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Smothered Green Beans

Smothered green beans are baked in a 9x13-inch dish until tender, then coated in a glossy brown sugar butter sauce with bacon drippings. Oven-baked and stirred once for even coverage, they come out saucy and caramelized.
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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: 362
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Canned green beans
  • 4 can (14.5 oz) cut green beans drained
  • 4 can (14.5 oz) cut green beans drained
Bacon
  • 8 slices bacon chopped
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
  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and position a rack in the middle for even baking.
Cook bacon and onion
  1. Cook the chopped bacon and diced onion in a skillet for 8 minutes until the bacon is mostly crisp, and do not drain the drippings.
Assemble in baking dish
  1. Place the drained green beans in a 9x13-inch baking dish and top with the bacon, onion, and all skillet drippings.
Make and pour sauce
  1. Whisk the packed brown sugar, melted butter, soy sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper until combined, then pour it over the beans.
Bake until glossy
  1. Cover with foil and bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes, stirring once during baking until the sauce is glossy.
Serve
  1. Stir and serve warm so the beans stay coated in the glossy sauce.

Notes

Pro tip: use the full bacon-onion drippings instead of draining—this is what makes the sauce glossy and flavorful. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; reheat in the oven at 325F until warmed through. Freezing isn’t recommended because the beans can soften further. Dietary swap: for a lower-sodium option, choose reduced-sodium soy sauce.