Southern Smothered Green Beans

My Grandma's recipe for the BEST Southern Smothered Green Beans that are more delicious than you can even imagine! #sponsored #ad

This post is sponsored by my friends at Del Monte (@delmonte) in collaboration with the Produce for Better Health Foundation (@fruitsandveggies). All opinions are my own.

You guys! This recipe is absolutely delicious! I never knew that the way my Grandma used to make it was an actual recipe. I just thought that's how you make canned green beans. But, recently, I was describing how she did it to my husband. His IMMEDIATE response was YOU HAVE to make this for Thanksgiving because it sounds AMAZING! I figured it was super easy, so I'd do a little test run and see what he thought before Thanksgiving. Spoiler alert, he ate it for days on end and asked me to make it again. He said it was even better than it sounded, and I had to share it!

I couldn't believe that he would love something so simple, but I have to admit, it tasted like home the way Grandma made it. I have to admit. I'm a bit of a canned food convert. I used to preach that fresh was best, but in reality, all forms of fruits and veggies matter. The sad truth is America isn't getting enough produce. And this may seem obvious, but those who readily embrace all forms of produce (canned, frozen, fresh, juice, etc.) consume more produce overall. And some research suggests they eat more quantity of all forms than those who don't consume all forms. When it comes to produce, the more, the better! That's how you flood your body with antioxidants and nutrients!

Canned produce items often make it from field to cannery much faster and fresher than fresh produce items make it to your local grocery store. And if you want fresh, you know that Del Monte has you covered with the quality and taste you know and love. Plus, they have many versions to meet your family's needs and taste buds, such as regular, low-sodium, and salt-free, all of which can be used in this recipe! You will want to use the fresh cut in this recipe, though, and not the french style.

How to Make Southern Smothered Green Beans:

Simmer your green beans in the liquid of two cans with a little bit of sugar. This is why we don't add salt unless you use salt-free green beans. Trust me. I promise they will be perfectly salted when you are done! You will simmer until all the liquid is gone. PS brown sugar is traditional, but my grandma always used plain old cane sugar.

Stay close because once the liquid is gone, you'll want to add an oil like avocado, butter, or bacon grease. I'll let you guess which one is the most popular in the south and which my grandma used.

Then it's time to smother with bacon pieces, almonds, and french-fried onions. I think raisins would be delicious, too, for a sweetness hit, or go the other way and add some parmesan cheese. Both would be divine!

Swaps and Substitutions

Canned Green Beans - please use four 15-ounce cans of Del Monte Fresh Green Beans. You can use regular, low-sodium, or salt-free. I do not recommend french style green beans as they aren't hardy enough to stay together in this recipe. If you use salt-free, you'll have to play around with adding salt in.
Cane sugar - my grandma always used raw cane sugar, but I've done this with coconut sugar in a pinch. Any sugar will suffice! Can you skip the sugar? Sure! But I think the sweetness balances the saltiness creating the perfect finished product.
Oil, Butter, or Lard - your choice, but you need some cooking fat! Grandma used bacon fat, I've used all three, and my favorite is butter or lard.
Cooked Bacon Slices - Optional, but also kind of not, ya know?
Sliced Almonds - Optional. Could sub with pecans, pine nuts, or something else!
French Fried Onions - Optional for extra crunch.

How to Store and Freeze

Store: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Freeze: It is safe to freeze this recipe for up to 3 months, but I don't recommend it due to a loss in texture and quality. In other words, it will not taste good when it comes out of the freezer.

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