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Smothered Green Beans

Smothered green beans with a glossy brown sugar butter sauce and bacon drippings, baked until tender and sticky. This Southern-style side dish is made in a 9x13-inch baking dish for easy, even coating.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Southern American
Calories: 310
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cut green beans
  • 4 can (14.5 oz) cut green beans, drained Drain well before using.
Bacon base
  • 8 bacon, chopped Cook until mostly crisp; keep drippings in the skillet.
Onion
  • 0.5 small onion, diced
Brown sugar butter sauce
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 0.25 cup butter, melted
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and bake
  1. Preheat oven to 350F and position a rack in the middle.
  2. Cook bacon and onion in a skillet for 8 minutes until bacon is mostly crisp, keeping the drippings and not draining them.
  3. Place green beans in a 9x13-inch baking dish, then top with bacon, onion, and all skillet drippings.
  4. Whisk brown sugar, melted butter, soy sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper until smooth.
  5. Pour the sauce over the beans so they are evenly coated.
  6. Cover with foil and bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring once during baking, until the sauce is glossy.
  7. Stir and serve warm.

Notes

For the gloss, make sure the beans are coated with sauce before baking and give them one stir mid-bake so the caramelized brown sugar redistributes. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat gently in a covered dish at 325F until hot. Freezing isn’t recommended due to texture changes in the beans. For a lower-sodium swap, use low-sodium soy sauce and keep the rest the same.