
Add peeled, quartered potatoes and make sure water covers them and the ham. Cook on a low simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes. Then, add as many canned, drained green beans as you like. Cook another 15 minutes to a half hour until the potatoes are very tender, remembering to keep the pot covered to keep the heat in.
This is also a very tasty way to use up fresh green beans. Just put them in with the potatoes for an hour.
We usually have this with some quick biscuits or rolls and melty butter. The bread is great for soaking up the juices. This dish also tastes better the second day--if you can stop yourself from eating all of it. Enjoy!
You can mix a few tablespoons of tomato paste and some pepper to a can of beans in a saucepan. Then just heat it up. You may have to mix the tomato paste with the juice from the can first in order to avoid lumps.
take two or three green beans, wrap a small slice of bacon around them and bake till the bacon is cooked. Makes a wonderful appetizer.
I also chop them up and add to a lettuce salad.
If you rinse the beans several times in cold water, they will taste better. Then cut up an onion, seasoned salt,
Mrs dash and bacon drippings. Cook for 1/2 hour or so to get all the seaoning cooked in. Add more salt if needed.
2-3 tbs butter
2 cans green beans
1/2 heavy cream
salt/pepper
Drain the green beans well. Melt butter in skillet. Add green beans and heat/brown for 10-15 minutes over medium heat. Add cream, cover for 5-7 munutes. Uncover and add salt/pepper to taste.
dice a pound of bacon
fry it real good drain
dice a whole head of garlic
put in with the bacon
add three cans drained gr.beans mix well fry until the mixture is all well combined.
enjoy!
one cup diced celery
one cup sliced mushrooms
small onion diced;saute all of the above.
add one can stewed tomatoes
two cans gr.beans
this is also very good
You can add them to any canned soup of your choice to make it taste and look more substantial. My favorites are tomato soup with green beans and cream of mushroom soup with green beans. The french style beans also go well with the packaged chicken Maruchan noodle soups.
I like to put cream of chicken soup in the slowcooker and 1 small carton of half and half and four cups of green beans and salt and pepper.
I mix it all up and when it is warm and ready to serve I pour those wonderful fried onions on top! I love this recipe!
Green Beans are by far my FAVORITE vegetable :)
My Grandma would bake cornbread in a skillet and to go along with it:
In a Pot
1 can of green beans (with liquid)
3 peeled and diced potatoes (I leave the skin on)
3 slices bacon (cut in 1 inch slices)
1/4 to 1/2 sliced onion
add enough water or chicken broth to cover the potatoes
salt and pepper to taste
I usually double or triple according to how many I'll be feeding for dinner and of course for leftovers the next day.
Green beans are delicious when either pan fried or batter dipped. This is a page about fried green bean recipes.
This page contains green bean salad recipes. Green beans make a tasty salad.
This page contains green bean casserole recipes. Green bean casserole is a delicious dish that many families serve at Thanksgiving. It is a simply dish to make and there are a number of ways to enhance the traditional recipe too.
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Here are some ideas on how to spruce up the flavor of green beans.
You may already know this recipe. Grandmom showed me how to do this and I got addicted! An old Italian way to serve green beans starts with fresh beans. (I don't know of anyone in my family who has ever tried it with canned, so you're on your own there.) Anyway, clean the beans (top and tail them), and cook to a crisp/tender stage. Toss them in olive oil, garlic powder (or chopped fresh garlic), salt, pepper and oregano, all to taste. Chill for several hours or overnight. Serve cold, or at room temperature, as a side dish or salad. The longer this sits, the better it gets.
By Judi in Orlando
Here is a recipe for Garlic Green Beans that I think is quite yummy.
Ingredients
Directions
In large heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add garlic and beans, and saute over high heat to sear beans, stirring frequently so they do not burn. Add thyme, salt, and pepper to taste. Add water and bouillon. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until beans are tender when pierced with tip of sharp knife. Add more water, if necessary. Frozen beans will take only half the time. Add squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and toss well.
By Debbie
I like to prepare green beans by draining off the water, adding some chopped onions, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add to that a can of cream of mushroom soup. Simmer a bit until onions are crisp tender and serve.
Another way, if you are allowed bacon or bacon grease, is to put the beans in a pan, add 1-2 tablespoons bacon grease or bacon cut up small. Add new red potatoes. Put in some pearl onions and cook until beans and potatoes are tender. Delicious!
By gizmo81795
Try this recipe (good for wintertime when fresh green beans are scarce or too expensive):
Cook 20 oz. of frozen, french-cut green beans according to package directions. While beans are cooking, combine 3 tsp. sugar or Splenda, 2 tsp. vinegar, 1 tbsp. sour cream or plain nonfat yogurt, 4 snipped green onions (stems and all), 1 tbsp. veg. oil and finely cut fresh parsley to taste in a mixing bowl. Stop cooking beans when crisply tender and drain. Add hot beans to ingredients in bowl, tossing gently. Cool at room temperature then refrigerate. Serve chilled; keeps in refrigerator several days. Makes about 2 cups.
By Lynn Marler
Here is something I do with canned green beans. I drain all the liquid from the cans, and put the beans in a frying pan. I use a little olive oil, and fry them on medium heat, turning them every few minutes. You can use onion, and some ham or bacon to flavor them. Gets rid of the "canned" taste.
By Mary
Add 2-3 Tablespoons of bacon bits (canned or fresh not bacos) to canned green beans (liquid included) and microwave. Easy & Yummy.
By Melissa
Cook the green beans if fresh or frozen. Heat beans if using canned. Place a couple of Tbsp. of slivered almonds in a spray coated skillet. Brown until crunchy over med-low heat, stirring often. Add to the green beans. If your diet allows, a bit of sugar added to the almonds makes them even crunchier. Hope this helps.
By Marian
We eat great beans often. One way I spruce them up is with real bacon bits. I also sometimes use dried onions or both.
By Carey
I drain off all liquid and add 1/8 cup brown sugar (not packed), 2 Tablespoons garlic granules (or garlic powder) and black pepper. Bring to a boil without lid. Boil until beans darken in color.
By Debbie in MO
Ingredients
Directions
Cook beans as directed; drain. Toss with salad oil, vinegar, onion, and garlic. Pour into an ungreased casserole dish. Stir together bread crumbs, cheese, and melted butter. Sprinkle over beans. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
By Trudy Powell
I use the canned french style beans for a salad by draining off liquid and adding some thinly sliced onion. Toss together and add low-cal Italian dressing (the longer it sits, the better it is).
By Betty
Hi Teresa! I use green beans in place of macaroni for casseroles. I make tuna casserole using green beans instead of macaroni. I also use spaghetti sauce on green beans and bake them with a cheese topping. I also do as Mary mentioned, drain the liquid from green beans and I often add sliced mushrooms and heat them in a frying pan until they just start to brown. Use any of the seasonings you enjoy. We like garlic powder and sometimes bacon added in.
We try to avoid "white carb" foods and my husband just told me that he didn't think he could stand not to have the pastas and potatoes but he loves the way we're eating and he says he can "eat this every day"lol Love it! (03/07/2007)
By SL Edens
I like my green beans to stay nice and green for salads, etc. So what I do is add a titch of baking soda just after dropping the beans in the boiling water. (03/07/2007)
By Heather
Please post all the green bean recipes you can. We are going to be inundated with green beans (30 pole bean plants and 30 bush bean plants. OOPS!), so I need some ideas! Thanks oodles! (04/11/2009)
By Jackie
