I'm not a southern cook, but how about adding bacon? Not so healthy, I know, but that's what my mom did when she wanted a special green bean dish.

When I use canned green beans I just add a heaping spoon of bacon grease to the beans and liquid and heat them over medium to medium high heat til the liquid is nearly gone. If you have one of those huge cans you might want to use two or three spoons of bacon grease. At times I have added a bit of chopped onion to it too, but personally I like it better without the onions. Add a little salt and pepper to taste.
It's not the healthiest thing because of the bacon grease, but it is easy, quick and good.

Linda

First, Drain off liquid from beans In your pot add fresh water, several strips of smoked bacon and one chopped onion, bring to a boil then add beans, your salt and pepper. Turn heat down and cook slow for about 4 to 6 hours. I have added chicken broth for wonderful flavor.

The bacon DOES IT! I agree!

I was also going to say add bacon and onions to the drained canned beans.

Bacon greae gets my vote. I cut the bacon into little pieces with my kitchen shears and after the little pieces are all brown I just dump the beans in. Leave the bacon in, gives them even more flavor. My mom always puts a ham bone in her green beans. A left over ham bone with a little meat on it that she had saved in her freezer. Yum

First, get Hanover Blue Lake Green Beans. Second choice is Green Giant.

Drain all the water from the beans. This is important! Use a large pot and add some salt and if you choose to, some sliced or chopped onion. Cook at a slow boil for a long time. Southern GBs will be soft, not crisp when done.

When they are done, add Bacon drippings and stir them real good and continue to cook for 15-20 minutes, slowly to allow the beans to absorb the flavor of the bacon.

Most Southern GBs would have potatoes cooked with them the last 20 minutes or however long it takes. Small red potatoes are best, or use white ones, quartered.

And of course with GBs you must have corn bread!

Whether or not you cook onions with the beans, have small bowls of chopped onions on the table.

Sue

OOPS. Of course, you need water to cook them in.

Sue

i live the Allen's green beans- usually on the bottom shelf of the aisle. They come in the larger size veggies can. Add some bacon or fat back and you should be good.

My Mom isn't a southern cook, she's a northern cook. Her secret ingredient is butter. Drain off the liquid, add about two or three tablespoons of butter, heat thoroughly.

Can you use fresh green beans instead of canned? Green beans are not difficult to cook and the fresh flavor is preferable to soggy canned.

You can stir fry them with some sweet sherry added at the end. Stir fry them with just a few slivered carrots for added color and sweetness. You couls also add pearl onions to the stir fry mix.

You can also oven roast them in oil, and the natural sugar in the vegetable will carmalize. Just when they are about done give them a toss and sprinkle slivered almonds or sesame seeds on top during the last few minutes of roasting.

I'f go with the bacon grease. That's the way my mom did--and she wasn't southern--just a good cook.

Dilly Dally, yes, fresh GBs are best, but the request was for using canned, and for Southern Cooking, where Bacon grease is a Food Group! lol

Sue

My favorite way to jazz green beans up, is to drain the juice from the can. In your pot...fry up some thick slab bacon until just crisp. Remove from the pot, drain & cut into small pieces. Remove most of the grease.
Sautee some diced onions, chopped fresh garlic & button mushrooms.
I then add cans of stewed tomatoes, ..bring to a simmer, add the beans, bacon & salt & pepper. Simmer for 20 min, heat & eat.

O.K. I have not done this, but I know someone who has and swears by it. Drain off the liquid in the can, then heat the beans in CocaCola. Even Diet coke is supposed to work.

Not guaranteeing... just passing along information! LOL

I like the Italian Wide Green Beans with Bacon and onions as the other Southerners have mentioned.

bacon and carmelized onion!

You guys are the absolute best!!! I think I can pull this off.
Thanks so much!!!

I like to use bacon or bacon grease and diced onions, cooking until the onions are transparent. Then add a bit of sugar and cook a bit then add the green beans with some of the juice drained and cook them slow and for a long time, even the day before. Refrigerate and warm the next day. Just my way, I don't like crunchy beans. Don't forget the salt and pepper to taste.

My opinion ONLY: If you are gonna use canned green beans, use the french style green beans.

Grew up eating green beans, with chopped onion and chopped tomatoes to serve over them along with good ole southern cornbread . (not muffins)

Bacon and onions and new potatoes. You can't fail w/ this combination. Yummo

As we say here in Texas, if it ain't in bacon grease, it ain't worth eatin'. Of course, that leads to some very interesting ice cream desserts.

My favorite way to cook canned green beans is to drain liquid from beans then cover with salted water and a ham hock. Bring to a boil then simmer for a couple of hours. Sometimes I use bacon and onions too or ham but the hocks are my favorite.

I, too, have used bacon grease, onions and bacon, crumbled. People fall all over themselves eating it! :)

First I'd throw those canned beans in the trash and start with fresh ones. I cut up a few strips of bacon into small pieces and cook until crisp. Remove from the pan. Saute onions and fresh garlic for a couple of minutes. Place beans, bacon, onion and garlic in a cast iron dutch oven. Add 2 cups of water and a package of Goya brand pork seasoning. Cook for 2 hours in a 350 degree oven for 2 hours. Turn oven off after 2 hours, leave pot in oven and let it "coast" for at least 1 more hour.

Best green beans I've ever eaten. I've even had people who don't like green beans go back for 2nds.

Linda

Besides the beans, bacon, onion, salt and pepper, I throw in 4 or 5 drops of Red Hot sauce. It doesn't make the green beans hot, but really brings out the flavor.

Cooking green beans for 3 hours??? Wow

Anyway, to me it's simple Minnesota Math: Bacon+Butter=BETTER!!
Don't take no Rhodes Dough Scholar to figger that'n out! :)

Bacon and onions....fry the bacon and onion together. Add onion and grease to the beans and then the bacon in the last part of the cooking.

Bacon is the secret!!!

I fry strips of bacon until crispy, drain some of the fat if there is a lot of it. Dump the cans of green beans in, crumble the bacon up and add salt and pepper to taste. If the bacon is real salty you may not need any salt added.

This is how we have always cooked canned green beans and they are always so good.

Deb

These are the best, seasoned southern style.
http://www.allensitalianbeans.com/

Yep. 3 hours. You are baking them not boiling them. Nothing worse that raw green beans like you get in restaurants.

Linda

I use the Hanover green beans, undrained. For the large family size can I fry about 4 strips of bacon and add the bacon (crumbled) and the bacon drippings to the beans & the liquid. Add 3-4 beef boullion cubes and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes. They taste like the Cracker Barrel string beans.