Tag: green beans

Bacon Green Beans {for a crowd}

Kim

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans are one of the most popular recipes on my blog. Why? Because bacon makes everything better.  Just a fact, Jack.  I wanted to recreate the flavor of the bacon wrapped green beans, but without all the… wrapping of the bacon around the green beans. Uhmmm, maybe I’m a wee bit lazy? Seriously, I wanted to have green beans that would feed a bunch of folks, would be easy to travel with,  and easy to heat up once I got there.  Oh! And quick and easy to make.  Very important little detail there.

Okay, so they won’t be winning any awards for being the prettiest dish around, but when you have bacon and brown sugar together…you really can’t go wrong.
Convenience.

Bacon Green Beans 

1 large can cut green beans, drained
1 15 oz can green beans, drained
1 large can whole potatoes, drained
1 package real bacon bits (I used the ‘no nitrates or nitrites added’)
2/3 cup unpacked dark brown sugar (can use light as well)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  • Place drained green beans & potatoes in a 9×13 inch baking pan.
  • Sprinkle package of bacon bits over green beans/potatoes.
  • Combine the brown sugar, melted butter, soy sauce, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Pour over the green beans, potatoes and bacon.
  • Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes, depending on how “done” you like your beans. (I don’t like mine to get all limp and wrinkled, so I only did about 30 minutes.)
  • Stir and serve!
Verdict?  Bacon is the bomb.  These are tasty, yet simple to throw together, and a 9×13 pan full of green beans feeds quite a few people!  If you want to cut down on the sodium, you can rinse your canned veggies before using. (or buy unsalted….if you find them palatable. I don’t.)  Or you can go all out and use fresh green beans (a.k.a. snap beans if you’re from around here – just adjust your cook time accordingly). You can also use low sodium soy sauce and unsalted butter.  There is a lot of bacon in these, so that could be scaled back, as well as the sugar, without a noticeable difference I think.
 
I’m linking up over at , , , , , , , (Ingredient Spotlight: Bacon), ,

© copyright 2013 – All rights reserved

Makin’ it Mo’Betta

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

Kim

Leave it to me to take something healthy and ruin it.  Not that adding bacon is ruining it, it’s just that whole pesky eating in moderation thing.  Which my husband did not practice when eating these.  It’s not my fault…I have all these green beans coming in from the garden, and posted Green Bean Bacon Bundles.  What’s a girl to do?  Well, make some bacon wrapped green beans of course…

Green Bean Bacon Bundles 
from 
makes about 10-12 bundles *I made 14

1 pound fresh green beans

10-12 slices of thick-cut bacon  *I used regular bacon

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 cloves of garlic, minced  *I only used one

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.

  • Wash and thoroughly dry green beans, then season with salt and pepper. Bundle together about 5-8 green beans – this will depend on your size of beans and the amount of beans you get for one pound. Bundle together as many as you’d like! Using a slice of bacon, wrap it around the center of the beans to hold it together. Lay the bundle bacon seam side down in the baking dish to hold it together. Repeat with remaining beans.
  • Heat a small saucepan over low heat. Add butter, brown sugar and garlic and whisk until melted and combined. Using a pastry brush, brush the mixture over top of each green bean bundle. Cover the bundles with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10-15 (it took more like 25 minutes for me to get the bacon somewhat crisp, and I still ended up putting it under the broiler for a minute) minutes more, just until bacon gets crispy.

Verdict?  Bacon makes everything delicious. Even vegetables.

The only thing for me is that I baked them in a casserole dish, and the beans cooked in all that grease.  Which may be the point, but the green beans absorb a lot of that grease, which obviously is not good for you.  I think when (when, not if) I make them again, I’ll cook them in a roasting pan, with the wire rack, so the beans still get the juices of the bacon while it’s cooking, but a majority will drip down into the pan.  That should also get the bacon crispier without having to broil it.  (b/c I almost always burn everything I put under the broiler – see 1st pic)

These were definitely a winner with the hubs, not so much with the kids.  But as you may have noticed, my kids don’t like anything!

Since I’ve been blogging for a year now, I thought it would be fun to look back on previous posts.  Fun for me anyway 🙂  So…
Last year’s Post:  Healthy Choices (and ongoing struggle fo’ sho’)

I’m linking it up with , , Mouthwatering Monday @ , , Just Something I Whipped Up @ ,  at It’s a Blog Party, at All the Small Stuff,  , @ 33 Shades of Green, @ For The Love Of Blogs, , ,  , ,,  for Fat Camp Fridays,  (currently being held at ), , , , , for Savory Sunday; (Ingredient Spotlight: Bacon!), ,

© copyright 2013 – All rights reserved

Makin’ it Mo’Betta